Batavia’s Eli Fish Brewing will be closed for the next two weeks after their taproom sustained substantial water damage during a storm last weekend.  The brewery explains that a roof drain pipe burst on the third floor of the building, causing the water to damage drywall and ceilings in the brewery and taproom below.

An unheralded motto of the Western New York beer scene has long been ‘collaboration not competition,’ which Clarence’s West Shore Brewing is exemplifying with a special crowler sale and pop-up with Eli Fish this Saturday, July 18. For $100, you will receive ten crowlers, five from West Shore (Forgotten Crossing New England IPA (2), Millhouse Likes Lisa NEIPA, Risky Business Saison, Pineapple Oat Sour) and five from Eli Fish (El Guapo Sour (Passionfruit Curuba /Lime), Double Steep Imperial Stout with Coffee, Double Dime Piece NEIPA with Strata, Neo Pils, Strawberries & Cream Seltzer). Eli Fish Head Brewer Adam Burnett will be on hand at West Shore for the pop-up as well. You can pre-order beginning on Thursday.

West Shore and Eli Fish have collaborated on two beers thus far, Lisa Likes Nelson NEIPA and Millhouse Likes Lisa NEIPA. A third beer is expected to be released in order to round out the trilogy.

“If 2020 hasn’t been tough enough, our friends at Eli Fish were hit extra hard this week, flooding the bar during the flash storms this past Saturday,” West Shore Owner Josh Dziomba says. “They still remain closed for repairs, hoping to open soon, so we’ll be bringing Eli Fish to you right here at West Shore this Saturday. A five tap takeover event will feature a wide selection of beers served by their brewer all day here at West Shore with crowler specials.”

Eli Fish detailed their experience on Facebook.

“Thank you everyone for the support,” the brewery said on Facebook. “The amount of offers to help has been humbling to say the least. We had a roof drain pipe decide to break at a coupling on the third floor. Most of the damage appears to be drywall and ceilings. Expert Mitigation Services is on site to begin drying everything out. Special thanks to Joe Teresi for getting here so quickly and all the staff that quickly cleaned up any standing water.”

Burnett adds that Eli Fish has to pull up their entire floor of their restaurant due to the water damage as well.

On Thursday (12-6pm), Eli Fish will also have Buy 2 Get 1 crowlers. This Flood Sale will also have deeper discounts on Eli Fish beers, including an extra $2 off El Guapo: Ambrosia, Chasing the Moonlight, and Senor Pescado crowlers.

In addition to the crowler sale this weekend, West Shore is also rolling out their Forgotten Crossing NEIPA on July 17.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/westshorebrewing and https://www.facebook.com/elifishbrewing.

***All photos courtesy of Eli Fish 

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).