From left: Mark and Jesse from the BBL, Patrick from One-Eyed Cat, and Scott from the BBL

One-Eyed Cat Brewing, award-winning homebrewers who are looking to open a brewery in Western New York, have launched a new online fundraiser with a goal of $6,000. Monies raised will go towards the purchase of a brewing system.

Donation tiers include $1,000 (invite to VIP tasting prior to grand opening), $500 (One-Eyed Cat Brewing LED sign), $200 (One-Eyed Cat Brewing tap handle), $100 (branded pint glass and t-shirt), $50 (wall of thanks and a free beer at the brewery). You can also donate a custom amount.

From left: Sara & Patrick (OECB), Brian & Scott (BBL), Josh (West Shore Brewing), Chris Herr, Karl & Lexi (Pressure Drop Brewing)

“Since it’s inception, the folks at One-Eyed Cat Brewing have been overwhelmed by the community’s support of our efforts. Seeing familiar faces reappear at tasting events and hearing from individuals who have regularly “checked in” on our progress and cheered us on has sustained us through both challenges and successes. At times, we have wanted to give up, and probably would have, if not for the incredible encouragement of our supporters. Over the years, members of our community have asked us how they could help support our goal of bringing our unique craft beer to the Buffalo beer scene. With this in mind, we turned to crowd-sourced fundraising as a way to engage this support in a more tangible way. Not everyone who has been a part of our story will want or be able to support us financially, and that is OK! Their words of encouragement are thoroughly appreciated. For those who do, this provides a way to do so at a time when exciting things are on the horizon for One-Eyed Cat Brewing,” One-Eyed Cat’s Patrick Alexanderson said.

From left: Sara & Patrick (OECB), Scott (Hofbrauhaus Buffalo), Scott (BBL)

The crowdsourcing campaign, which has nearly reached its goal as of this writing, comes after the brewery’s plans to open in Clarence in a renovated turn-of-the-century church, as well as in the former Resurgence Brewing on Niagara Street, fell through.

“Last fall, we were supposed to take over Resurgence, Niagara Street. We were well on our way to signing the paperwork. It was going to be great. We kept it close to our chest, because, well, church in Clarence… you know. It was during the process that ½ of the partnership got cold feet and quit. Citing the pandemic as a launch point for exiting, despite breweries opening during the pandemic (and THRIVING to the point of building an addition! (Good on you Front Line)), and every other brewery in Buffalo remaining in business even after a year of this madness. When my partner left, he took a large portion of the capital with him, either directly or indirectly. Leaving me at “square one” again,” Alexanderson said.

From left: Anthony & Brian (BBL), and Patrick (OECB)

Through it all, the trials and the tribulations, Alexanderson has shown tremendous resolve and perseverance. And, if nothing else, he sure as hell isn’t ready to give up on this dream of his.

“I’m not giving up on One-Eyed Cat. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” he said.

If you’re unfamiliar with their beer, a few of the eccentric beer styles you can expect from One-Eyed Cat Brewing are a kettle soured imperial stout, Mexican Hot Chocolate Porter (F@#$ the Wall), Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Pureed Pumpkin and a Bourbon and Oak Infused English Barleywine (Maenad’s Kiss).

From left: Mark (BBL), Rebecca (Buffalo Beer Goddesses), Patrick & Sara (OECB)

“Most of the public who knows us, knows that we like to delve into the esoteric and off-script. We want to continue that to a large degree,” Patrick said.

Patrick adds that throughout this ‘tedious, but enjoyable process,’ the response from the brewing community at large in Buffalo and WNY has literally moved him to tears at points.

From left: Patrick & Sara (OECB), Scott (BBL)

“We have been emotionally overwhelmed (seriously, there have been tears) by the way that the WNY beer scene has treated us. We think that the fact that most of the local industry starting out as home brewers has enabled them to take us seriously. From seemingly stupid questions that we asked about processes, to invitations to test brew on brew days to feedback on beer that we’ve brewed…the community has been great. We have had no qualms about throwing our beer out there for critique, and the feedback has been invaluable to our development as brewers and as professionals.”

To donate, or to find out more information, click here. The campaign runs through May 13.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/oneeyedcatbrewing.

Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the 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 brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).