While we are conditioned to associate lagers with the summer season, the answer is both psychological and physiological. Lagers are light-bodied, highly carbonated, and clean, which makes them especially refreshing when you’re hot and sweaty. When your body’s craving hydration and relief, a crisp lager satisfies both your thirst and your taste.

Research says that the cool temperature of ice-cold lagers triggers thermoreceptors in your mouth and throat, thus giving you a cooling sensation. As your sense of taste and smell dull slightly due to dehydration and heat fatigue on hot days, lagers are easier to process. They are also typically highly carbonated, which contributes to a perception of refreshment due to the carbonic acid stimulating your trigeminal nerve. Lagers rely less on aroma complexity and more on texture, carbonation, crispness, and finish, attributes that remain highly perceptible even when olfactory sensitivity declines during the summer. Because trigeminal sensation remains robust during heat stress, carbonation continues to provide a vivid sensory experience even when aroma perception is reduced.

After reading way too much medical research online to support my theory, something I never thought I’d be doing when I started writing about craft beer, I wanted to gather some real-world thoughts on why lagers taste better during summer, so I turned to the experts. And by experts, I mean the people behind my current favorite local lagers – Smoldered Society (Strike Anywhere), Resurgence Brewing (Bridge Pilsner), Buffalo Olde Brewery (Lovejoy Lager), Buffalo Brewing (Simon Pure), First Line Brewing (Everyday Lager) and 42 North Brewing (Solshine).

Illumination Pilsner was one of the very first beers I drank when 42 North Brewing opened, and while no offense is meant towards it or their Craftsman Lager, my current favorite crispy from the East Aurora brewery is Solshine, a helles lager brewed with sweet orange peel and tangerine, one of my absolute favorite beers to consume while floating around in the pool.

“I tend to think lagers taste great all year round,” 42 North owner John Cimperman said. “That said, I do tend to drink more of them in the summer. And the beauty of a lager coming in around 5% is, you can toss back a few. Crisp, refreshing and a perfect way to beat the heat. Before, of course, you throw back a few IPA’s.”

I’ve long posited that Buffalo Olde’s Lovejoy Lager is one of the most slept-on lagers in all of Western New York. It’s also one of my favorite beers to drink at a beer festival because, not only is it thoroughly refreshing, it’s a well-built beer. When I asked Buffalo Olde head brewer Tom Dargen for his thoughts on my lager theory, he offered something of an interesting take.

“I did recently hear an NPR story about how to manage extreme heat where the expert interviewed said drinking light beer was as hydrating as water, and by that he meant lighter lager, which I assume you are referring to as well,” Dargen said. “I love that clean, crisp, beer-flavored beer is having a bit of a renaissance. Who wants to drink another enormous IPA that tastes like bong water on a hot summer day?”

Resurgence Brewing’s owner Jeff Ware has a bit more of a straightforward take.

“Nothing better than a cold refreshing beer on a hot day. Match made in heaven. Like a beer and hot dog at a baseball game!” Ware said.

Russ Haentges, head brewer at Orchard Park’s First Line Brewing, said that it is lager’s simple nature that makes them a go-to choice for summer when you’re reaching into your cooler.

“I suppose I should start by asking you: in which season does a lager not taste delicious?” he said. “Because lagers are straightforward nearly 99% of the time, they are especially attractive during the summer. The light, refreshing, crisp, and simple nature of the style makes it a natural go-to in the heat. I also feel we are finally turning a corner, with lagers becoming the preferred choice as the hazy IPA craze begins to settle.”

Buffalo Brewing Company is making some of the best lagers in Western New York right now, and it is largely due to their successful revival of the Simon Pure line and Schreiber Brewing’s Manru line. As owner and head brewer John Domres told me recently, BBC makes “old man beers,” and they are doing it pretty damn well in my opinion. While he says part of the reason why lagers are so closely associated with summer is psychological, there is science behind it, which I found out during my research for this article. The science does actually exist.

“Lagers simply taste different during the summer,” he said. “They are cold, crisp, clean, refreshing, and usually not too heavy. When the weather is hot, you don’t want something overly sweet, boozy, or filling. Instead, you prefer something cold with good carbonation and a clean finish. Part of the reason for this preference is likely psychological. Cookouts, patios, baseball games, yard work, and ice-cold cans all evoke a sense of lager season. In essence, lager embodies the essence of summer in a glass.”

According to Smoldered Society’s Cameron Frank, lagers are built for summer because they can be full-flavored, but not overly heavy. Plus, they are pretty much untouchable when it comes to day drinking.

“Summer offers a special opportunity for these beers to fucking rip. Built for longer sessions, the (traditionally) lower-ABV, crisp, refreshing characteristics of lager complement the warmer months all too well,” Frank says. “Lagers offer the craft beer drinker an opportunity to enjoy something full-flavored, without the filling nature of hop-saturated and/or high-gravity beer. In addition, you can drink 4 or 5 pints without getting annihilated.”

In conclusion, hot weather changes human sensory perception. Lagers are uniquely engineered, through high attenuation, elevated carbonation, clean fermentation, moderate alcohol, and cold service, to match the physiological state of someone experiencing heat stress. While lagers are psychologically associated with summer, they are biologically optimized to feel more refreshing.

So, why do lagers taste better during the summer? It’s just science.

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 X (@buffbeerleague), Instagram, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).

The post Hop Topics: Why Does Lager Taste Better in the Summer? It’s Science appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

I, we (the Buffalo Beer League), drank a lot of great craft beer in 2024. It was a year not without its warts and certainly not one without its peaks and valleys, a year in which brewery closings outpaced openings, sadly, which is a trend I sincerely hope does not continue. But it was a great year for beer releases and we drank a lot of them.

