by Willard Brooks
JOIN THE PARTY!
3rd ANNUAL BUFFALO BREWERS FESTIVAL CELEBRATES GROWTH OF WESTERN NEW YORK’S CRAFT BEER SCENE
The third annual Buffalo Brewers Festival, the only festival in our region hosted by and for local craft brewers, takes place Saturday, June 18, from 3-7pm, at Outer Harbor. The event is sponsored by the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association.
The festival will feature more than 40 breweries, including all 20 local breweries such as 12 Gates, 42 North, Big Ditch, Community Beer Works, Ellicottville Brewing Company,
Five and 20 Spirits and Brewing, Flying Bison, Four Mile, Old First Ward, Gordon Biersch, Hamburg Brewing Company, New York Beer Project, Pan Am Grill &
Brewery, Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, Resurgence Brewing, Rusty Nickel Brewing, Southern Tier Brewing Company and Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company as well as cameos from Buffalo RiverWorks and Thin Man Brewery, and guest brews from Smuttynose, Abandon Brewing, Three Heads Brewing, Ommegang and Ithaca Beer Company. In additional to our perennial Meet the Brewer Tent (more below), new this year will be special feature tents including a NYS Cider Tent, a Farm to Pint tent and an Ontario Beer Tent. A full beer list can be found soon at buffalobrewersfestival.com.
The Brewers Festival
celebrates all things local, not just beer. Local farmers and chefs, food trucks will also be on hand. We will have Oshun Seafood, The Whole Hog Truck roasting a T-Meadow Hog, Gourm Asian Bistro, The Cheesy Chick, Frank’s Gourmet Hot Dogs, and more to be announced soon. There will be vendors selling beer-centric wares. Also on hand will be the Buffalo Beer League, WNY Brews podcast and all our media sponsors.
This year there will be a single Meet the Brewers session. Our third iteration of MTB at the Brewers Festival, we present an interactive taste experience with five local brewers paired with the cheeses of Vermont Farmstead
. Local cheese purveyor Michelle Stevens, of Buffalo Cheese Traders, along with the cheesemakers from Vermont Farmstead, will present a collaborative cheese & beer pairing between the brewers and the cheesemaker. This is an experience that will leave you wondering why you ever thought that any other beverage would pair better with cheese than beer brewed right here in Buffalo. This is not to be missed.
“The Buffalo Brewers Festival is more than just a beer fest,” Resurgence Brewing’s Jeff Ware says. “It’s really a celebration of Buffalo. Great beer, great food and a great new venue at the Outer Harbor this year. What better way is there to enjoy a summer day?”
Tickets can be purchased at buffalobrewersfestival.com and soon at Aurora Brew Works, Consumers Beverages, Kegworks, Premier Gourmet and many local breweries (to be announced soon).
There are various types of tickets available, including Brewer’s Fest GA Ticket ($40, includes ALL beer tastings from over 40 breweries from 4-7pm), Brewer’s Fest Ticket (early admission – $49, includes all beer tastings from over 40 breweries from 3-7pm) and Designated Driver Ticket ($15, available at gate, valid 3-7pm, ticket price includes admission to the event and a free bottle of water. Tasting glasses are not provided to designated drivers).
The main reason to come out to this fest is that is the only festival that is both by and for local breweries. The food and beer is local – the brewers, chefs are here and this is a focused example of awesome events that on the Buffalo waterfront. This highlights the dynamic and scenic aspect of re-energized Buffalo’s beer culture at a very fair price.
For more information, please visit buffalobrewersfestival.com or BuffaloNiagaraBrewersAssociation,org.
