Spending the night at a brewery is every craft beer drinkers dream. It’s reminiscent of being able to sleepover at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory after eating all those delicious chocolates and candies all day. Well, dream no more, because that’s something you can actually do, right here in Western New York. The Lofts at 42, housed conveniently on the 42 North Brewing campus in East Aurora, affords you the opportunity to do just that – enjoy everything the brewery and taproom has to offer, without having to worry about driving or finding a place to stay in town.

So, in order to tell you about The Lofts at 42, I had to experience it for myself, right? I recently did just that, spending a night in the Borderland Room.

The process is simple. You book your room, receive a code to access your room, settle in, and before long, you’re enjoying a refreshing beverage, which was easy to do, because there was a stocked beer fridge in my room. I put down my bag and cracked a two-week-old can of Borderland IPA, a beer I’d been recently craving. It went down as smooth as can be. And better yet, there was a gift card to the taproom waiting for me in my room, which I thought was a great touch.

After finishing a fresh Borderland, I headed down to the taproom for more drinks and food. Once I got a table, I started with a pint of There Gose the Night, a collaboration with Oregon Fruit, a blackberry, black currant and blueberry gose. The beer is excellent; soft and smooth with huge pops of bright tart berry and citrus. I switched over to White Oak Borderland IPA when my dinner came, Fat Bob’s mac and cheese, a pulled pork sandwich, and smokehouse nachos with brisket. For a digestif, I got adventurous with a bottle of Lantern, a chardonnay barrel aged wild ale with goldenberry, which was an excellent decision. It was light and effervescent with tart citrus notes, and the perfect way to close down the taproom, mind you, at 10pm. Thanks COVID.

The best part of this whole experience is, I didn’t have to drive home. It was mere steps and I was back at my room, to the welcome embrace of a Roku and the beer fridge. After settling in and changing into some comfy clothes, I headed straight for the fridge, to a fresh, cold can of Illumination Pilsner, which I consumed way too quickly, as I popped on Disney + and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” I reached for a Wallonia Wit to quench my seemingly never-ending thirst after that, and took in the sights of an illuminated, yet empty beer garden, which the Borderland Room overlooks.

I couldn’t pass up the photo op either because it was both hauntingly beautiful and calming.

After I finished “Dead Man’s Chest” and my can of Wallonia Wit, I grabbed both a bottle of water (also included in the fridge) and a can of Chenoo Brew Imperial Stout as I binged a few episodes of “American Dad.” This combination eventually put me to sleep, which is a great way to end any day.

The next morning, checkout was simple, because there really isn’t a checkout process. I was out of the room at 11am, locked the door, and that was really about it. I headed to my car, then to breakfast. It may have been the easiest checkout process I’ve ever encountered, which is another nice touch.

This entire process could not have been easier to be honest. From check-in to check out, the hardest thing I was tasked with was deciding what beer to order next. It’s as simple as it sounds – check in, eat, drink, enjoy life, sleep, check out. The beer fridge and taproom gift card were nice bonuses too. I would easily recommend this to anyone thinking about booking a night – it’s fun, convenient and something different, which we could all use right about now.

In addition to the Borderland Room, The Lofts at 42 also offer the Prohibition Suite, HopLand Room and Queen City Room. Find more information, and book any of the rooms, here.

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).