After a wonderful winter of beer festivals, Buffalo belongs in the conversation of best beer destinations in America.

Yes, you read that right. I’m sure this idea will be scoffed at by a few, but I am here to tell you why these people are wrong.

First, the backstory. The beer industry is seasonal. Beer sales are usually busiest in the summer – people will drink more beer when outside than inside, generally. Beer sales also tend to get very busy right around the holidays, as beer drinkers are attending holiday parties and enjoying beers with friends and family around the dinner table.

In Western New York, January and February tend to be the slowest time of the year for beer sales, as people have drank their fill over the holidays and also spend less time outside when it’s colder. In order to stave off the winter blues, there tends to be a few more beer festivals organized in the winter.

Since the start of 2020, our region and its breweries have put on a series of festivals that have kept area beer drinkers in such delight that it’s hard for me to imagine anywhere in America where the diversity and quality of beer has been better.

Here is a summation of beer festivals that have occurred in the Buffalo region over the last six weeks. (I’ve also highlighted what Big Ditch brought to the festivals – since you’re reading this on our blog, after all.)

Buffalo on Tap – January 11 at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center. Not only is this the largest festival on this list, it’s actually the largest beer festival held in all of New York State. While this festival is the least specialized, and certainly the least intimate, it serves a purpose. With a $30 general admission ticket price, and 75-150 different breweries to sample from, I like to think of this as an “entry level” beer festival, so those who are new to craft beer can try a lot of different beers for a fairly low price. (Big Ditch brought our signature and seasonal beers to this festival: Hayburner American IPA, Low Bridge Golden Ale, Make Me Wanna (Coffee and Cream) Stout, and Berry Vision Sour Fruit Beer.)

Brewers Invitational – January 26 at New York Beer Project. At the 4th edition of this festival, area brewers were encouraged to present some of their experimental beers to a smaller and more intimate crowd. There were tons of flavored stouts and IPAs at this festival. Host New York Beer Project included two different barrel-aged beers, both of which were excellent. (Big Ditch brought a couple of limited-release pilots: a sour peach IPA and a chocolate peanut butter porter.)

Barrel Jam – February 1 at 42 North Brewing Company. This is the area’s first barrel-aged beer festival, and featured beers from both Western New York as well as a few national breweries. As the only brewery in the area that possesses a specific building just for barrel-aging beer, host 42N had some special beers featured. Their Kriek was my favorite beer of the festival. (Big Ditch included some beers we packaged in late 2019 – Dry-Hopped Barrel-Aged Beautiful River Saison, and Mexican Chocolate Bourbon Barrel-Aged Towpath Imperial Stout.)

Barrel Jam at 42N

Thee Barleywine Festival – February 9th at Community Beer Works. Just when you thought that an all barrel-aged beer festival was specialized enough, CBW hosted an even more specialized festival. Their festival was all about barleywines, which is a stronger, more malt-forward ale. There were no beers less than 9 percent ABV served at this fest, and several of these beers were barrel-aged as well. CBW, our host, brought THREE different barleywines to their festival – wow! An amazing thing about this festival was how unique all of the offerings were. You would have thought at an event like this, you’d be drinking the same thing over and over again, but each beer was just a little different than every other beer due to either recipe or process. (Big Ditch brought one of our last remaining kegs of The Tower, our barleywine aged in Tommyrotter Distillery bourbon barrels.)

Thee Barleywine Festival at CBW

Brickyard Cask festival – February 15 at Brickyard Brewing Company. We didn’t actually attend this festival; as much as we would have liked to, there were just too many other things going on this day for us to support it. (Brickyard, however, was nice enough to allow us to send them a keg of our Tart Cherry Barrel Aged Beautiful River Saison to serve during the fest.) Cask beer is a fairly unique way to offer craft beer; it’s usually served slightly warm and with less (naturally occurring) carbonation than normal draft or packaged beer. Cask beer in America also serves as a vehicle to create variants of “regular” beer with interesting adjuncts, be it hops, fruit, spices, or sweets.