I say it time and time again; my memory is not what it used to be. Blame beer, blame age, blame whatever, but thank goodness for my unending need to photograph every single beer I drink and thank goodness for an app like Untappd, because I’m able to keep track of, and therefore remember, all the beer I drink, which makes year end lists like this possible.

Like I said, we drank a lot of great beer in 2024 and here are a few, well, outside of Big Ditch Brewing’s beloved Hayburner and Thin Man Brewery’s flagship Pills Mafia, the two beers I probably drank the most of last year. New York Beer Project Imperial Hazy Crush and The One V.62 were absolute bangers (John at NYBP OP Beer Lodge is making some of the best beer around right now), Resurgence Brewing/Old First Ward Brewing/Pressure Drop Brewing More Greener IPA is a beer I wait all year for, Frequentem Brewing Dark Mild was fantastic (I also loved their Do A Kickflip Light Yuzu Lager, a collaboration with Smoldered Society), Buffalo Olde Brewery Lovejoy Lager is one of my current favorite local lagers and a staple of my beer fridge and Smoldered Society Mass Delusion (Riwaka, Simcoe Cryo, Mosaic Cryo) was everything you want in a hazy IPA. Smoldered Society was one of my favorite breweries in 2024.

And the list goes on and on – Buffalo Brewing Company Simon Pure Beer, Froth Brewing House Black Lager, BriarBrothers Brewing Evolution 005 New England IPA, Mortalis Brewing Barrel Aged Pomona (Copper Wax), Wayland Brewing Jennings Hazy Pale Ale, Tree House Brewing Trail Fresh Hop Strata, Autark Brewhouse Cozy Dark Mild, Resurgence Brewing 10th Anniversary IPA, Belt Line Brewery Fresh Coat Double IPA, Meier’s Creek Something, Something Haze IPA, Ellicottville Brewing French Connection Saison Aged in Cabernet Barrels, Thin Man Brewery Friends with Boats, Other Half x Equilibrium Lab Nightmare Triple IPA, just to name a few more.

In addition to my favorite beers of 2024, I also asked fellow BBLers Scott, Jesse and Mark:

Mark – Pressure Drop Brewing Sticky Icky, Brazen Brewing Edelbrau, Other Half Mylar Bags, Big Ditch Black Light and WNY Eclipse, Resurgence Brewing Old Neighborhood Irish Red, Old First Ward Brewing Not A Pale Ale, Flying Bison Blackbird Stout, Community Beer Works Pride

Jesse – BriarBrothers Brewing 8 Hour Custom New England IPA, 42 North Nocturnus, Brazen Charlatan, Big Ditch 9th Anniversary Yuzu Rice Lager, Frequentem Italian Pilsner (Contessa), Schenker Dunkelbier, Bent Run X-Files IPA, Rohrbach Brewing Totality Black Lager

Scott – Broadway Brewing Batch 600 Double IPA, Hofbrauhaus Buffalo Pils, Burdock Deluxe Helles, Mortalis Brewing We Know Steve Imperial NEIPA, Frequentem Dark Mild, BriarBrothers 8 Hour Custom, Peacemaker Brewing 1000 Yard Stare, Vasen Brewing Smoldering Phoenix, Autark Czechy, Woodcock Rosetta Stoned

Here’s to more great beer in 2025.

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).

The post The Buffalo Beer League’s Favorite Beers of 2024 appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Whenever I have a chance to catchup with someone I haven’t seen in a while, they almost inevitably ask me, ‘what have you been up to?’ My response, almost always, is, ‘beer keeps me busy.’ Now, sure, that’s an easy answer, almost bordering on being a canned reply, but above all else, it’s true. And it’s never been truer than in 2024. As I sit here, ruminating on this year that was, drinking an Other Half Brewing Green City DDH IPA, I’m reminded that beer, for me, is more than just a fun hobby, more than a job, it’s a passion.

It may sound cheesy, or like I said, canned, but beer really does keep me busy. And 2024 was evident of that. This year has been a whirlwind of unforgettable experiences, all fueled by craft beer. This year had its ebbs and flows, its peak and valleys – a number of places sadly closed. I hate seeing my friends close their doors. But I digress and I told myself I’m going to try not to dwell on negativity this year.

I started the year with magnum bottles of Buffalo Brewing Manru Lager as I rang in the New Year, and from there, I was off to the races, riding a tidal wave of craft beer. Countless beers and countless taproom visits ensued, too many to list, or remember for that matter. Well, I may get into some, we will see where this article takes me.

January brought a few of my favorite beer events – Buffalo on Tap and Barrel Jam. These are two of my must-dos each and every year, and they did not disappoint this year. Buffalo on Tap is pure fun and Barrel Jam is one of the most unique events on the beer calendar – an outdoor beer event at a brewery with live music, snowboarding and barrel-aged beers. It’s hard to beat.

There were Bills tailgates, scores of Big Ditch Hayburner stovepipes and cans of Thin Man Pills Mafia consumed, Sabres, Bisons and Bandits games, brewery openings (shout out to our friends at Frequentem Brewing, Beer Kind Brewing, Farmcraft Brewery and New York Beer Project OP Beer Lodge to name a few), Community Beer Works bought Thin Man Brewery and Ellicottville Brewing bought Pressure Drop Brewing, there was the Brewer’s Invitational at New York Beer Project in February, another date I circle on the calendar, all of the beer and events surrounding March’s solar eclipse, a massive month of April that featured more of our favorite events like KBC, CollaBEERation (which is quickly becoming the craft beer Super Bowl) AND Thawfest (not sure how I survived all of that, but here I am), New York State Craft Brewers Festival and Rhythm & Brews in June, and the list goes on and on. And on and on. You get the point.

