Farm to Pint is more than a simple sales ploy. It’s not a passing fad either; it’s a lifestyle, a locavore movement that affects more people than perhaps you might realize. From farmers and maltsters to hopsters and brewers, the farm-to-pint ethos permeates all levels of the brewing supply chain.
And what a simple concept – supplying local ingredients to local breweries. Why not use what’s grown here to brew what we drink here? From local farms to local breweries to local patrons – the farm-to-pint idea is maddeningly simple and nonetheless important. While this ideology creates fresh, locally sourced beer, it also creates jobs, revenue that remains in our area and also, and perhaps most importantly, it creates a sustainable and viable infrastructure for future generations.
And what better way to celebrate the idea of thinking local and drinking local than during Farm to Pint Week, which gets underway at the Third Annual Farm to Pint Expo on May 11 (2-5pm) at Resurgence Brewing. Meet local tastemakers and drink their wares as representatives from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, Niagara Craft Spirits, Victorianbourg Wine Estate, Niagara Landing Winery, 810 Meadworks, New York Craft Malt, Niagara Malt, Five and 20 Spirits & Brewing and Lilly Belle Meads will be on hand sampling their products. The expo will also feature a number of F2P beers on tap from 42 North, Big Inlet, Brickyard Brewing, Five & 20, Eli Fish, Resurgence Brewing, Rusty Nickel, West Shore, and Windy Brew.
Farm to Pint Week continues during Food Truck Tuesday at Flying Bison Brewing on May 14 (5-7pm) with the F2P Symposium, which will play host to three F2P experts for two hours of industry talk to pro brewers followed by a bottle share featuring WNY & NYS F2P brews. The speakers are Aaron MacCleod of Hartwick College on malt analysis, Chris Holden of NY Hop Guild on NYS hops and Jason Sahler of Strong Rope Brewery on NYS Farm to Pint beers.
42 North’s Full Circle Festival takes place on May 18 (2-6pm). The festival, which focuses on sustainability in the craft brewing industry, will include over a dozen local breweries sampling their products, along with a pig roast (raised exclusively on 42N’s spent grain), live music and an all-around community celebration. Tickets are available for pre-sale online and in the 42 North taproom, and include beer sampling, live music, souvenir glass and pig roast. Tickets will also be available at the door (if any remain) on the day of. Purchase tickets at Eventbrite.
Batavia’s Eli Fish will host a F2P tap takeover featuring sixtels of F2P beer from local breweries the following day on May 19 (12-5pm) featuring most, if not all, of the available F2P beers, most of which will also be available throughout the region during the entire week, including on tap at Pizza Plant Transit and Mr. Goodbar.
Here is the tap list for Farm to Pint Week (subject to change):
42 North Brewing – 42 North NYS Sour IPA – New York Pale and 2-Row malts are the foundation of this hazy IPA. Brewed and dry-hopped with New York Chinook, Nugget, Cascade, Macadamia Nut and a medley of lactobacillus, this IPA has pleasant hints of tropic melons and sweet cream.
Belt Line Brewery & Kitchen – Farm To Tap: Honey Kolsch – A variation on traditional kölsch with the addition of local honey, which adds a subtle floral character.
Big Ditch Brewing – 100% NY Pale Ale – This beer is handcrafted using Erie Canal Pale malt from New York Craft Malt in Batavia as well as Cascade, Centennial, and Michigan Copper hops from Crooked Creek Hops Farm. Expect a light, clean malt background with light peach, concord grape and earthy aroma and flavor.
Big Inlet Brewing – Lowbrow Nobility Wheat – Half of the grain bill for this beer comes from White Wheat malt while the other half consists of a blend of Pale and Pilsner malts. Only Cascade hops were used, which were locally sourced from Royce Road Hop Farm.
Blackbird Ciderworks – Red Barn Wild Fermented – A farm-style hard cider wild fermented, sweet hard apple cider. It features hints of apricots in the aroma and a refreshing full apple flavor.
Brickyard Brewing Company – Saison des Fleurs – A dandelion saison using local NY malt and dandelions.
Buffalo Brewing Company – 1856 Cran Raz Wheat – A delicate wheat beer with tart cranberry and raspberry flavors. It has big fruit flavor and a light body, which makes this beer a refreshing summer treat. 1856 commemorates the year that the Washington Market (also known as the Chippewa Market), Buffalo’s oldest public retail market, was established.
Eli Fish Brewing – El Guapa Gose – A kettle-soured traditional German Gose dosed with copious amounts of key lime juice. This is a true margarita beer; refreshingly tart, lime forward, and a hint of salt. This was brewed using only New York State malts.
Five and 20 Spirits & Brewing – Grape Lakes American Wheat Ale – Co-fermented with Concord grape juice from local Westfield Growers Co-Op and brewed with Pale Ale and Wheat malt from 1886 Malt House and Cascade hops from Hanover Hops.
Flying Bison Brewing – Best Bitter – All WNY ingredient version of the traditional British session beer. Slight biscuity and nutty malt flavor, balanced bitterness and floral/herbal aroma and flavor. Malts and hops from New York Craft Malt and East Prairie Hop Farm.
Four Mile Brewing – Maple Brown Ale – A brown ale showcasing local maple syrup from Sprague’s Maple Farms in Portville, NY. It delivers notes of biscuit, chocolate, and caramel with a soft, smoky sweet maple finish.
Lilly Belle Meads – Honey and Hops – Made with wildflower honey from WNY and New York Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Dry, carbonated with a nice balance of honey flavor with citrus and pineapple notes.
New York Beer Project – The One New England IPA Version 5 – Brewed with Hallertau Blanc, Huell Melon, Galaxy and Azacca hops. Double dry-hopped with El Dorado and Galaxy hops. This beer was brewed with nearly 50% local grain using Niagara Malt Mild Pale Ale malt. The result is a tropical fruit forward juicy IPA with aromas of passion fruit, mango, melon, and stone fruit.
Old First Ward Brewing This Is Not A Pale Ale – An aggressively hopped American Pale Ale that uses four types of malts and six types of hops including all Cascades from Vertical Vines. It opens with a big hop aroma and balances sweetness, bitterness and mouthfeel.
Pearl Street Brewery – Lackawanna Lager – A traditional German-style pilsner brewed with NYS malt from Niagara Malt and traditional imported German hops. This beer is fermented at a cooler temperature, then lagered for at least six weeks before serving.
Resurgence Brewing – West Meets New England IPA – An experimental hazy IPA that has more bitterness than usual for the style IPA. It’s dry-hopped with hops from the New York Hop Guild.
Rusty Nickel Brewing – It’s Spelt Correctly – A Brett Farmhouse Saison using four different malts from Niagara Malt, showcasing their Spelt Malt especially. The Brett blend saison yeast that is used imparts complex flavors to this seasonal brew.
West Shore Brewing – Green Flyer New England IPA – This NEIPA is brewed with Niagara Malt’s Pale and Pislner Malt and Centennial Hops from Vertical Vines as well as a touch of Simcoe and Mosaic. It’s then double dry-hopped with a blend of all three, but mostly local Centennial.
Windy Brew – PTSD IPA – This IPA features loads of fresh grapefruit and citrus and finishes off with a clean bitterness.
Woodcock Brothers Brewing – Big Bob’s Pale Ale – A Belgian Pale Ale using malt from Niagara Malt.
For more information, please visit www.BuffaloNiagaraBrewersAssociation.Org/F2P.
Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague) and www.buffalobeerleague.com.