Collabeeration Festival – February 16 at Resurgence Brewing Company. This, for sure, was the most unique of all the festivals held in the last six weeks. This festival was organized by the Buffalo Beer Geeks (via one of the moderators, Joe Yager), which is a Facebook group of enthusiasts who wanted to team up with area brewers to make unique beers. The proceeds from the festival were then donated to charity (specifically, ECMC.) This allowed area “geeks” to have input into the brewing process, which resulted in a slew of extremely experimental beers. (Big Ditch submitted, with their geek group, a double IPA brewed with Galaxy and Nelson hops and secondary fermented with NYS Diamond grape juice. The beer was possibly one of the best IPAs we’ve ever brewed.)

Hopfest – February 22 at Gene McCarthy’s/Old First Ward Brewing Company. Gene’s/OFW has done this hoppy (i.e. IPA) winter festival for several years running now. (Big Ditch brought a keg of “Five Alive” IPA to Hopfest, a hazy IPA brewed with Citra, Amarillo, and Motueka hops, and mandarin orange, lemon and lime zest.) I thought this event was a fitting end to this list of festivals that (to recap) covered entry-level beers, experimental beers, barrel-aged beers, barleywines, cask beers, even more experimental beers, and hoppy beers.

Organizers of the respective events said they wanted to add something unique to Buffalo’s beer experience.

“It’s important that beer drinkers push their boundaries,” said John Cimperman, managing partner at 42 North. “The Barrel Jam provided attendees with a much different experience than most beer festivals.”

Ethan Cox, president and chief instigator at CBW, is arguably the biggest barleywine lover in WNY. “I hope WNY becomes a ‘center of excellence’ when it comes to this style,” Cox said. “We perfectly achieved our goal of a quality, intimate event for like-minded aficionados.”

Yager, the Facebook page moderator and self-proclaimed beer geek, echoed these sentiments. “I have never been to nor heard of a festival like this one, a festival where every beer was a creation between local beer drinkers and the breweries they patronize,” he said. “I wanted to push the envelope and add a layer of depth to our local beer scene. Buffalo can boast it’s the first city to host a festival like this (as far as I’m aware). And that’s special to me.”

Pushing the envelope, becoming a center of excellence, providing a unique experience… see the common thread here?

If you enjoy craft beer, and you went to all of these festivals, there isn’t a single style of beer you couldn’t have enjoyed at least once. Is there anywhere else in the country where this type of craft beer diversity was displayed in such a short period of time?

Another stunning thing about these festivals was the amount of camaraderie on display. Not only are area brewers inviting other breweries to show off some of their best beer – don’t take this for granted, as the craft beer industry is becoming increasingly competitive – but the Collabeeration festival shows how engaged the local industry is with its community of supporters. This also shouldn’t be taken for granted; how many companies do you know that let their customers design a product for them? Now think that this happened at almost 30 breweries in less than a few months. It shows how special our local industry is.

Finally – and you really had to be there to believe this – at many of the festivals I attended, almost all the beer was very, very good. It’s clear that the quality of beer in our region has improved a lot over the last few years, as established brewers have honed their techniques and newer brewers have infused a greater amount of creativity into the scene. I can’t imagine being anywhere else in the country where you could have had so many great beers in such a short period of time. (This doesn’t even count “The Festival” by Shelton Brothers Importers amongst some of the best Buffalo beer festivals held recently. The very presence of a world-class beer festival like “The Festival” in Buffalo shows how far we’ve come to earn the respect of the world when it comes to knowing good beer.)

Corey and I visited New England back in late 2015 to find out: “What do they have that we don’t have?” We didn’t think New England’s beers were A LOT better back then, but we did think that the beer culture was more evolved compared to Buffalo’s at the time. Attendance at the above festivals shows how much interest our local community has in the beers our local breweries have to offer.