I had the chance to walk around the William Simon Brewery and interact with members of the Simon family for Buffalo Brewing’s initial release of Simon Pure Beer. That was June 29, which was a very special beer day for me. I started the day, along with my wife Jill, a literal saint, with the Simon Pure release, then headed up to celebrate the opening of Beer Kind Brewing and finished out the day with our friends at Resurgence Brewing for their 10^th anniversary. It was a hell of a day. And catching up over beers with my good friend, Resurgence owner Jeff Ware, to cap off the night was one for the ol’ memory books.

The Buffalo Beer League hosted August Good Beer Club at Mr. Goodbar – thank you to Bobby and Rudy for helping facilitate that, and for having us out. I drank as much beer by the pool as I possibly could this summer, had great Fourth of July, Oktoberfest and Halloween parties, watched Hallmark Christmas movies while sitting at the bar at First Line Brewing in July, celebrated all things cask beer at Goodbar’s annual Cask Fest, raised a toast to one of my favorite breweries of the year – Smoldered Society – at their first anniversary at Goodbar in December, had a great night at Autark Brewhouse, got drunk on Hayburner tall boys and Doordashed way too much Jim’s Steakout to the Richardson Hotel during a staycation in October, drank through beer advent calendars from Magic Bear Beer Cellar and Consumers Beverages, dove into the past at the Genesee Brewery Vault at Vault 237, and, man, that seems like a lot. Maybe I drink too much? Or should I say, drank, too much.

And that’s somehow not even everything. Not even close. I could keep going. There were so many great beers that filled my glass these past 365 days. For more on that, you can check my Untappd page (@buffalobeerleague) or the Gusto section of the Buffalo News for my favorite beer of 2024 article.

While I’ve enjoyed chasing the latest trends, 2024 also reminded me of the enduring appeal of classic styles. Pilsners, stouts, and traditional Belgian ales brought a comforting sense of nostalgia and craftsmanship to my glass. There’s something magical about sipping a perfectly poured Czech Pilsner and appreciating its crisp, clean finish.

Beyond the beer (wait, there’s a beyond the beer?), there was everything else that went with it. We, my podcast partner Scott Panfil and I, placed second in Best Local Podcast at the All WNY Awards, and continued the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz podcast and Best Beer I Drank This Week podcast as well. I want to be better and do more with the podcast in 2025, so stay tuned for that.

Here’s to another year of great beer to come in 2025. Cheers to the brewers, the drinkers, and everyone in between who make this community so special. I know the journey will be as enjoyable as the destination.

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).

The post My 2024 Year in Beer: A Journey Through Hops and Malt appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

It’s time once again to look back and reflect on that past year and spotlight some of the good things that happened, and more importantly, all of the good stuff that found its way into our collective glasses. 2022 was a shit year for me personally, but, on the brighter side, it was another banner year for craft beer, especially here locally in Western New York. I drank a lot of great beer last year and, as you’ll read in this article, so did a lot of members of WNY craft beer community.

If you’re wondering what my favorite beers of 2022 were, please click here, and if you’d like to know what the rest of the Buffalo Beer League loved to drink last year, then, by all means, click here.

I polled 24 members of the Western New York craft scene, representing 15 breweries, cideries meaderies, beer bars, beer groups, craft vendors and more about their favorite beverages from this past year and here is what they came up with.

This one is lengthy, so make sure you have a few adult beverages within arms-reach as you read along. Cheers.

Russell Haentges, Head Brewer, Windy Brew: “Windy Brew Tailgate Brew, Lost at Sea, What’s a PRV?, Pressure Drop Space Monkey IPA, Haggen, Eli Fish Brewing Daylight, Britesmith Brewing Mandatory Vacation IPA, Resurgence Brewing Bridge Pilsner, Circle the Wagons Pils, Frequentum Just Fruit, Dark Czech Lager, First Line Brewing Beast in the East IPA, Liquid Gold IPA.”

Domenic Nicotera, Head Brewer, Spotted Octopus Brewing: “BriarBrothers Brewing Peaches and Cream Sour (wasn’t over sour and loved it), Spotted Octopus Peach and Pepper Blonde Ale (just a hint of heat and great peach flavor) and Autark Red Ale (just a great beer smooth and delicious).”

Nick Torgalski, Head Brewer, Resurgence Brewing: “Resurgence has been doing a lot of collaborations this year, but The Ryan Miller 391 IPA was a great beer to end the year with. It was fun to work with him and it’s an all-Cryo hop IPA and is a nice smooth, flavorful Buffalo-style IPA. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with TCBC out of Syracuse again this year. We look forward to the Stack.Smash.Repeat series repeating again next year with 2 more new and unique beers.

Our barrel aged beers, even though we do not do a lot of these, has been fun working with a variety of different beers – including our white wine champagne beer and the Brewers Select BBA stout – in which we hand selected our favorite barrel and bottled that. We have a fun beer that we cannot wait to release that we brewed last year – a collaboration with Thin Man. It’s a barleywine aged in maple syrup barrels. We get to try this out of the barrel regularly and cannot wait to share it.

Ohhh Fudge – It is a communal brew between a bunch of breweries. This is just fun for the comradery of the Buffalo breweries – fun to get together with all the brewers from Buffalo and watch Josh Dziomba brew. Beer is also about the experience, and getting together with friends is what brewing and beer is all about.”

