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Events - week of 11/24

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So much is going on next week - we just had to blog about it.

Beer

We are about to tap our winter seasonal, Vanilla Oatmeal Stout.  Roasty, smooth, full bodied, almost like a stout-shake.  6.8% ABV.  Available before next week is over.

Vanilla Oatmeal Stout - best enjoyed in snowy weather

We also have a limited amount of an Imperial Smoked Porter from our pilot batch series, which means only 20 gallons were made.  Dark, smoky, and warming.  8.0% ABV.  Also available next week.

Retail Hours

Retail hours extended to 12pm-7pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Stop in and get a growler before the game, before Thanksgiving, and while you're out shopping...

(Planned) Events for next week:

Craft Tap House, East Aurora, Tuesday 11/25, 8pm-10pm
HandleBar, Buffalo, Wednesday 11/26 5pm-8pm
Coles, Buffalo, Friday 11/28, 4pm-7pm
Aurora Brew Works, East Aurora, takeover - coming soon...

See you soon, Buffalo!

Open for growler sales and samplings November 19th! (plus: a tap room update)

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We’ve been open for distribution for a whole month now – hooray!  Have you seen us?  We’ve done 20 different tasting events in that month at various bars and restaurants around town – check this list to see some of the places we’ve been at.


The question we’re still asked most often is “When are you going to be open?”  To which we usually reply “We ARE open!  For distribution!  You are drinking our beer, see?”  But of course, people really want to know when they can come to our brewery and get a beer.

Well, the tap room still has a few more months of construction to go, but that won’t stop us from granting your wish.

Beginning Wednesday November 19th, we will be open for growler fills, samplings, and merchandise sales at the brewery.  We have a small office area which currently houses a 4-tap cooler that is, at this very moment, filled with Low Bridge Hoppy Golden Ale, Excavator Rye Brown Ale, Hayburner American IPA, and our late fall seasonal Cinnamon Apple Amber Ale.

Tried this beauty yet?

Now, there are only 4 taps for the moment, but there will be fairly frequent rotation on said taps.  We’ve got three different pilot batches (that is, 20 gallons per batch only) going right now, and winter is just around the corner – which has to mean something doesn’t it?  Hmmm.  So, check back often to find out what’s on.

Our hours to start with will be:

Wednesday through Friday 4pm – 7pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm

Our growler prices are 7$ for a 32 oz fill and 12$ for a 64 oz fill; if you’d like to purchase one of our nifty growlers as well, the prices are 3$ for a 32 oz growler and 5$ for a 64 oz growler.  Of course we have shirts, and hats, and hoodies for sale too.  No glassware yet, we’re working on it.  Also, no tours just yet, but we will have them shortly.  We’ll keep you posted, for sure.

We gots merch, y'all!

Yup, and growlers too!

Finally: this is just a temporary solution until the tap room opens.  The tap room will have 8-12 beers on tap at all times, some of them regulars, some of them frequently rotating.  You’ll be able to get a pint, a flight, or a growler fill there; and there will be plenty of food, prepared fresh on premises for you to choose from, much of it sourced locally.  The tap room is still in construction; we’re currently putting the finishing touches on the outside, then it’s on to completing the inside.  We don’t have an opening date yet, but we do get closer every day.  Here’s a fairly recent comparison between our rendition and our progress:

Rendition

Actual (as of October 31st)

You can check it out for yourself when you come by for a growler fill.  Looking forward to seeing you at the brewery soon!

Account List 11/14/14

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We are up to 113 accounts that have purchased our beer! 


Below is our account list of bars, restaurants and beverage stores that have purchased our beer.  

We hope you visit some of these places that are supporting Big Ditch Brewing and local products and enjoy a pint or two.  

Due to the fact that many places rotate their beer selection, we can't tell you when they will have Big Ditch on tap or which of our beers they will have on tap.  If you don't see our shovel tap handle, ask for us! 

Cheers! 

