Winter is Coming (or Possibly Already Here)

Every now and again, as in right now as I am writing this blog post, the family and I are privileged to be able to visit my wife’s family in western New York, or as I prefer calling it, the Great White North. Now, don’t be confused – we are not in Canada – we are still in the States, but honestly, we are as close to Canada as one can be while still being in the States. Usually, we come up here in the summer, when the weather is perfect and all of the tourist stuff is fully operational (like Niagara Falls for example). This time, however, we elected to visit for Christmas and New Year’s Day, placing us right in the midst of the winter wonderland you always see on the weather channel.

The Wall, which separates the Seven Kingdoms from the north (aka Canada)

But why am I telling you all of this, and what does it have to do with beer? Quite simply, as those of you who have been following my exploits for some time already know, whenever I go somewhere different, I always take full advantage of the local beer scene, and try as much craft-brewed excellence as I can get my hands on.

A map of the area

On this vacation, I have been focused on local breweries in Niagara and Erie Counties, which encompasses Buffalo, Niagara Falls and the surrounding areas. I have also been buying as much New York craft beer from the local specialty beer stores as I can find, and have had some wonderful offerings from Lake Placid, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Ellicottville, and beyond. Not surprisingly, they have some pretty good craft beer out here in western New York, and it is my privilege to drink it, and to share my thoughts with all of you.

Buffalo Brewpub, Amherst, New York

The Buffalo Brewpub is a quiet brew pub located in a commercial area in the suburbs of Buffalo. The beer menu consists of four beers they make onsite, as well as lots of other craft beers made by other breweries, most of which are local. The food is really excellent, and the beer is very good too. The four beers they had on the flight when we were there were…

1) Buffalo Brewpub’s Pale Ale

2) Buffalo Brewpub’s Buffalo Lager

3) Buffalo Brewpub’s Amber Ale

4) Buffalo Brewpub’s Kringle Christmas Ale/Winter Warmer

These beers were all good. The lager and amber ale were both spot on to their styles. The Kringle was the most interesting and the star of the show.

I also got into a pint of Ithaca Beer Company’s winter seasonal offering, Cold Front Belgian Strong Dark Ale while at the Buffalo Brewpub.

The flight of four, at the Buffalo Brewpub in Amherst, NY

Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company, Wilson, New York

Another great brewpub located in the heart of Niagara Country, in a town that is quite possibly the last place you would ever look for a brewpub, Woodcock Brothers is a relatively new operation in a converted cold storage warehouse. The food is mostly higher end pizza and burgers and it is delicious. They have six delicious beers on their flight, which are…

1) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Stiff Mittens Winter Ale

2) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Niagara County IPA (made with hops that were grown in Niagara County, NY)

3) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Hoppycock IPA

4) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Harvest Wheat Ale

5) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Porter

6) Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company’s Amber Ale

The two IPAs were my favorites, especially the one made with local hops. The Porter and Wheat Ale were also very tasty. The Winter Ale was very spicy and interesting. All of the beers at Woodcock Brothers were excellent.

Dueling flights of six, at Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company in Wilson, NY

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, Buffalo, New York

Located in downtown Buffalo, Pearl Street is a great brewpub with great food and amazing beers. This is my second time drinking at this brewery, and it was just as good the second time. In addition to the really good food, Pearl Street offers 14 beers to select from (though they only had 13 this time) which consists of 10 regulars and four seasonals, which were…

1) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Lighthouse Blonde Ale

2) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Wild Ox Wheat American Wheat Ale

3) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Trainwreck Altbier

4) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Lake Effect American Pale Ale

5) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Street Brawler Stout Oatmeal Stout

6) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Sabre’s Edge Double IPA

7) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Blue-eyed Blonde Blueberry Blonde Ale

8) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Don Cherry (Cherry Wheat) Ale

9) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Raspberry Fields Raspberry Stout

10) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Billy Bonka Chocolate Stout

11) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Lord Stanley Scotch Ale

12) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Powderkeg ESB

13) Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s Winter Warmer

It’s pretty impressive when a brewery has 14 (13) beers on their menu to choose from, and of course, I have to try them all. What’s cool about this place is they have their staples, and then they start experimenting with them, adding different fruits to their blonde, wheat and stout to create new beers. Also, Pearl Street has embraced their position at the top of the world by offering three different stouts, as well as other dark beers such as their scotch and winter warmer. The Sabre’s Edge is an amazing Double IPA that is just as good as I remember it from the last time I was here.

A flight of 14, at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery in Buffalo, NY

Other New York Beers I've Gotten My Hands On

1) Flying Bison Brewing’s Christmas Ale (Buffalo, NY)

2) Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Krampus Imperial Helles Lager (Lakewood, NY)

3) Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Compass American Strong Ale (Lakewood, NY)

4) Brewery Ommegang’s Game Of Thrones - Take the Black Stout (Cooperstown, NY)

5) Lake Placid Pub & Brewery’s India Pale Ale (IPA) (Lake Placid, NY)

6) CB Craft Brewers’ Caged Alpha Monkey IPA (Honeoye Falls, NY)

7) Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s Frost Monster Russian Imperial Stout (Elmsford, NY)

8) Middle Ages Brewing’s Wizard’s Winter Ale (Syracuse, NY)

9) Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s Pumpkin Ale (Elmsford, NY)

10) Middle Ages Brewing’s Im Paled Ale (Syracuse, NY)

11) Ithaca Beer Company’s Cascazilla American Amber/Red Ale (Ithaca, NY)

12) Middle Ages Brewing’s Grail Ale American Amber/Red Ale (Syracuse, NY)

13) Ithaca Beer Company’s Flower Power American IPA (Ithaca, NY)

14) Middle Ages Brewing’s Swallow Wit Witbier (Syracuse, NY)

15) Matt Brewing Company’s Saranac High Peaks Imperial IPA (Utica, NY)

16) CB Craft Brewers’ Joe Latte Vanilla Coffee Stout (Honeoye Falls, NY)

17) Ellicottville Brewing Company’s E’VIL Hoppy Winter Ale (Ellicottville, NY)

18) Lake Placid Pub & Brewery’s Ubu Ale English Strong Ale (Lake Placid, NY)

19) Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s Freshchester Pale Ale (Elmsford, NY)

20) Ringside Brewing Company's Ringside American Lager (Saratoga Springs, NY)

And the best part is, my time in western New York is not over. I've still got a few more days with which to add to this list. I am planning to go down to Buffalo (or as the locals say, “up to Buffalo) again over the weekend to visit the Flying Bison Brewery and Community Beer Works, and may even roll over to Rochester to see what’s going on over there. Plus, there are still plenty of local craft beers on the shelves at the specialty beer stores to try. Endless possibilities. As of this point, I have added 44 unique check-ins and three new locations to my Untappd account… not too shabby. If you want to get updates on my western New York beer adventures, or any of my other beer adventures for that matter, follow me on twitter @SousBrewer.

Happy New Year!!!

And since this is the final post of 2013, I want to sign off by wishing you all a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. May they be filled with delicious craft beer and a designated driver! Looking back on the past year, we did a lot less brewing, but a lot more visiting – adventures galore! Who knows what 2014 holds in store? Continue following my adventures, and find out. Until next year…

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!