Community Beer Works, a legacy created in a pint glass behind an iconic green door on the West Side of Buffalo, is preparing to enter the next phase of their evolution. After nearly half a decade (save for that pesky pandemic), the brewery is closing the book on the 7th Street portion of their story as they look to turn the page to their next chapter, which, as of now, remains unknown.
Nearly two years after announcing plans to open a new taproom at 976 Elmwood Avenue on the corner of Elmwood and Bidwell Parkway, Community Beer Works has pulled out of the project, CBW’s Director of Operations Chris Groves says.
Groves says that the brewery will now shift their focus to ‘optimizing’ their Chandler Street facility as well as their other existing locations. There are currently no plans to reopen the taproom on 7th Street.
When it comes to memories, 520 7th Street provided those for this writer in spades throughout its relatively short tenure. Those memories are numerous and include Thee Barleywine Classic, an actual barleywine festival in Buffalo, something I hope to see continue in some shape or form, the Buffalo Beer League’s first-ever Buffalo Bills tailgate and watch party (we beat the Kansas City Chiefs that day), lunch beers, pinball and darts, One-Eyed Cat Brewing pop-up back before they opened, shotgunning beers with our friends at KCBC out on the sidewalk in honor of Lager Appreciation Month, countless beer releases, collecting all of the weekly Bills gameday releases a few seasons back, and many, many more I’m sure that I can’t remember. I’ll readily admit that my memory is not what it once was.
Looking back at CBW’s 7th Street chapter, Smith waxes both poetic and nostalgic about the space, its impact and its legacy in the big book of CBW.
“The building, the brewery on 7th Street was a dream for us, one we thought that we would never achieve and one we thought would never really come true. We started a brewery that was really small, we bought the things that we could afford, and we tried to build a brand that reflected our values and I think 7th Street was the manifestation of that effort,” Smith says. “All of the things, all of the blood, sweat and tears that we put into building this brand over the years got us here. And to me, this building is always a reflection of what you can do when you really believe in something.”
“I remember the first day that 7th Street opened, we had 200 people in there and had a massive sales day just selling beer,” Smith said. “I remember going home that night and thinking to myself, ‘I can’t believe what we have built, and how special it is to have the privilege to do that – to create a space where people get married, where they meet their friends, start new relationships, work…all things that happen within the four walls of a brewery every day.’ We made a space for people to create lifelong memories and stories to tell. We are part of everyone’s permanent record that has gotten married here. It tells the stories of who were are as a city and what we are as a business. What has made this place special for me is that we’ve always understood how special it is to us. I think we’ve done a good job of making it special for everyone else.”
Groves said that the brewery is not ready to say what’s next just yet, but that doesn’t mean that they are necessarily sitting still. While they search for a new home, you can find Community Beer Works, Smoldered Society and Thin Man beer on tap and in cans at any number of bars and restaurants around Western New York, as well as wherever great craft beer is sold.
I’ll end this off much in the same way I did when CBW’s Lafayette St. location closed – I know it’s not goodbye forever, it’s just goodbye for now, or as CBW puts it – embeer you later, but this is still a bitter pill for me. I hope to see all of you on Elmwood for a fresh pint soon. Embeer Buffalo indeed.
Brian Campbell is the 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).