Andrew Zach, Director of Brewing Operations, Resurgence: “This year I went back to drinking a lot more Lagers, Pilsners and malty beers. I still love a good IPA and sour, but it was quite a change for me than past years. Our Ice Boom Bock, I drank all year long. It’s sweet, caramel, malty and I just enjoyed it all year – and if you like that – The Greatest Shnowman is right there behind it. Smells Like Buffalo and Curly Loaf Italian Pils were right behind the amber beers – these were just great after a long day. There were some great Oktoberfests locally this year. I am biased because I will always love ours, but enjoyed Big Ditch’s, Thin Man’s, and Pressure Drops.

OFW’s Imperial Hefeweizen is one of my favorites, but that beer catches up to you pretty fast. We try a lot of beer from all over the world at the brewery, but we really are lucky to have a lot of great beer in our backyard.

And wanted to give a shoutout to Tim Herzog, because the number of Rusty Chains I have drank over the years is a scary number – it will always be a staple Buffalo Beer! Cheers!”

Sad Boys Brewing: “Tyler – Spotted Octopus Peach and Pepper Blonde Ale, Collin – First Line Brewing Bitch’n Betty, Andrew – Southern Tier Brewing White Chocolate Raspberry Imperial Stout, John – Guinness (can’t beat a classic).”

Tracey Maciejewski, Treasurer, Buffalo Beer Goddesses: “Big Ditch Slayburner. This blood orange version of my favorite Big Ditch beer was a refreshing twist on the original. A stunning orange color in the class, a bit boozier tasting overall (not bad if you need a reminder that this might not be a weeknight sizer) and one of the best can labels I’ve seen in a long time…RIP MJ.

Pressure Drop Greetings From the North Pole. Speaking of labels, this is truly one for the ages. Come for the young polar bears feasting on Rudolph, stay for the parent polar bears toasting their offspring. This is about as solid a chocolate milk stout you could ask for. Perfect cold or room temp, good with things sweet and savory. Overall a beer you definitely want on hand for the 716 winter.

Community Beer Works/Strangebird Lord of the Wings. This dry-hopped IPA was light, flavorful and extremely crushable as noted by how quickly it sold out both in draft and in cans at the CBW taproom.  Luckily I was at Strangebird (you must make the trek if you haven’t been) shortly after and was able to snag a second four pack. Saved two for the Bills vs. Miami and myself and a good friend enjoyed them almost as much as we enjoyed the win!”

Paula Taton, Co-chair, Buffalo Beer Goddesses: “Thin Man Decoy Family. Any Belgian-style ale I can get locally is appreciated; this particular beer was absolutely outstanding. Wish I had bought more.

42 North Yodeler. Fantastic new winter seasonal with a reasonably low ABV. I hope it becomes an annual release.

Buffalo Brewing Company Manru Coffee Ale. I normally prefer coffee only in dark beers, but this is the exception. Well balanced & easy drinking. This was a small batch limited release for their 6th anniversary, but I hope to see it again someday at the new location!”

Marlene Urban, Co-chair, Buffalo Beer Goddesses: Thin Man Brewery Cherub. It’s so rare for local breweries to do authentic Belgian styles, a personal favorite of mine, but to see a well-made Oud Bruin is an even more rare treat.

Wandering Gypsy’s Oatmeal Stout and Wet Hopped IPA (the latter was made with locally raised hops) were pleasant surprises on Halloween road trip out to Niagara County.

Brewery Ardennes has become a go-to stop for my husband and I when we are in the Finger Lakes.  This August we were lucky enough to try the Fall Saison on its release weekend and loved it.

Finally, Autark Brewing made a delightfully sessionable Extra Special Bitter this summer that I would love to drink again.”

Matt Matuszewski , Head Brewers, 42 North Brewing: “Some of my favorite beers of this past year have been Thin Man’s Bliss, an always solid beer when it’s around; dank pine on the nose with a great tropical and melon flavor. [It’s a] high ABV Double IPA but drinks like something lighter. The Kolsch at Old First Ward Brewing Company is another one of my favorite go to beers; clean, crisp, and balanced. For offerings from 42 North, our winter offering, Yodeler, has been my first choice the last few months. A balanced spiced Amber ale, not too sweet malty and just the right amount of winter spices makes it a brew that always brings me in for more.”

Tom Whitmarsh, Owner, WNY Beer Trail: “12 Gates/Wandering Gypsy Blululemon (great balance of sweet and sour in the blueberry lemon combo), Steal Leaf Brewing Jalapeño Wheat (all the jalapeño flavor without the heat – would be dynamite with a big juicy cheeseburger), First Line Brewing Bitch’n Betty (terrific blueberry blonde ale – just like a blueberry muffin). Other Half Brewing Tables on Tables (super crushable NEIPA), Imprint Beer Co. My Morning Haze (one of the best NEIPA’s I’ve ever had – juicy and smooth), Foam Brewers The Shining (another terrific NEIPA – packed with pineapple).”

Paul Martin, Ellicottville Brewing Company: “Strawberry Crunch Bar was a smash hit for Ellicottville in 2022. We had a lot of fun brewing a cream ale, which we hadn’t done in a while. The first 3 production runs sold out in a matter of days. For 2023, Ellicottville will be producing both 4/6 bottles to 4/6 cans packages along with draft.”