Big Ditch Brewing Account List (11/14/14)



Business Name Address City, State Zip
24 KT GOLD 3747 LAKESHORE RD HAMBURG BUFFALO, NY 14219
716 FOOD & SPORT 75 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
A MICKIEWICZ LITERARY 612 FILLMORE AVE BUFFALO, NY 14212
ALLEN ST CAFE 245 ALLEN ST BUFFALO, NY 14201
ALTERNATIVE BREWS 3488 SHERIDAN DR BUFFALO, NY 14226
ARMOR INN TAP ROOM 5381 ABBOTT RD HAMBURG, NY 14075
AVERAGE JOES 2350 SWEET HOME RD BUFFALO, NY 14228
BALLYHOO 211 S PARK AVE BUFFALO, NY 14204
BLACK ROCK KITCHEN & BAR 491 AMHERST ST BUFFALO, NY 14207
BLACKTHORN 2134 SENECA ST BUFFALO, NY 14210
BLUE MONK 727 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
BRENNANS RESTAURANT & BAR 4401 TRANSIT RD BUFFALO, NY 14221
BRICK OVEN BISTRO & DELI 904 ABBOTT RD BUFFALO, NY 14220
BRICKYARD BAR & BBQ 432 CENTER ST LEWISTON, NY 14092
BRIOSO BY BUTTERWOOD 5195 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14221
BUFFALO BREW PUB 6861 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14221
BUFFALO IRON WORKS 49 ILLINOIS ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
BUFFALO TAP HOUSE 85 W CHIPPEWA ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
CAPUTIS SHERIDAN PUB 2351 SHERIDAN DR TONAWANDA, NY 14150
CASEYS BAR AND GRILL 484 AMHERST ST BUFFALO, NY 14207
CENTURY GRILL 320 PEARL ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
CHAFFE FLATTS BAR & GRILL 10945 RTE 16 CHAFFEE, NY 14030
COCO BY LEMETRO 888 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
COLDEN COUNTRY INN 8815 STATE RD COLDEN, NY 14033
COLDEN MILL RESTAURANT 8348 BOSTON COLDEN RD COLDEN, NY 14033
COLES RESTAURANT 1104 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
COLTER BAY GRILL 561 DELAWARE AVE BUFFALO, NY 14202
CONLONS 382 ABBOTT RD BUFFALO, NY 14220
CONSUMERS BEVERAGE CENTER 2230 S PARK AVE BUFFALO, NY 14220
COUZINS 7115 BOSTON STATE RD HAMBURG, NY 14075
CRABAPPLES 3298 GENESEE ST BUFFALO, NY 14225
CRAFT BEER AND WINE CO 5421 S ABBOTT RD ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127
CRAVE 1472 HERTEL AVE BUFFALO, NY 14216
CURLYS 647 RIDGE RD BUFFALO, NY 14218
DAEMEN COLLEGE 4380 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14226
DANNYS SOUTH 4300 ABBOTT RD ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127
DARROW'S RESTAURANT 13192 BROADWAY ALDEN, NY 14004
DAVIDS GRILLE 4247 N BUFFALO RD ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127
DEL DENBYS 1553 HERTEL AVE BUFFALO, NY 14216
DOUBLETREE HOTEL 10 FLINT RD BUFFALO, NY 14226
DWYERS IRISH PUB 65 WEBSTER ST NORTH TONAWANDA, NY 14120
EBENEZER ONION 4348 SENECA ST BUFFALO, NY 14224
EBENEZER STOP & SHOP 1850 UNION RD STE 1 BUFFALO, NY 14224
EDDIE BRADYS 97 GENESEE ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
EDDIE RYANS 50 CENTRAL AVE LANCASTER, NY 14086
FANFARE CONCESSIONS 275 WASHINGTON ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
FAT BOBS SMOKE HOUSE 41 VIRGINIA PL BUFFALO, NY 14202
FIRESIDE INN 12133 VAUGHN ST EAST CONCORD, NY 14055
FRANKS 5820 BROADWAY ST LANCASTER, NY 14086
GORDONS 2263 DELAWARE AVE BUFFALO, NY 14216
GRIFFON PUB 2470 MILITARY RD NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304
HANDLEBAR 149 SWAN ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
HEART OF THE HOLLOW 10641 MAIN ST CLARENCE, NY 14031
HIDEAWAYS 5440 CAMP RD HAMBURG, NY 14075
HILTON GARDEN INN 447 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14203
HOP INN 317 HOPKINS BUFFALO, NY 14220
