Construction is underway at Big Ditch Brewing’s new $47 million, 105,000 square foot facility at 6700 Transit Road. The new space will house a two-story taproom and dining space, beer hall, retail store (beer and merchandise), dynamic outdoor beer garden, company offices and production area.

Big Ditch President Matt Kahn said that while the shutdown caused a few delays in approvals and construction, they didn’t lose that much time.

Speaking of time, they didn’t waste any getting right to work after securing town approval. Crews have begun the process of the demolition of the old Clarion Hotel, which will be the site of the new brewery and taproom.

The expansion will upgrade Big Ditch’s brew capacity from 15,000bbls to [approximately] 50,000bbls. Kahn says that they will be looking to add approximately 250 full and part time employees once the new taproom opens.

The current downtown taproom will remain in operation during and after construction of the new facility, when it will transition to more research and development on the brewery side.

They have also announced plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in the near future. The brewery will announce an official date soon.

“It’s a long road to get to opening, but we’ll try to provide more frequent updates (perhaps once a month or so) in the future, so you have an idea of what we’re working on,” Kahn says. “We can’t wait to #celebrate our new brewery with you! Thanks in advance for all the support.”

***Listen to our WNY Brews podcast with Big Ditch President Matt Kahn here.

***All photos courtesy of Big Ditch Brewing

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

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).