By: Simon Husted
You won’t just find beer in the cups and sample glasses–it’ll be in the food too.
Buffalo Brewfest is an event all about beer, but it’s not to be confused with a glorified tailgating party.
Brewfest offers people an opportunity to taste new types of beer and learn from the makers what techniques and ingredients were used to develop each beer’s flavor, said Tim Herzog, co-founder of Buffalo Brewfest and owner of Ontario Street-based Flying Bison Brewery, one of a few breweries located in Western New York.
“It’s a learning and teaching experience,” Herzog said, adding that it also supports a charitable cause. All proceeds from Brewfest will go to the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center and the New York Brewers Association, which promotes and represents breweries and microbreweries located in New York State.
One hundred beer creations will be served on Friday, Aug. 6, at the HSBC Atrium. Every year since 2008, when 3,000 Brewfest attendees encountered cramped conditions mostly on the first floor of the HSBC Atrium, more space has opened up to organizers of Brewfest. This year, the four-hour beer sampling event will utilize the first two floors of the Atrium and the entire HSBC Plaza outside. Herzog said organizers had access to the first two floors and only to part of the plaza last year, nevertheless, last year’s event had more than enough breathing space to socialize.
It’s not clear what every beer vendor is going to offer this year, but there are sure to be some odd and interesting flavors in addition to the Irish, Belgian, German and Polish beers that are well-loved by Buffalonians. Herzog said one of the beer vendors new to Brewfest this year, DogFish Head Company, has made a name for itself in the beer community by
offering exotic and strange flavors, including peach flavored beer.
A larger menu of food will also be available at Brewfest. Herzog said last year’s response to the food was overwhelmingly positive, and this year the chef is planning to expand the options and quantity of food. All of the hunger fighting offerings will share one classic ingredient–beer.
Tickets are still available for Buffalo’s biggest beer tasting event. You can buy them ahead of time at Tickets.com or at any of the locations listed here. Tickets costs $25 advance purchase and $35 at the door. Admission earns each attendee 20 tickets to taste different microbrews at the event and a souvenir sampling glass.
Attendance is limited to 3,500 tickets, so the earlier you buy your tickets, the better. Designated drivers have free admission inside the Atrium, as along as they’re 21 years of age.
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Simon Husted is a South
Buffalo-born journalism student studying at Kent State University in
Ohio. This summer, Simon is back home and contributing to
BuffaloRising.com.