HOPS N VINES LOUNGE 490 CENTER ST LEWISTON, NY 14092
HUTCHS 1375 DELAWARE AVE BUFFALO, NY 14209
HYATT REGENCY 2 FOUNTAIN PLZ BUFFALO, NY 14202
JACK ASTORS BAR AND GRILL 2000 WALDEN GALLERIA MALL CHEEKTOWAGA, NY 14225
JOES DELI 534 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
JUST PIZZA & WING CO 5445 TRANSIT RD STE 6 BUFFALO, NY 14221
LAST RUN TAVERN & GRILL 9574 STATE RD GLENWOOD, NY 14069
LOCKPORT PUB 1191 LINCOLN AVE LOCKPORT, NY 14094
LODGE THE 79 W CHIPPEWA ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
MACGREGORS GRILL & TAP ROOM 4350 MAPLE RD BUFFALO, NY 14226
MADEMOISELLE FOLIE BERGERE 777 AERO DR BUFFALO, NY 14225
MC GARRETS CLUB 946 946 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
MOHAWK PLACE 47 E MOHAWK ST  BUFFALO, NY 14203
MOOSE LODGE 905 MAIN ST EAST AURORA, NY 14052
MR GOODBAR 1108 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
ONEILLS STADIUM INN 3864 ABBOTT RD ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127
ORIGINAL HONEY 4300 MAPLE RD BUFFALO, NY 14226
ORIGINAL HONEYS 6560 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304
PAGES GRILL & BAR 4725 TRANSIT RD DEPEW, NY 14043
PAPA JAKES SALOON 1672 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14207
PIZZA PLANT WILLIAMSVILLE 7770 TRANSIT RD BUFFALO, NY 14221
POLISH VILLA PART TWO 1085 HARLEM AVE BUFFALO, NY 14227
PREMIER GOURMET 3904 MAPLE RD BUFFALO, NY 14226
PROVIDENCE SOCIAL 492 RHODE ISLAND ST BUFFALO, NY 14213
PUBLIC HOUSE OF BUFFALO 1206 HERTEL AVE BUFFALO, NY 14216
REMINGTON TAVERN 184 SWEENEY ST NORTH TONAWANDA, NY 14120
RIVERSTONE GRILL 971 E RIVER RD GRAND ISLAND, NY 14072
ROYCROFT INN 40 S GROVE ST EAST AURORA, NY 14052
RUST BELT 3720 LAKE SHORE RD BUFFALO, NY 14219
SANTORAS PHASE II 1402 MILLERSPORT HGWY BUFFALO, NY 14221
SANTORAS PIZZA PUB & GRILL 7566 TRANSIT RD BUFFALO, NY 14221
SATO 739 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
SCALLYWAGS 6558 LAKE SHORE RD DERBY, NY 14047
SO HO BAR 64 W CHIPPEWA ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
SOUTHGATE LANES 50 MICHAEL RD BUFFALO, NY 14224
SPORTSMAN TAVERN 326 AMHERST ST BUFFALO, NY 14207
STEEL PUB CITY 1449 ABBOTT RD BUFFALO, NY 14218
STOCKMAN S TAVERN 9870 TRANSIT RD EAST AMHERST, NY 14051
TGI FRIDAYS 1209 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD BUFFALO, NY 14226
THE ACROPOLIS RESTAURANT 708 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
THE FIRE HOUSE TAVERN 283 YOUNG ST WILSON, NY 14172
THE GALLERY GRILL 175 BROMPTON RD TONAWANDA, NY 14150
THE PARK COUNTRY CLUB 4949 SHERIDAN DR BUFFALO, NY 14221
THE PLACE 229 LEXINGTON AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
THE STEER & PEANUT GALLER 3151 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14214
THE TRALF 622 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
THE VILLAGE INN 1488 FERRY RD GRAND ISLAND, NY 14072
THIRSTY BUFFALO BAR &GRLL 555 ELMWOOD AVE BUFFALO, NY 14222
TIN PAN ALLEY 775 CAYUGA ST LEWISTON, NY 14092
TOWNSQUARE LIFESTYLE EVENT 153 FRANKLIN ST BUFFALO, NY 14202
TRANSIT LANES 7850 TRANSIT RD BUFFALO, NY 14221
TWINLO BEVERAGE MART 6700 PORTER RD NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304
VILLAGE BEER MERCHANT 1535 HERTEL AVE BUFFALO, NY 14216
VILLAGE EATERY 429 DAVISON RD LOCKPORT, NY 14094
WATER STREET LANDING 115 S WATER ST LEWISTON, NY 14092
WITTERS SPORTS BAR & GRILL 300 OLIVER ST NORTH TONAWANDA, NY 14120
ZEBBS DELUXE GRILL & BAR 3349 SOUTHWESTERN BLVD ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127

