Pour Taproom Buffalo Closes After 4 Years

Pour Taproom, a self-pour beer, cider and wine bar located at 490 Pearl Street in Buffalo’s Theatre District, closed Wednesday after 4 years in business. Owners Matt Prime and Joe DiCenzo made the announcement on social media. Prime and DiCenzo say that they were hoping to have an official closing party in a few weeks, but were not able to make it work. Their other location, which opened last year inside the former Slopeside Restaurant at the Telemark Hotel, will remain open for business. Pour Taproom Buffalo opened in 2021.

Erie County Fair Homebrew & Cider Making Competition Returns

The 2025 Erie County Fair Homebrew and Cider Making Competition is accepting entries beginning April 1, with a deadline of April 30. The judging is based on creativity and not necessarily by style, and while all BJCP styles can be entered, the main criteria will be “creative relevancy” or the most fun beer/cider to enjoy at the fair. The winning homebrew beer will be brewed at Hamburg Brewing, while the winning cider will be brewed by BlackBird Cider Works. Both will be available on tap at the fair, Hamburg Brewing and Resurgence Brewing, as well as in cans. Entries can be dropped off at Resurgence or Hamburg’s taprooms, or at the Erie County Fairgrounds Main Offices. There is a $25 entry fee.

WNY Breweries Win Big at 2025 NYS Craft Beer Competition

It was a solid showing for local breweries at the 2025 New York State Craft Beer Competition, which took place Friday, March 21 at the Albany Capital Center as part of the NYS Brewers Conference. Resurgence Brewing grabbed a silver medal for their White Ale (Wheat Beers), Pearl Street Grill & Brewery won gold for Saber’s Edge DIPA (American DIPA), Hamburg Brewing won gold for OMS (Stout (Non-Imperial)) and New York Beer Project Irish Coffee Stout took bronze (Specialty Beers (Stouts & Porters)). Western New York breweries also swept the Experimental category, with Eli Fish Brewing scoring bronze for Chateau Tropicale, Resurgence’s Another Caucasian, Gary nabbing silver and Big Ditch Brewing going gold with Carrot Cake Winter Ale.

Wayland Brewing Dinner at Rationales

Rationales will host Wayland Brewing for their next beer dinner, Thursday, March 27 (6pm). The dinner will feature four courses, each paired with a Wayland beer. The menu includes Strawberry Field Salad, paired with Case Study IPA, Cuban Crostini paired with Waylander Pilsner, Mineo and Sapio Italian Sausage and Smoked Cheddar Mash paired with Super Deluxe American IPA and House Made Peanut Butter Pie paired with Old Growth Schwarzbier. Tickets are $65 and include tax and gratuity and can be purchased here.

42 North Brewing Re-Release Beyond Boundaries Pils

42 North Brewing has re-released Beyond Boundaries, a West Coast Pilsner that combines the crispiness of a pilsner with the citrus hop flavor of a west coast IPA. The beer, which was originally released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Buffalo’s business startup incubator, 43North, last fall, features Simcoe, Chinook and Tonatiuh hops. Beyond Boundaries will be available at both 42 North’s East Aurora and downtown Buffalo taprooms, as well as wherever great craft beer is sold, including Consumers Beverages, Wegmans, select Tops and select bottles shops.

CollaBEERation Festival Announces More Collabs

CollaBEERation Festival, which takes place at the Powerhouse on Apr. 5, has announced another round of collab beers that will be poured at the event. Among the recently announced collaborative brews are Mystic Hills Brewing Miami Weisse (Florida Weisse with papaya, tangerine, and pineapple make up the tropical beach flavor), Beer Kind Brewing Jason Mimosa! (Mimosa Hazy IPA), Smoldered Society – World Police DIPA (Fermented with over 90lbs of pink grapefruit, double dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Citra Cryo, and Riwaka and conditioned on marshmallow), Noble Shepherd – Concessions (Sour Apple Berliner Weisse), and more. You can find an updated list here. General admission tickets still remain and can be purchased here.

Wild Game & Beer Dinner at Griffon Gastropub in Lewiston

Griffon Gastropub in Lewiston is hosting their first ever Wild Game & Beer Dinner on April 1 (6pm). There will be a welcome reception with beer and passed hors d’oeuvres before the beer dinner, which features five wild game courses paired with Griffon Brewing beer. The wild game dishes will be prepared by Celebrity Chef Chaz Bulera. Tickets are $79.99 per person (plus tax/gratuity) and space is limited. Tickets are available for purchase at https://griffongastropub.com/game-dinner.

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, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).