Michael Lantinen, Ellicottville Brewing Company: “Chocolate Cherry Bomb was an exciting release for me this year. It has always been a favorite of mine, and it can’t be beat on a gloomy snowy weekend night. I also really enjoyed our changes to our variety pack releases, most importantly, the Euro-Pack. It was released right around the New Year and the old-school European style lager and pilsners are my favorite beer styles.”

Dean Jones, Brewmaster, Genesee Brew House: “My favorite beers from the past year include some delicious options from Roc Brewing, Faircraft Brauhaus, and Young Lion Brewing. Roc Brewing’s ‘Dark Mild’ was an amazing, easy-drinking British Mild. ‘Holle’s Little Pilsner’ from Faircraft is always spectacular. And of course, Young Lion’s Double IPA is a lot of bang for your buck – a huge beer that’s still crushable.”

Eric Wallace, Brewing Supervisor, Genesee Brewery: “Mortalis Brewing Icarus (Golden Grahams). This is a thick stout. The addition of my all-time favorite childhood breakfast cereal has me seeking out this beer when Mortalis brews it. Tree House Brewing Shore. There was just enough guava and passionfruit in this beer to have you searching for your Hawaiian shirt and beach chair.”

Eddie Graves, Head Cidermaker, Clarksburg Cider: “Of course, I start this out with Eli Fish Ube Bee. I went into that beer thinking I was going to hate it and was beyond blown away. Perfect mix of sour and residual sweetness rounded out by a nice hint of lemon on the nose. Also, Windy Brew Pertnear. It’s beer that tastes like how beer should. Clean and crisp, a solid pilsner that is crushable and makes you just want to crush as many as you can.”

Cider – Seed and Stone Cidery in Rochester Coffey Cider. The nose is filled with raisins and pecans and a slight coffee hint to it. Love it. I honestly cannot get enough of it. For a Buffalo cidery, I will go with Steampunk Dabinett Single Varietal. It’s just what my cider dreams are made of. Tart and dry finishes super clean and makes me work harder in my cidery every time I think about it.”

Matt Gordon, Head Brewer, 12 Gates Brewing Company: “From 12 Gates, I really enjoyed our Blululemon sour (blueberry, lemon, lavender). We drank that beer for all of May and June. Great beer to open the pool and just lay out. I also really loved our new Oktoberfest. All Munich malt with just a touch of residual sweetness. So many customers and employees enjoyed it and it felt like we were drinking it daily on the floor. This last beer has become a staple at 12 Gates this year after taking home third place at NYS Brewers Competition, and that beer is Moonlight Fog. We’ve received so much love and amazing appreciation for this beer. With all that said, I don’t think there’s a better beer than an ice cold Molson or Blue after a hockey beer league win or a post Bills win tailgate chug.”]

Karl Kolbe, Head Brewer, Pressure Drop Brewing: “This year I drank a Maibock from Frequentum at the Rochester Real Beer Expo. They were doing it as a Lukr side pour through a jockey box, which I thought was outstanding. It wasn’t just that the beer was great, it was just so awesome that you could get a milk pour at a beer festival.”

Craig Altobello, Owner, Magic Bear Beer Cellar: “Local: Big Ditch Helles (super crisp and refreshing), 42 North Krupnik BA Quad (always amazing), our collab, 42 Magic Bear-ries, was amazing (and sits at their highest rated beer on Untappd at the moment I believe), Autark Brewing (basically anything he makes, but the English Mild, was phenomenal), Flying Bison Cask XRD Bitter (drank like a dream), BriarBrothers Brewing Desk Pop and our collab, Yeah… That’s MAGIC, were both fantastic NEIPAs and Gene McCarthy’s Hefe is damn near perfection.

Non-local – Brindle Haus Strawberry Shortcake, our collaboration, BoysenBEARy Tart, was one of my favorite beers for sure (and sits at their highest rated beer on Untappd at the moment I believe), Strangebird Petit Colosse hits the spot, Aurora Ferfooksake and Having Illusions were amazing nitro beers, Talking Cursive Joshua ESB (damn near perfect), ONCO Fermentations Nelson Kolsch (everything you want in a beer), Other Half Forever Ever (even though nothing new or standout-ish from them, was the go-to session – so much flavor for under 5%), Brewery Ardennes BBA Tripel (a treat), Fifth Frame Blue Sky (so underrated it hurts) and BA Christmas Ale (2021) from Great Lakes is amazing.”

Shane Stewart, Head Brewer, First Line Brewing: “2022 was another great year for the craft beer industry. My favorite thing about beer is how often my preferred style changes – could be due to the fact that I’m a brewer and always trying different things, but I find my favorites change multiple times over the year. The backbone style that I always can rely on is something light and crispy. From pils, lagers, West Coast IPA, session-style NEIPA, and the newbie to the scene, Cold IPA. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fruited sour and some hop bomb NEIPA/thick stouts, but the light crushers are always my go to! With that being said, Ill touch on a few of my favs in 2022.

Kicking it off is a beer that we brew. Our First Line Pilsner. This is probably my all-time favorite beer here. It’s also our number one selling product. This beer has taken on many tweaks and recipe changes over the past year that we’ve had it available. I take a lot of pride in brewing easy drinking clean beer for our lighter side of the spectrum. Our process for making this pils is probably very different from most, but the end result I think brings one of my favorite pilsners in the area.

Another favorite of mine was a collab between Eli Fish Brewing and Britesmith Brewing, Britefish. It was a cold IPA bursting with flavor – super light and crushable. That beer was definitely a part of my inspiration to get into the cold IPA world. I’m currently working on bring out our very first cold IPA as well.