Final thoughts, and thanks

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It’s the day of our official opening for distribution.  It’s taken us 3 years and 8 months to get here.  We’re happy, excited, humbled, and very, very appreciative.  We could not have done this without the support of so many, and we’d like to take the time to personally thank those that have helped.

Before we do that, I (Matt) wanted to take a moment to write just a little bit about why we did this.  Chances are you already know the obvious reasons.  Yes, we love beer, and yes, we love the art and science of brewing beer.  And these were certainly two of the biggest reasons why we wanted to open a brewery.  But there’s something more.

A big part of doing this was because we wanted to start a company that made products of uncompromising quality, and who valued its employees above all else.  This was the kind of culture that we always wanted to instill into a company of our own.  We also wanted to create something special, not just for Buffalonians and for Western New Yorkers to enjoy, but for people in faraway places to come and see.  You see, we want to draw them in to Buffalo, to see firsthand all that our city has to offer, and to realize that we’re a city that’s made up of a lot more than snowdrifts and chicken wing bones.  This city is really about the people; people who care about each other and their community, that want to see great things happen here.  We’re a city full of hope.  You can feel it.

Of course, we know that we’re just starting out.  We have a lot to accomplish and even more to prove.  But these will be our ideals for the lifetime of our company.  The people below exemplify these ideals for us.

And so, without further adieu, and in no particular order…

Let’s start with the fine folks at Iskalo Development Company.  I’ve already talked a bit about Paul, who has been the guiding hand behind our brewery for some time now.  But to Dave Chiazza, Colin McDermid, Kim Collignon, Sam Lagambina, John Zelli, Pam Doeing, Nina Corey, Ken Thomas, Matt Roland, Neil Meyers, Candice Urban-Green, Julie Kramer, Cody Osborne, and the many others at IDC that have helped – we also say thank you.

To the people and places that let us come in and sample our beers: Paul at Alternative Brews, Dan at Pizza Plant, Bill at Gene McCarthy’s, Mike at Coles, all the great folks at The Kegworks Store, Chad (formerly) and Matt (presently) at Jack Astor's, Darryl and Mike at Aurora Brew Works - we say thank you.

We owe a huge debt to Steve Catalano, Alaina Houseknecht, and Matt Vallance, who steered our sales and marketing campaign in the early days, helped to lead an early tasting and feedback panel, and were just really super supportive.  We hope to work with you all again someday soon.  We say thank you.

Ryan Marfurt for several months of brewing assistance.  Let us know if you want a try on the big system someday.  Tim Taylor for constant ideas and support.  We say thank you.

Beer Professionals.  First, Alex Placito.  Our intro to Alex was when he came to one of our early tastings, but even if he had missed that tasting, it would have been impossible to miss him.  Where there is something to be learned about beer and brewing in Buffalo, Alex is there.  He is such a key part of Buffalo’s beer culture, and we say thank you.

Hello, how about Niagara Tradition?  Where do you think we got all of our homebrew stuff from anyway?  Thanks to the Dysters for being so central to Buffalo’s brewing culture.  We say thank you.  The same goes (again) for everyone at Kegworks.  Those guys are yamtastic.  We say thank you.

