Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company are celebrating their fifth anniversary this weekend, meaning that not only is the brewery nearly old enough to start school (if you need us we’ll be the ones crying by the curb as we put them on the school bus), but it’s now time to party. And as you’d probably expect, the Wilson brewery are rolling out the kegs for the occasion, well, the barrels and casks in this instance.
In honor of the special occasion, Woodcock will tap not one, not two, not three, not four, but five specialty brews at their 5th Anniversary Party, which takes place November 18, starting at noon.
The limited beers include a Barrel Aged Honey Saison, a limited release Honey Saison brewed with a French Saison yeast and local wildflower honey that was aged in Tommyrotter gin barrels for 6 months (flavors of oak and citrusy vanilla from the gin barrels compliment the bright, tart flavors of the Saison, with soft touch of honey coming through underneath), Barrel Aged Salted Caramel Porter, Woodcock’s house Porter conditioned on salted caramel cold pressed coffee from Orange Cat Coffee in Lewiston and cocoa nibs aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 6 months (awesome dessert flavors with a nice layering of toffee, vanilla and toasted oak) and Barrel Aged Nitro Irish Stout, their Dry Irish Stout on Nitro aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 6 months (soft, creamy, roasted flavors accentuated by lots of maple, caramel, toffee, pecan and a kiss of boozy oak).
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we tapped our first kegs and opened our doors,” Woodcock says. “We cannot thank our customers and fans enough for helping us grow from a tiny family owned brewpub to a full-fledged production brewery that employs over 35 awesome people and distributes craft beer all over Western and now into Central New York.”
The anniversary party will also feature a pair of casks, Woodcock IPA Double Dry Hopped with El Dorado and Woodcock IPA Double Dry Hopped with Lemon Drop. These casks alone sound worth the trip up to Wilson.
There will also be free chowder (until supplies run out) served on the patio beginning at noon and live music all day from 12-10pm. Mike McCauley will perform from 12-3pm and Pour Ould Goat will take the stage from 7-10pm.
“Thank you again everyone who’s supported us over the years: Our regular customers that we’ve become friends with, the folks that buy our beers at their local grocery store, the craft beer enthusiasts that line up rain or shine for our beer releases, our fantastic industry friends and partners and our incredible employees. Cheers to five years and to the many, MANY more beers.”
For more information on Woodcock’s 5th Anniversary Party, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1964425890480485.
Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, 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), Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague) and www.buffalobeerleague.com.