The last on my list is one of our recent sours – Flyin Hawaiian Swedish Fish Hawaiian Punch sour. This beer is jam packed with different flavors and ingredients that give you a well balanced sour with great levels of sweet and tart. Had a lot of fun making this one and even more fun drinking it.”

Joe Yager, Buffalo Beer Geeks: “2022 brought a lot of ups and downs in my life, but one thing that was consistent – drinking some good beers. As I reflect on my year of beer, I had dozens of fantastic 4.75-5 star brews (as per my Untappd). Some local and plenty non-local thanks to beer shares with friends.

First off, my favorite style…IPA. Locally, I would have to say Big Ditch’s Riwaka Punch stands out. Riwaka has become my new favorite hop (trumping Nelson) over the last couple years and this beer showcased it fantastically. Non-local, but still kind of local, was a few brews from my favorite brewery Other Half. Their yearly collab with Monkish LGA 2 LGB, 8th Anniversary and All Riwaka Everything were all huge stand outs for IPAs. And my last standout IPA was from a newer brewery in Albany, Fidens. Their Socratic Questioning #31 (rotating beer with different hops) included 3 hops, but the one that stood out was Nelson, my second favorite hop.

My next favorite style is a good ol’ crispy boy aka a light lager or pilsner. Locally, no one has been crushing this style more than Thin Man. 11 Degrees was my favorite from memory, a Czech pilsner. Maybe tied for local and their ability for a fantastic crispy boy is Old First Ward. Their St Patrick Pilsner and Helles Lager both blew me away this year. I also had so many good ones from non-local breweries I discovered these past couple years including Saurez, Threes, Wild East, Hunan Robot, Drowned Lands and Schilling to name a few. But the one that stands above the rest is from the biggest name of them all…Hill Farmstead. Poetica is Czech Pilsner at 4.8% and I crushed a 32oz growler without any trouble.

My next favorite style, which is too high in alcohol and cost to enjoy on the daily, is a high ABV stout, usually with adjuncts and/or barrel aged. Locally I have a few. First off was this year’s Thanksgiving-eve stout release of Aqueduct at Big Ditch. 5 different barrel aged stouts…1 base and 4 variants. Hands down the base was my favorite and one of the best ever BA stouts to come out of Buffalo. Thin Man has a great barrel program and we got to take advantage of it for 2022’s CollaBEERation Festival by blending 4 different barrels and adjuncting it with toasted hazelnuts and vanilla. The other standout from Thin Man was Soft Black Stars – no adjuncts and sat in barrels for 22 months. The result was a very, very tasty BA stout. As for non-local, thanks to some friends I get the chance to try some insanely good out of town stouts. Picking the best is impossible so I’ll mention a few standouts. Angry Chair Double Barrel Fionn or Barrel Aged German Chocolate Cupcake, Veil Starve B, Side Project Beer: Barrel:Time and Horus Maple Maple Distraction.

Lastly are all others. Barleywine is a favorite of mine and while I wish we saw more barleywines I had a couple standouts this year. Standouts were the 2022 box set from Anchorage including 3 different variants of their Deal With the Devil. And Side Project Continuance. Eli Fish made a fantastic BA Heavy Maple Scotch Ale – they do a very good job with their barrel program and this one stood out. My favorite seasonal beer is Oktoberfest and two new great breweries BriarBrothers and Autark came together to make AuktoBrofest, which may have been my favorite local marzen this year. Meads have become a norm at our shares and I had a few that blew me away. Pye Road Blood of Knights, Schramms Bramble + and Pips Amalgamation. And while sours aren’t really my thing, Frequentem has been killing it in 2022 and they do a series Not From Concentrate, which is considered a Sour IPA, but it drinks far too smooth and the Cara Cara Orange, Lime and Grapefruit was absolutely fantastic.”

Paul Marko, Buffalo Beer Geeks/Download Design: Favorite “local” beers of 2022 – Autark Whispy Hibiscy Pale Wheat, Brickyard Sindaco Italian Pilsner, BriarBrothers Brewing Agora Brown Ale, Lucky Hare Wild Hare Kriek, Noble Shepherd Champagne Saison, Strangebird Pharaohs Demise Belgian Golden, Big Ditch Blossom Street Barrel Aged Helles, Thin Man Blendatron Stout and Thin Man Ex-Cowboy Saison.

The other beers of NYS note were a barrel aged pumpkin beer from Prison City, “Pumpkin Escobar,” and all the latest mixed fermentation series from Suarez, “Summer Woah.”

Here’s to another great year of craft beer in 2023.

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).

The post Another Year, Another Beer: Your Favorite Brewers’ Favorite Beers Of 2022 appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

I don’t think it’s possible to have more fun than I did at New York Beer Project’s Brewer’s Invitational this past weekend. This event reaffirmed my belief that there is truly great beer being made here in Western New York on a regular basis, and having so many of my favorite people together under one roof, all drinking that great beer, only strengthened that thought.

This event is one I have close personal ties to. I was involved in the planning of the event’s inception, back when the Buffalo Beer League were working with the Buffalo Niagara Brewer’s Association, and have attended the event every year except for one, because, well, sometimes life, and work, just happen to get in the way.

I was happy to be back this year, but didn’t know what to expect as this was the first beer event I’d ever attended alone. It was a blast to say the very least and I had a number of great beers, which you are going to read more about, right now.

Pressure Drop Brewing x Resurgence x Old First Ward Brewing More Greener IPA – This is an annual running collaboration I look forward to every year, and the newest batch might be the best More Greener has been yet. The 2022 version is massive, bursting with bright citrus and tropical fruit, accented by dank hops and a smooth finish. I need to grab cans of this immediately.

