Brewery Ommegang proudly announces its revival of the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (BCTC) Festival this year, September 27 through September 29 in Cooperstown, New York.

Ready to regain its title as one of America’s must-attend beer festivals, BCTC returns after a five-year hiatus with a new wave of beer, activities, food, art, culture, live music and more.

“The Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Festival is more than just a beer event; it’s a celebration of craftsmanship, camaraderie, and the creativity that brews in our community,” said Jordan Egbert, brand manager at Brewery Ommegang. “We’re passionate about bringing exceptional beer and bucket-list experiences to the people we serve, so we couldn’t be more excited to bring BCTC back for everyone to enjoy.”

Festivalgoers will enjoy a weekend filled with the flavors of iconic Belgian import brews and Belgian-style ales from every corner of North America and beyond. Brewery Ommegang will host more than 30 local, national, and Belgian brewers, pouring over 100 unique beers. Tap into the excitement during the two-night, three-day festival with live music, on-site camping, fireworks, axe throwing, tie-dyeing, and more.

Friday, September 27: Festivities begin at 6 p.m. for invited industry folks and VIP ticket holders. VIP tickets include access to Friday night’s special beer tappings, tastings, and a Belgian-style farm-to-table hog roast followed by live music, as well as optional camping on the brewery grounds.

Saturday, September 28: Festival grounds open at noon on Saturday, September 28, for GA ticket holders. The Belgian Beer Festival component begins at 2 p.m., with tastings running until 6 p.m. There will be a main beer tent as well as the opportunity to visit immersive activation tents by the likes of Brewery Ommegang, Boulevard Brewing Co., Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Duvel, Chouffe, and more during the Belgian beer festival beer experience. There
will also be live music throughout the day, a silent disco and fireworks.

Sunday, September 29: On Sunday morning, a light breakfast will be served from 7 to 9 a.m. Don’t miss out! Due to high demand, tickets for this eagerly awaited festival are limited.

● VIP tickets cost $250/person and include access to all weekend activities and two nights
of optional camping on the brewery grounds.
● General admission for Saturday night with camping costs $155/person.
● General admission for Saturday’s festivities without camping costs $125/person.

Learn more and buy tickets at www.ommegang.com/events/bctc2024.

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Wandering Gypsy Brewing Company Announces Taproom Location

Wandering Gypsy Brewing Company has announced that they will be located at 3301 Braley Road in Ransomville at Midnight Run Wine Cellars. They are currently aiming for an opening date this fall. In the meantime, they have also announced that they will be taking part in the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market, where they will be selling their merchandise. They will be at the market on July 11, July 29, August 8 and August 29. Former Gordon Biersch, Woodcock Brothers and Jamestown Brewing Head Brewer Matt Redpath has joined WGBC’s brewing team. For more information on Wandering Gypsy Brewing, visit https://www.wanderinggypsybrewing.com/.

Big Ditch, Resurgence and Thin Man Join Black Is Beautiful Beer Movement

The Black Is Beautiful beer initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the craft beer community to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. Resurgence, Thin Man and Big Ditch will each release their versions on July 11. Big Ditch’s version was brewed with eight different malts and then was conditioned on Ghanaian cocoa, toasted marshmallow, and milk sugar. Limited bottles and draft (10%) available. Resurgence brewed theirs with lactose and then aged it on Butterfinger candy pieces, cocoa nibs and hot fudge. Limited draft (9.3%) available. Thin Man used British malt, oats & a blend of caramel malts for notes of espresso, dark chocolate, toffee & roast. Limited cans (10.5%) will be available. 100% of proceeds will be donated to Partnership for the Public Good, VOICE Buffalo, and Open Buffalo.

Join the Taste of Buffalo’s Happy Hour: A Celebration of Beer

While the Taste of Buffalo, like most events nowadays, has gone virtual this year, that doesn’t mean you have to drink alone, and they want to make sure of that with the Happy Hour: A Celebration of Beer, which takes place 3-4pm on July 11. It will feature Buffalo craft beer experts, including Community Beer Works, Big Ditch, Buffalo Beer Goddesses, and Labatt Brew House. A number of topics will be discussed, including local history, popular beer styles, and the basics of brewing. Email tasteofbuffhappyhour@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. Happy Hour will be streamed live from Zoom to Facebook.

Big Ditch, Ommegang Collaborate on new Helles-Style Lager

Big Ditch has teamed up with iconic New York brewery Ommegang to create Helles Superior, a Helles-style lager, which will be released on July 10. Big Ditch says the idea for the collab came about at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown years ago and while they weren’t able to be at Ommegang on brew day, they are still honored to work with one of their heroes. With Helles Superior, expect a refreshing and drinkable beer with nice hop complexity. Helles Superior will be available in 16oz. cans at retailers across the region this week, and at the brewery beginning this Friday.

New Double IPAs Coming This Week at Resurgence, Thin Man

Both Resurgence Brewing and Thin Man will drop new double IPAs this week. Resurgence is releasing McKinley’s Revenge DIPA on July 9 (11am). This juicy 8.4% DIPA has been fine-tuned since you’ve had it as R&D DIPA Versions 1 & 2. Preorder on HopMule by either downloading the app or visiting app.myHopMule.com. Thin Man will release Saturation Street, a new Cure-inspired DIPA, on July 11. Saturation Street is a dry-hopped double IPA, overloaded with Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe and more. Dry-hopped twice as much as Trial by Wombat. Available at all Thin Man locations: Chandler (12pm), Elmwood (11am) and Transit (12pm).

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 buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).

The post Buffalo Beer Buzz: Wandering Gypsy Location, New Beers From Resurgence, Thin Man & Big Ditch, Taste of Buffalo Happy Hour, Big Ditch / Ommegang Collab appeared first on Buffalo Beer League.