I’m not saying that Buffalo has the best breweries in the country. What I am saying is: when you account for the overall quality, camaraderie, diversity, and sheer volume of different kinds of beers and breweries in our area, it would be hard to imagine many other areas of the country where you can experience all of the above like you can here. If you’re an enthusiast of craft beer, you should feel lucky, proud, and overall, really, really excited to be living in Buffalo right now. I believe Buffalo belongs in the conversation of best beer destinations in America. Don’t you?

(Special thanks to Will Cleveland for editing assistance - thanks Will.)

How to carve your turkey like a restaurant pro on Thanksgiving

Today is FINALLY the day, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the better part of the last two days in the kitchen. Prepping, chopping, peeling, baking, roasting, and doing everything in your power to ensure the meal turns out perfect for your family and friends. Having exhausted all that time and effort, the most important thing you can do is to give the star of the meal (your turkey) the right treatment.

Forget the Norman Rockwell painting, and every movie and TV show you’ve seen that tells you hacking away at the side of the breast and carving with the grain is the way to go. Going down this road is a slippery slope, it leads to dry, tough, stringy meat, in a pile on your platter, and a lot of wasted (delicious!) meat on the turkey or worse. Think of that scene in “Little Fockers” where Greg destroys the turkey and loses his thumb. Don’t be Greg.

Fortunately for all of us there is a better way, which will allow us to carve the meat against the grain. One final tip before we get started, do not start carving your bird the moment it comes out of the oven. Allow it to rest on a sheet pan, tented with tin foil for at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute and reabsorb back into the meat. Skipping this will cause the turkey to weep its juices and become very incredibly dry. Reserve any drippings that run into the sheet pan for use in your gravy.

Tools Needed:

• Two large cutting boards

• One large sheet pan

• 8” chef knife or 8” carving/slicing knife (the sharper your knife the better)

• Tongs

• Large platter for serving and display

• Herbs, dressing (stuffing,) and/or roasted vegetables for garnish

Directions:

1. Once the bird has rested, remove any dressing (stuffing) and the tented foil, and place onto one of your cutting boards. Face the front (neck side) of the bird towards you. Use your knife to trace down and cut where the wish bone is, once done, remove the wishbone. Turn the cutting board around, allowing the legs to point at you.

2. With the legs facing you. Starting with the right leg, push it to the side, flat onto your cutting board. Using your finger, find where the thigh connects to the body. Once located, pick up your knife and press down between the joint and remove the leg and thigh, set aside. Repeat this process for the left leg.

3. Once both legs are removed, take one and place your knife between the joint connecting the thigh, and drumstick (if you are unsure where it is, you can use your finger to find this again before picking up your knife.) Repeat this process with the other leg. Place your drumsticks on your large serving platter. You can leave the bone in your thighs, however, if you prefer to carve them do the following.

a. (Optional) Flip the thigh over and using the tip of your knife trace the bone, cutting through the meat exposing it. Use your index finger to lightly pull the bone away, and discard. Flip the thigh over, and carve against the grain, keeping as much skin as possible. Place the carved, or uncarved thighs on your platter.

4. Holding the turkey steady with your tongs, take your knife, and slice a line at the crown of the turkey between the two breasts, starting at the neck, and working your way back towards yourself. Use your tongs (or fingers) to pull one of the breasts slightly away from the carcass. Again, using the tip of your knife, carefully slice downwards, following the line of the breastbone to completely slice the breast away. Once you’ve reached the bottom, cut slightly to the outside to finish removing the breast and set aside. Repeat the process for the other breast.

5. Place both of your turkey breasts on the cutting board running the long way. Carefully slice the meat (against the grain!) as thick or thin as you prefer (pro tip: the sharper your knife, the cleaner your cuts will be allowing you to keep the skin mostly intact around the meat, and the thinner you will be able to carve your meat.) Fan the meat out to follow the shape of your platter and place it on to the plate.

6. Using the same method we used to remove the leg, we’ll pull the wings. Find the joint, and slide your knife between, pressing down to split it, and cutting through separating the whole wing from the body. It is your choice whether to split the whole wing, into the wingette and drumette (like chicken wings) or serve whole. On a turkey, I prefer to keep it whole. If you would like them split, just follow the same pattern we’ve done before by splitting them at the joint, and place onto your platter.

