Tanks Roll in Theater District

WCPerspective 11

A silvery set of beer fermenting tanks rolled out of the Theater District earlier this week. The shiney drums were loaded on a flatbed, the remnants of three brew pubs that operated in the Market Arcade complex in recent years.

Ownership of the tanks has been in dispute. Steve Calvaneso's Ultimate Restaurants group, operator of the Ya Ya Bayou Brewhouse, and property owner Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation (BERC) have been fighting over the restaurant equipment. Calvaneso defaulted on a loan from BERC when he shuttered the restaurant in 2005. BERC tried to recoup some of its losses by seizing the equipment. The outcome of the lawsuit is not known; a request for information from BERC went unanswered.

Chris Malachowski of Hunt Commercial Realty has been marketing the site on behalf of BERC. The 8,375 sq.ft. space fronts both Main and Washington streets and was occupied by Breckenridge Brew Pub and Empire Brewing prior to Ya Ya Brewhouse.

Get Connected: Chris Malachowski, 716.880.1914

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Comments

11 Comments Leave a comment

oldwaiter

June 10, 2009 4:14 PM

This is really sad. At one time there were tons of breweries operating in Buffalo. Learn more about our rich brewing heritage at:
http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/forgottenbuffalotours/buffalobrewerytour.html

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Armchair MBA

June 10, 2009 4:42 PM

If only I had the money... Those tanks would be much nicer than the buckets I use for my homebrewing operation. Id love to get my hands on those big ones and try making a BIG batch of IPA.

Clitons Ditch

June 10, 2009 6:27 PM

Where is BERC going to store the tanks? Next to the eloquently decorated urinals at One Sunset? BERC has such a stellar record of economic development.

WCPerspective

June 10, 2009 6:45 PM

We aren't sure who ended up with the tanks- Calvaneso, BERC or if they were removed/sold as part of a settlement.

replied to Clitons Ditch

dontspookthehorse

June 10, 2009 7:16 PM

give 'em to Flying Bison already!

PaulBuffalo

June 10, 2009 8:33 PM

Well, you could keep the tanks on the trailer. Then, James could bicycle beer around the neighborhood, too.

biniszkiewicz

June 10, 2009 9:56 PM

Paul: that's funny.

In terms of real estate marketing, the space is better off without the brewery equipment.

Q: Out of curiosity, how much is that stuff worth in the used market, anyway? Restaurant equipment often goes for 10-20 cents on the dollar in the used market. Anyone know the market for brewery equipment?

buffalofalling

June 11, 2009 8:12 AM

As a reference, a 15 gallon stainless steel conical fermenter goes for around $800 brand new and these are likely 1000 gallons or more. So I'd say they have to sell new for in excess of $10,000. I'd say if they're sold to a brewery, they'll fetch a good price, of they're sold at auction or as scrap, they probably went for pennies on the dollar, which is a shame.

Linksfiend

June 11, 2009 9:53 AM

I remember sitting at the bar there when the west end of the "Genessee Gateway" started to collapse right next to Eddie Brady's. They were showing it on the news. And I was like, um, hey, that's right there (pointing in the direction). So we walked to the back window and watched the action.