On Saturday, June 23, The Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association (BNBA) will host the fifth annual Buffalo Brewers Festival from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Canalside. This one-of-a-kind event is hosted by WNY’s craft brewers and exclusively features regional breweries. In addition to serving up more than 20 local breweries, with over 50 beers in total, this event will feature area food trucks, locally made ciders, and local mead.
“As Buffalo’s beer scene continues to grow, our local economy continues to grow with it, which is why this event is so important,” said Tim Herzog, incoming president of the BNBA and General Manager of Flying Bison Brewery. “Now in our fifth year, the Buffalo Brewers Festival continues to be one of the most highly anticipated events of the summer and we couldn’t think of a better venue to host it than the crown jewel of Buffalo’s waterfront, Canalside.”
There will also be a Farm-to-Pint tent highlighting brews made with local malt and hops to promote local sustainable efforts while supporting local farmers. Participating sponsors for the festival are Lyft and Habitat for Humanity.
“We wanted this year’s festival to really shine a light on the growth of all facets of the Buffalo beer scene,” said Jeff Ware, chair of the 2018 Buffalo Brewers Festival and owner of Resurgence Brewery. “From the farmers who produce the grains & hops to the brewers themselves, the work that is being done by these folks to expand the local beer community deserves to be celebrated. The Buffalo Brewers Festival will be as fun as it is educational and we look forward to expanding the growing number of beer enthusiasts familiar with this story right here in Buffalo.”
The category for this year’s “People’s Choice” brew is a saison. Attendees will get the chance to try a new saison brewed by each of the participating breweries and vote for their favorite. Following the festival, attendees are encouraged to make their way over to Canalside’s beer garden for an after party, which will feature more beer selections and live music.
Here is a taste of just some of the beers you can expect at the Brewers Festival:
WNY BREWERS
- 12 Gates (Cherry Vanilla Wheat Wheat 4.8%; Coffee Porter English Porter 5.8%; Radler German Radler 2.7%; Hermetic IPA)
- 4 Mile (The Pils Have Eyes 7% [Imperial Pilsner Collab with Resurgence]; Polynomial Pale Ale 5.7%)
- 42 North (Treaty Saison; Borderland IPA)
- Big Ditch (FC Session Wheat IPA 4.1%; Beautiful River Saison 5.6%; Hayburner IPA 7.2%)
- Blackbird Cider (Buffalo Bluegrass Kentucky Barrel Aged Hard Cider; 8% Lakeside Loganberry Hard Cider, 6.9%)
- Brickyard Brewing Company (White Bronco, NE IPA, 6.8% Saison des Fleurs, Saison w/ Dadelion, 4%)
- Buffalo Brewing Company (1910 Czech Pilsner 6%; 1825 TDH IPA 5.5%; 1817 TDH DIPA 8%)
- Buffalo Brewpub (Amber Ale 5.2%; Blueberry Wheat 5.0%; Nickel City Dark 5.5%)
- Community Beer Works (Frank APA 4.6%; The Whale American Brown Ale 5.9%; That IPA, 4.9%; Ein Bier Bitte Hefe 4.9%)
- Eli Fish Brewing Co (“Awry” Rye Saison 5%; “Brewers Wife” Blonde Ale)
- Ellicottville Brewing Company (Blueberry Wheat Ale 4.8%; IPA 6%; Foggy NEIPA 6.3%)
- Five & 20 (“Grape Lakes” Wheat Ale w/ Concord Grapes 5.3%; Can-Am Copper IPA 6.1%)
- Flying Bison (Erie County Fair APA 5.6%; Larkin Lager 4.8%; Bisonberry Kolsch – 4.8%)
- Gordon Biersch (Saison 6.3%; Hefeweizen 5.3%; NY IPA 5.5%)
- Hamburg (Small Town Saison Style 5.2%; Two Two Mango Fruit Ale 4.8%; Hamburg Pilsner 5.2%)
- NYBP (Watermelon Saison 4.7%; Righteous Dude DIPA 8.8%; Walter’s Jelly Donut Raspberry Kolsch 4.5%; Lockport Lager 4.9%)
- OFW (Not A Pale Ale 5.8%; Against the Grain Hefeweizen 5.0%; Razpputin Raspberry Ale 5.5%)
- Pearl Street Grill & Brewery (Gin and Tonic Saison; Trainwreck Amber Ale)
- Pressure Drop (Sticky Trees IPA 6.5%; Bruxelles Stout 5.9%; Citra Screamer CA Golden Ale 4.9%)
- Resurgence (Cucumber Saison Re Warding IPA – Collab with OFW; Black Currant Kettle Sour [F2P])
- Sato Brewpub (Bento Cream Ale; Urban Samurai White IPA; a TBD beer)
- Southern Tier (8 Days A Week; Lemon Drop Sun; Science is the Art: The Psychic Laser)
- Steelbound Brewery & Distillery (EVL Double IPA 8.2%; Udderly Insane Pale Ale 6.5%; Heff Another One 5.3%; Nutty Blond Blond Ale 4.7%)
- Thin Man (Burning Money NEIPA 6.6%; Buffalo Pills Pilsner 4.7%; Minkey Boodle Raspberry Sour 7%; Saison; a TBD beer)
- Westshore (Green Flyer NEIPA, 6%; Experimental Berliner Weiss 4%; Saison)
- Windy Brew (Wild Mango Pale Ale 6%; Dim Lager IPL 5.6%; Wild Raspberry Farmhouse Saison 7.2%)
- Woodcock Brothers (North 425 Pilsner, abv 5.9%; F2P Woodcock Brothers Honey Saison; Kumquat Berliner Weisse, abv 3%)
Click here for the full beer list. The list will continue to be updated prior to the event.
Tickets are $40 General Admission, for an additional $5 ($45 total) you can gain early entry.
Designated driver tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the gate. Don’t drink and drive! As a sponsor of the BNBA, New users can download the Lyft app and use the code ‘BNBA’ to receive special discounts off their first few rides.
Tickets can be purchased here or at buffalobrewersfestival.com and at Aurora Brew Works, Premier Gourmet, Hamm and Fattey’s and all Western New York Consumers Beverage locations. Tickets can also be purchased day of at the event.
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