I think our second meeting ever (after John McKeone from the Small Business Development Center) was with Community Beer Works.  We met Ethan first, but it wasn’t long before we met Rudy, Dan, and Greg.  Some folks think that we decided we wanted to do this after we witnessed the success CBW had; this isn’t exactly true (I still remember reading about CBW in a 2012 Spree article and thinking “wait, there are other guys doing this?”)  But, I can’t imagine doing this without CBW around; they have been inspirations to us all.  I’ve said it many times, but if we can make beer anywhere near as good as the beer they make, then we’ll be happy.  Tis true.  Thank you.

Thanks also to Chris (and formerly Phil) from Pearl Street, who showed us around on our first brew day on a big system, and for generally being pretty helpful.  Thank you.

Everyone at the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and the Sultans.  Included and especially to the following local (home)brewers: PJ Dunn, Joe DePrima, Dan Baish, Eric Stellrecht, Norm Smith, Derek Maloney.  Keep up the good work, and thank you.

Jason Crossett and Terry Felton (and Alex again) for help with early (and continued – yeah that’s right) discussions regarding our tasting panel – thank you.

Peter, Mike, and Dan for letting us poke around Ellicottville Brewing Company and restaurant for a couple of days – thank you.

How about the fine folks at Kuhnhenn Brewing in Michigan and Badger Mountain Brewing in
Washington?  Corey called about a hundred places before these guys were nice enough to let him come in and learn the ropes a bit.  And, they make freaking awesome beer.  We say thank you, for both of these.

Try-It Distributing for being such supportive and awesome partners thus far.  Thank you.

To Mike Balzano, for taking like 6 months to create our logo, and then melting my eyes out with awesomeness when I finally got to see what he created.  We still owe you a ton of merch (and beer if you’re in town) – we say a huge thank you.

To Frank Tierney, and a grueling weekend of web development eased by copious amounts of Vanilla Oatmeal Stout – we say thank you.

Writers: Julia Burke (formerly of Spree), Nick Mendola (currently from Spree) and Cory Perla from Artvoice.  KC Kratt from Spree for his amazing beer pics.  Everyone from WNY Craft Beer Mag.  Bloggers: Ryan Bonnett for an early and honest review, the guys from Buffalo Whiskey Guild, Mike Chelus from Nittany Epicurean, Donnie Burtless from Buffalo Eats.  PJ and Scott from (formerly?) The Wooden Barrel, remember that?  We say thanks to all of you for caring about the things we had to say.  A special thanks to to Ethan, Nick, and Chris Groves from now defunct Craft Beer Talk.  Did you know how much you can learn about beer driving from Amherst to Grand Island?  You do now!  Thanks! (psst – and bring the show back dammit!)

Beer groups!  Too many names to remember here, but here’s a few – Pete Holguin, Merc, trxxpaxxs, Fuj, Brandon, dogfishandi, and the rest of the (former) Buffalo Beer Advocate tasting group – you guys are in the top 1%.  Jeff Stauffiger and Joe’s Beer Club, just good guys who like good beer.  The same goes to the guys in the Buffalo Beer League.  The Beer Goddesses for being awesome!  For giving us some feedback and sharing some great beers with us – we say thanks to all of you.

Rob Free for sharing both advice on our tap room and great beer – we thank you.

Willard Brooks for lots and lots of deep and beery conversation :-) we thank you.

Pat DePuy for what we are guessing will be one superdope video upon completion – we thank you (in advance).

Imran Mahmood for early finance advice – thank you.

Jeff S. and associates, Ed V., Mario P., and other folks we met early on – thank you.

Ess Eastmer for one fantastic photo – and for initially inviting us to be Beer Geeks - we thank you.

Special thanks to the Catalano family for hosting our very first tasting event three years ago, and to everyone that came that night.  I still remember it clearly.  Thanks.

Our families, girlfriends and wives for being patient with us while we’ve spent countless hours hovering over boiling wort or buried in alcohol taxation laws.  We thank you so, so much.  We’ll be home soon.

To everyone we forgot, and I’m sure there were many.  Come see us this weekend and we’ll buy you a beer that we made with your help.  We thank you, Buffalo.  Cheers.
Cheers to you!