7. Finally, flip what is left of the bird over, and slice off any remaining dark meat left on the back side (between the joint where you removed the legs and wings) and place this onto your platter.

If all has been done correctly, you should end up with a nearly bare turkey, that will make a great broth for soup and stock! Garnish your freshly carved bird as you see fit, not being afraid to really dress up the plate with fresh herbs, stuffing, or roasted vegetables. Grab your platter and stroll confidently into the “oooooohs” and “ahhhhhhhhs” of your waiting guests.

Don’t let these steps intimidate you, this is not a difficult process. But with a small change you will wind up with a much more quality, tender meal, that everyone will enjoy!

Big Ditch Brewing Company Supports Camp Good Days' 40th Anniversary Camper Reunion

40 years later, children and families dealing with the realities of cancer are still benefitting from the dedication and programs Camp Good Days has to offer. In honor of these past 40 years, Camp Good Days of Western New York is bringing the community together to congregate and celebrate the impact this organization has on so many lives affected by the realities of hospitals, operations and the realities of cancer, 365 days a year.

In support of Camp Good Days’ 40th Anniversary Reunion Weekend, Big Ditch Brewing Company has specially crafted and launched “Good Day IPA,” available at their brewery starting Monday, July 15th to Friday, July 19th – leading up to the official reunion weekend.

At the end of this week, 15% of all proceeds made from the total sale of all “Good Day IPA” will directly go toward Camp Good Days, to assist their mission.

"We are happy to support Camp Good Days by donating proceeds from the sale of “Good Day IPA,” a small batch IPA we developed. We hope this contribution will help to further Camp Good Days’ mission of making the lives of children dealing with cancer, and their families, as happy and rewarding as possible,” Matt Kahn, Co-Founder and President of Big Ditch Brewing Company said. “We invite our guests across Western New York to join us further Camp Good Days cause as they continue changing lives."

The Camper Reunion runs Saturday, July 20th at 12pm to Sunday, July 21st at Camp Good Days Recreational Facility in Branchport, NY, near Keuka Lake. Events include dinner and dancing with a live band, time-capsule reveals, fireworks, and other family-friendly activities to enjoy.

When Camp Good Days was first established, the goal was to provide children with cancer, ages 8-17, with a one-week retreat away from the hospital with other children experiencing the same challenges. As the needs of this population grew, so did Camp Good Days; setting up offices across Western and Upstate New York to provide year-round activities and support to children with cancer of all ages and their families.

The purpose of this reunion is to reconnect volunteers with campers, former and current, and provide them an opportunity to bond, share stories, and a sense of unity and hope.

“In 1979, a nine-year-old girl from Rochester, NY was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Her father didn’t want to see his little girl fight alone,” started Lisa Booz, Regional Director of Camp Good Days, “Camp Good Days was a gift to her and now, 40 years later, that gift is still giving. Our reunion weekend will bring together alumni campers as well as generations of volunteers to meet again and share memories of courage, hope, triumph and loss.”

MORE ABOUT CAMP GOOD DAYS AND SPECIAL TIMES

Camp Good Days and Special Times, Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer through summer camping experiences and year-round events and activities. Camp Good Days was founded 38 years ago by Gary Mervis to provide a residential camping program for his daughter, Teddi Mervis, and 63 other children with cancer from Upstate New York. It has since grown to become one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world. Camp Good Days was the fourth program of its kind in the country and the first to be started by a layperson. Many of the programs and services started at Camp Good Days have been used as models for cancer treatment centers and organizations throughout the United States and Canada. This summer, over 1,000 children, including children with cancer from several foreign countries, will participate and experienced the magic of Camp Good Days firsthand at our own beautiful Recreational Facility, located on the shores of Keuka Lake. All programs and services at Camp Good Days are offered free of charge for the participants. The Camp Good Days' Headquarters & Volunteer Training Center is located in Mendon, NY. Camp Good Days also maintains offices in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Ithaca, NY.

