Great Lakes Brewing News Archive

Western New York Beer News

Originally Published: 10/97

By: Steve Powell

Welcome to Fall 1997 and Octoberfest. I was rummaging through some old books of mine and found the following quote:

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."

�Abraham Lincoln

I guess Lincoln thought reality went better with beer.

The fall is a busy time for brewers and all of our local plants are getting ready to break out their fall selection.

Pearl Street Brewing Company (Buffalo's newest brewpub, located on Pearl Street) is planning its Grand opening celebrations for October 15th, so save the date! Nick Wesley has informed me that just in time for the Octoberfest season there will be a fresh batch of their own Octoberfest beer called "Railyard Ale" on tap for opening day. In addition, there will be the following fresh brews: Lake Effect IPA, Waterfront Wheat, Seneca Saaz, Canal Street Stout, Cobblestone Amber, and Rookies Rootbeer all on tap. With its great location and huge pool hall upstairs (as well as all sorts of events planned) Pearl Street Brewing will definitely be the place to be. It's good to see downtown coming alive again!

Flying Bison Brewing Company will be completing work on their brewery, located on Ontario Street in Buffalo, in the next month or two. Brewery President Tim Hertzog informed me that very soon they will be moving in their fermenters. They are currently planning to begin brewing their two brands--Dawn Patrol Gold and Erie County Ale--sometime in November or December.

Pizza Plant at the Walker Center has procured a rare and interesting brew (on tap), possibly the most interesting and provoking beer available in America today. They have obtained a quantity of Hempen Ale, brewed with specially prepared hemp seeds! This unusual brew has been receiving such media attention lately that it has boosted sales for the brewers of this product ten-fold! I am told that this is the only place to get this special beer within 150 miles of Buffalo. Also at the Walker Center location, a November 19th beer tasting at 8pm will feature Belgian beer.

Pizza Plant on Transit Road is hosting their 10th Annual Beer Tasting Event on October 20th at 8pm. This year's event will be hosted by beer expert Tim Herzog, who will help evaluate each of the 10 new beers to be tasted, and discuss the finer points of each brew. Tickets are $15, for more information call 716-632-0800 before they're sold out!

Breckenridge Brewery is planning to "Roll Out" their Octoberfest beer with a special dinner on September 30th. This year's brew is a traditionally lagered American Octoberfest that is to be ready in time for the Roll Out. And of course they will be celebrating October with a selection of great fresh brews including an unfiltered Hefeweizen and an Autumn Ale (due out around October 1st). Stop down and try one of Western New York's best fish fry's with your beer!

Buffalo Brew Pub has brewed a batch of Octoberfest lager for their series of celebrations planned for this year's Octoberfest season. They are getting the jump on the festivities with parties planned for October 9th and 23rd. Stop down and enjoy some beer, German food and music.

Shannon Pub is the best place to go for an authentic Irish brew and meal. Visit their pub and enjoy fresh beer made in their on-premise brewery. Stop in and tilt back a pint or two at the pub!

Alternative Brews is gearing up for their Octoberfest celebrations with an Octoberfest Party every Saturday at 9:00pm during the month of October. There will be German food, 2 for 1 beers, giveaways, and much more.

Ulrich's Tavern, located at the corner of Ellicott and Virginia Streets in Buffalo, is one of the city's best kept secrets and my favorite place to have a pint. Ulrich's is arguably Buffalo's oldest continually operating bar (founded in the 1860's). This quiet little place is steeped in local history with pictures of some of the old local breweries that operated around the corner and pictures of when Ulrich's was a speakeasy called the Hasenfeffer Club (during Prohibition). They have the absolute best Reuben sandwiches on earth, and real German food (which is hard to find these days in WNY). Stop down for a pint of German or domestic beer at lunch or after work, and look into Buffalo's history (or enjoy a Bills game on their large screen TV). Located alongside the Allen Street strip and Chippewa area, it is the perfect spot to hit before going out on the town to celebrate Octoberfest.

Ellicottville Brewing Company is gearing up for the big annual Ellicottville Octberfest, to be held in Ellicottville October 11-13. This event always brings thousands to visit this beautiful town just in time for fall foliage. On tap for October and November is the following selection: Two Brothers Pale Ale; Buchan Nut Brown; Monroe St. Pils; their famous Helles Gold Octoberfest brew; a Trappist-style ale; Chinook Porter; an English mild ale; an over-hopped, cask conditioned pale ale; and finally, a kölsch brewed using Vince Oliverio's recipe (Vince was the winner of the 1997 E-ville Triple Threat Homebrew Competition).

Niagara Tradition Home Brew Supplies is now open for business at their new location on 1296 Sheridan Drive! Their "official" Grand Opening celebration party will be held on October 11. An item of special interest is the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) study sessions each Thursday evening starting October 2nd (6-8pm). Also, remember the "Quest for the Grail" homebrew competition deadline, which is October 24th!

If you have any WNY beer events or comments, corrections, reflections let me know! You can e-mail me at: [email protected]