The Magic Bear Beer Cellar is now open in Larkinville. Owner and Certified Cicerone®, Craig Altobello, opened the doors to his beer emporium at Millrace Commons, 799 Seneca Street (learn more).
Altobello anticipates that Magic Bear Beer Cellar will be a place that “promotes the elevation and education of beer.”
Unlike some of the sprawling beer-centric tasting rooms found around the city, Magic Bear is located in more of a quaint setting, where customers can order draught beers from one of the 12 tap selections.
The craft beer bottle shop and tasting bar also stocks a wide variety of packaged beers, both local and otherwise. For the non-beer drinkers, there’s red and white wine, ciders, seltzers, and non-alcoholic beverages available.
A regular schedule of classes and events taught by Craig Altobello, Certified Cicerone® will start in early 2022 with topics to appeal to all levels of beer drinkers.
Magic Bear is in the business of offering beer tastings, pairings, and even opportunities to meet brewers, all orchestrated by Altobello, who has also fashioned a semi-private area designed to host beer education classes, pairings and tastings, and private events.
For food, Magic Bear serves up selections that include house pickles, garlic honey toum, cheese and meat boards, and a mezze board. The food offerings can be paired with a range of beers, from Sloop’s ‘coco baked’ to Zero Gravity’s ‘giggletwig’ to 3 Floyds’ ‘gumball head.’ Guests are also welcome to bring in their own food from other establishments.
“We have been diligently working to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere at Magic Bear Beer Cellar,” said Altobello. “We have tested out both the space and our service recently to our friends and family and are excited to open our doors to welcome you. Along with getting our space up and running, I am extremely proud of recently passing my exam and joining the ranks of fellow Certified Cicerone®. I am passionate about beer and education and achieving this title is a perfect blend of both, allowing me to better educate others. We are focused on the elevation and education of beer and every detail of Magic Bear reflects this concept.”
Magic Bear is the first retail tenant to open in the new Millrace Commons building.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of Magic Bear Beer Cellar in our Millrace Commons building adding to the growing entrepreneurial retail community in the Larkin District,” said Larkin Development Group’s Kayla Zemsky. “Magic Bear has built an intimate, welcoming space to share a drink in the neighborhood, learn from Craig’s expertise, and hopefully discover a new beer to take home and enjoy later.”
Learn more at www.magicbearbeer.com, follow on Facebook and Instagram @magicbearbeer, or visit the new operation at Mill Race Commons in Larkinville – 799 Seneca Street, Suite B, Buffalo NY.