Big Ditch Brewing Company Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary

Yesterday, Big Ditch Brewing Company celebrated its fourth year in the craft brewing industry. Big Ditch opened its brewery in 2014 at 55 East Huron Street in downtown Buffalo, New York. Big Ditch sells and distributes beer in Buffalo and Rochester and with 93 employees, is one of New York’s fastest growing breweries.

“Four years ago, we opened this brewery not only to ‘celebrate beer,’ but to join Buffalo’s craft beer movement by contributing our own high-quality, delicious beer,” said Matt Kahn, president of Big Ditch Brewing Company. “We’ve worked hard to assemble an extremely dedicated team. It’s the work of our many brewers, managers, sales staff and tap room employees–and of course our loyal Big Ditch enthusiasts–that we’ve been able to see so much success in Buffalo and Rochester so far. We’ve brewed great beers with great partners and look forward to finding new ways to innovate.”

Founded in 2013, Big Ditch officially opened its brewery in 2014, followed by its Tap Room and restaurant in 2015. The brewing company pays homage to the Erie Canal, a project that skeptics never thought would materialize. Jokingly referred to as ‘Clinton’s Big Ditch’ after Dewitt Clinton, the New York State governor who championed the initiative, the Erie Canal changed Buffalo forever in 1825 by connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Hudson River.

The Erie Canal started as an idea, but ultimately served as the catalyst for the City of Buffalo’s rapid growth into one of the largest cities in North America by the early 1900s. The founders of Big Ditch know that the return of brewing to the City of Buffalo is similarly contributing to the region’s continued revival as well as its proud brewing tradition.

“The Erie Canal paved the way for prosperity,” continued Kahn. “And it’s for those who are shaping Buffalo’s next 100 years that we brew Big Ditch beer–beer that celebrates our roots and serves as a reminder that the Buffalo of the future is being built with the same strength, pride and ambition that created the Canal nearly two centuries ago.”

Big Ditch has collaborated with national brewers including Great Lakes Brewing Company, Harpoon Brewery and New Belgium Brewing, as well as local partners including 12 Gates Brewing, 42 North Brewing, the Buffalo Bisons, Community Beer Works, Consumer’s Beverages, the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market, Leonard Oakes Winery Estates, Lockhouse Distillery, Pressure Drop Brewing, Public Espresso, Resurgence Brewing Company, Upstate Brewing Company, Tommyrotter Distillery, Try-It Distributing.

Big Ditch Timeline:

·        2014 – Brewery opening

·        2015 – Tap room opening

·        2016 – Brewery and tap room expansion; canning line addition

·        2017 – Launch in Rochester market

Awards:

·        2019 – Silver Medal, Excavator Brown Ale (Brown Ales, TAP NY)

·        2019 – Silver Medal, Packet IPA (India Pale Ale, TAP NY)

·        2019 – Bronze, Deep Cut IPA (Strong IPA, TAP NY)

·        2019 – Gold Medal, Cannon Call (America Double IPA, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2019 – Silver Medal, Fall Black (Amber/Dark Lagers, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Most Medals Won (One of two breweries, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Bronze Medal, Deep Cut (America DIPA, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Bronze Medal, Hayburner (American IPA, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Bronze Medal, Cinnamon Apple (Fruit and Spice Beer, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Bronze Medal, Imperial Towpath (Imperial Stout and Porter, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2018 – Award of Excellence, Rochester Market Entry (Events and Observances, PRSA Rochester)

·        2017 – Gold Medal, Deep Cut (Strong India Pale Ale, TAP NY)

·        2017 – Bronze Medal, Towpath (English Style Stout, TAP NY)

·        2017 – Bronze Medal, Deep Cut (American DIPA, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2017 – Western New York’s Best Reuben, Breuben (Best Reuben, All WNY News & Radio)

·        2017 – Best Local Brewery (Food – City, Buffalo Spree)

·        2016 – Second largest brewpub in the Northeast (Brewers Association)

·        2016 – Best Craft Brewery in New York State (NY TAP Festival)