Thin Man Brewery Cherub Oud Bruin – I love that this Oud Bruin possessed such a robust depth of flavor without being a enamel stripper. It featured lovely notes of sweet cherry, plum, raisin and dark fruit. Cherub was light, tart and refreshing.

New York Beer Project Supernatural (Aged blend of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc barrels on Brett) – Another beer that was on my most anticipated list, NYBP’s barrel aged Supernatural Sour blend delivered. I’m a sucker for most anything wine barrel aged, and this one did not disappoint. Vibrant and punchy fruit notes up front, backed by notes of earthy oak and tannins. This was a home run.

West Shore Brewing Grapefruit Green Flyer IPA – I’ll admit, by the time I got around the trying West Shore’s Grapefruit Flyer, I had already had a number of pops, so thankfully I remembered to jot down some notes. All the deliciousness of Green Flyer, one of the most underrated IPAs available in our area, accentuated by light and refreshing grapefruit. I liked that the grapefruit wasn’t overpowering, and added to the overall presentation.

One-Eyed Cat Brewing Bumble Doppelbock – Not your typical doppelbock, the addition of honey in One-Eyed Cat’s Bumble is intriguing; it works to effectively hide the beers’ beefy 10.8% ABV, but it also cuts down on the roast typical of the style, which was interesting. I love roast in my doppelbocks. If a doppelbock, especially one that clocks in at 10.8%, can be an easy drinker, then Bumble is it. People were literally lining up to try this beer when I was at the OEC booth.

Lafayette Brewing Co. Millennial Falcon IPL – As I said in my preview article for the Brewer’s Invitational, I’m a sucker for IPLs and Millennial Flacon did not dissatisfy. It drank light and smooth for 6.2%, delivering the right blend of citrus and hops. I had two pours of this.

Belt Line Brewery x Bolton Landing Brewing Mountaintop Mist NEIPA – I really liked the original version of this beer, but this new batch was phenomenal. This one features massive orange flavors backed by dank hops and a smooth, balanced finish.

And while not part of the Brewer’s Invitational proper, I was lucky enough to score some pours of some off-list brews, which were excellent in their own right, including One-Eyed Cat Fika Smoked Bohemian Pilsner, Rusty Nickel Barrel Series: ImaGINation (Slice O’ Havens Orange Vanilla Cream Ale aged in Lockhouse gin barrels) and Woodcock Brothers Brewing Lost Mitten (port wine barrel aged Stiff Mitten Winter Ale) to name a few.

I cannot thank the entire team at NYBP for having me out Sunday. It was a fantastic and memorable beer experience. I can’t wait to do it again next year.

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).

The post Our 7 Favorite Beers From the 2022 Brewer’s Invitational appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Living in Buffalo and being a craft beer fan is an embarrassment of riches. Each week, seeming each day, I’m blessed with an overabundance of great options each time I open my fridge and reach for a beer. Through the Buffalo Beer League, I am always looking for new ways to promote all of the delicious liquid being created right here in Western New York, so consider this column, The Best Thing I Drank This Week, just another vehicle to help spread the word of great local craft beer.

In this column, each week I will highlight the best beer I had the pleasure of imbibing the previous week, and will ask my BBL cohorts to submit their selections as well. So, not only will you get the best thing I drank this week, you will also be presented with further options and opinions from the rest of the guys as well. That way, if you’re looking for some new stuff to stock your beer fridge with (and you always should be), then you’ll have more than one item to add to your shopping list.

The Best Thing I Drank This Week: 42 North Brewing Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose

One of the better sours I’ve had from 42 North Brewing recently, Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose, a collaboration with Blue Eyed Baker, features tart jammy berries and a smooth, creamy sweet finish. It features a nice body without being overly thick and viscous. It’s in the vein of a smoothie-style sour, but you can drink more than one in a single sitting. It’s downright lovely.

• Mark – Flying Bison Brewing Fenian Ale
• Scott – 42 North Brewing Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose
• Jesse – New York Beer Project Italian Ice Sour

For more information, visit https://42northbrewing.com.

To catch up on all of our past The Best Thing I Drank This Week beers, click 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).

The post The Best Thing I Drank This Week: 42 North Brewing Raspberry Macaron Pastry Gose appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Living in Buffalo and being a craft beer fan is an embarrassment of riches. Each week, seeming each day, I’m blessed with an overabundance of great options each time I open my fridge and reach for a beer. Through the Buffalo Beer League, I am always looking for new ways to promote all of the delicious liquid being created right here in Western New York, so consider this column, The Best Thing I Drank This Week, just another vehicle to help spread the word of great local craft beer.

In this column, each week I will highlight the best beer I had the pleasure of imbibing the previous week, and will ask my BBL cohorts to submit their selections as well. So, not only will you get the best thing I drank this week, you will also be presented with further options and opinions from the rest of the guys as well. That way, if you’re looking for some new stuff to stock your beer fridge with (and you always should be), then you’ll have more than one item to add to your shopping list.

The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Community Beer Works Strawberry Gold

Strawberry Gold marks Buffalo’s first foeder-aged ale, brewed to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Lexington Co-op. And, as they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and Strawberry Gold certainly one hell of one. Simply put – it’s fantastic; lightly tart berry notes with a smooth finish. It’s refreshing as can be with each sip. There’s a reason this beer went uber-quick in cans – I was sitting at the bar and can sold out right under my nose. Oh well, that ones on me. I did drink my fair share of drafts.

• Scott – Resurgence Brewing King Kong Stout
• Jesse – Pressure Drop Brewing Space Coyote IPA

For more information, visit www.communitybeerworks.com.