·        2016 – Silver Medal, Deep Cut Double IPA (Strong IPA, New York State Brewers Association)

·        2016 – Silver ADDY Award (Logo Design, American Advertising Federation)

·        2016 – Best Local Brewery (Food – City, Buffalo Spree)

·        2015 – International Design Award (Company Branding, HOW)

Big Ditch Brewing Company Partners with New Belgium Brewing

‘Folly’ IPA to debut for Memorial Day and celebrate the folly of great ideas

Today Big Ditch Brewing Company announced that it will debut ‘Folly,’ a collaborative IPA, alongside New Belgium Brewing, the fourth largest brewer of craft beer in the United States. New Belgium’s brewer, Kelly McKnight, traveled from Fort Collins, Colorado to Buffalo on Thursday, May 2nd to brew the beer, which will be available in time for Memorial Day weekend and celebrate the folly–“foolishness”–of having great vision. The beer is a part of Big Ditch’s Lock IPA Series, which includes limited amounts of canned IPAs that explore the range of fantastic flavors found in hoppy beer.

“Buffalo today is a city reborn, in the same way it was after the opening of the Erie Canal, a project that was deemed a foolish endeavor and one that would never materialize,” said Matt Kahn, president of Big Ditch Brewing Company. “We brew our beer to celebrate the strength, pride and ambition it takes to execute great vision, and are thrilled to collaborate with New Belgium, pioneers in our industry who looked folly in the face when starting their business.”

This special collaboration between New Belgium and Big Ditch celebrates the presumed folly of people with great vision, including New Belgium co-founders Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch and those behind the original plans for the Erie Canal.

“Building a business is always risky and some would even see call it a crazy or foolish idea,” said New Belgium Brewing’s Upstate New York Sales Manager, Ryan Kurtz. “But well before New Belgium began selling our wonderful beer in all 50 states, what was once seen as folly was realized to be an awesome vision. The Erie Canal was an impossible project and one that required a lot of risk, and that resonates with us. We join Big Ditch in their call to ‘Celebrate Beer,’ and now add a second rallying cry: ‘Follow your Folly!’”

New Belgium is currently the fourth-largest brewer of craft beer in the United States and the eleventh-largest brewery. A 1988 bike trip through Belgium inspired a young couple to launch New Belgium Brewing, bringing the flavors of centuries-old Belgian beer styles to the college town of Fort Collins, Colorado. By 1991, co-founders Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch had installed brewing equipment in the basement of their home. In 2018, New Belgium sold 844,937 barrels of beer. The 100% employee-owned company now employs more than 700 individuals and has two locations, in Fort Collins, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina.

Big Ditch Brewing Company pays homage to the Erie Canal, a project that skeptics never thought would materialize. They jokingly referred to it as ‘Clinton’s Big Ditch’ after Dewitt Clinton, the New York State governor who championed the project. But when it was filled with water in 1825, the ‘Big Ditch’ changed Buffalo forever by connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Hudson River.   

Beginning May 24th, Folly will be available in four-packs at Big Ditch Brewing Company in Buffalo, and retailers in both Buffalo and Rochester. The IPA starts with Appalachian Wheat from Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC, New Belgium’s second home, and adds in Galaxy, Amarillo, and experimental HBC-522 hops, to yield a creamy yet drinkable IPA that is equal parts tropical, stonefruit, and citrus. The beer is 7.2% Alcohol By Volume (ABV).

ABOUT NEW BELGIUM BREWING

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work, one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses and tops Bicycling Magazine’s Best Companies for Cyclists. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire Belgian Style Ale, New Belgium brews fifteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Fat Tire Belgian White, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze, Sour Saison, Honey Orange Trippel, Dayblazer Easygoing Ale, Tartastic Lemon Ginger Ale, 1554 Black Lager, Bohemian Pilsner, Abbey Belgian Style Ale, Trippel Belgian style Ale and a gluten-reduced beer, Glutiny Pale Ale. To learn more, visit NewBelgium.com and follow the brewery on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.