To catch up on all of our past The Best Thing I Drank This Week beers, click 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).

The post The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Community Beer Works Strawberry Gold appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Living in Buffalo and being a craft beer fan is an embarrassment of riches. Each week, seeming each day, I’m blessed with an overabundance of great options each time I open my fridge and reach for a beer. Through the Buffalo Beer League, I am always looking for new ways to promote all of the delicious liquid being created right here in Western New York, so consider this column, The Best Thing I Drank This Week, just another vehicle to help spread the word of great local craft beer.  

In this column, each week I will highlight the best beer I had the pleasure of imbibing the previous week, and will ask my BBL cohorts to submit their selections as well. So, not only will you get the best thing I drank this week, you will also be presented with further options and opinions from the rest of the guys as well. That way, if you’re looking for some new stuff to stock your beer fridge with (and you always should be), then you’ll have more than one item to add to your shopping list.

The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Community Beer Works Let’s Go Pils Grapefruit Radler

While I continuously bang the drum for the return of CBW’s Meyer Lemon Let’s Go Pils, my favorite summer beer of 2020 and one of the best overall beers I drank last year, the grapefruit version is a fine replacement. It’s smooth and light with a pleasant subtly sweet grapefruit flavor. At a proper radler ABV of 3.5%, it drinks incredibly light and works perfectly well for chugs – not that I would know from experience or anything (*wink*). And best yet, it tastes just as good in cans as it does fresh off the tap at the brewery. Which reminds me, I need more.

• Mark – Three’s Brewing Back to Reality IPA
• Scott – Froth Brewing Ridin’ Low in My 64 Pale Ale
• Jesse – Big Ditch Brewing x Pressure Drop Brewing Aqua Flying Spaghetti Monster IPA

For more information, visit https://communitybeerworks.com.

To catch up on all of our past The Best Thing I Drank This Week beers, click 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).

The post The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Community Beer Works Let’s Go Pils Grapefruit Radler appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Living in Buffalo and being a craft beer fan is an embarrassment of riches. Each week, seeming each day, I’m blessed with an overabundance of great options each time I open my fridge and reach for a beer. Through the Buffalo Beer League, I am always looking for new ways to promote all of the delicious liquid being created right here in Western New York, so consider this column, The Best Thing I Drank This Week, just another vehicle to help spread the word of great local craft beer.

In this column, each week I will highlight the best beer I had the pleasure of imbibing the previous week, and will ask my BBL cohorts to submit their selections as well. So, not only will you get the best thing I drank this week, you will also be presented with further options and opinions from the rest of the guys as well. That way, if you’re looking for some new stuff to stock your beer fridge with (and you always should be), then you’ll have more than one item to add to your shopping list.

The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Resurgence Brewing Green Heart IPA

While we had a lot of memorable and noteworthy local offerings at this past weekend’s Buffalo On Tap Festival (welcome back beer fests, we missed you), Resurgence Brewing’s Green Heart IPA stood out for us. We’ve told anyone who’ll listen that Resurgence’s IPA game was essentially reborn during the pandemic (their Social Distancing Series is legendary) and Green Heart is no exclusion. It presents notes of melon, ripe tropical fruit and citrus, to balance out a slightly drier finish. This IPA is ultimately refreshing. And its now available in 12oz. cans, which we love.

• Mark – Resurgence Brewing Killer Whale Tank NEIPA
• Scott – Community Beer Works Dancing Sunflowers / Other Half Brewing Wangies DIPA
• Jesse – Shiner Country Peach Wheat

For more information, visit https://resurgencebrewing.com.

To catch up on all of our past The Best Thing I Drank This Week beers, click 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).

The post The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Resurgence Brewing Green Heart IPA appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.

Living in Buffalo and being a craft beer fan is an embarrassment of riches. Each week, seeming each day, I’m blessed with an overabundance of great options each time I open my fridge and reach for a beer. Through the Buffalo Beer League, I am always looking for new ways to promote all of the delicious liquid being created right here in Western New York, so consider this column, The Best Thing I Drank This Week, just another vehicle to help spread the word of great local craft beer.

In this column, each week I will highlight the best beer I had the pleasure of imbibing the previous week, and will ask my BBL cohorts to submit their selections as well. So, not only will you get the best thing I drank this week, you will also be presented with further options and opinions from the rest of the guys as well. That way, if you’re looking for some new stuff to stock your beer fridge with (and you always should be), then you’ll have more than one item to add to your shopping list.

The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Pressure Drop Brewing Cross Faded Hazy IPA

If you’ve read this column in the past, then you know Pressure Drop IPAs are no stranger to finding a home in this space. Cue Cross Faded Hazy IPA, one of their latest hoppy creations, a true homage to West Coast IPAs that clocks in at a beefy 8%. Cross Faded features all of the resinous mouthfeel, overripe tropical fruit, citrus and dank hops that you’ve come to expect from West Coast IPAs, which have become Pressure Drop’s bread and butter. Be warned though, I speak from experience when I say; this beer will sneak up on you, especially if you plan on enjoying a few in one session.

• Mark – Trumer Pils
• Scott – Gene McCarthy’s / Old First Ward Brewing The Mangolorian
• Jesse – Community Beer Works x Gun Hill Brewing Laces Out, Dan DIPA

For more information, visit https://www.pressuredropbrewers.com.

To catch up on all of our past The Best Thing I Drank This Week beers, click 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).

The post The Best Thing I Drank This Week: Pressure Drop Brewing Cross Faded Hazy IPA appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.