Tap Room Shutdown - part II

We are so sorry to have to write this - again.

As you are probably already aware, as of November 20th, our tap room will unfortunately have to return to a pickup / to-go model until we are given clearance to reopen.

While it causes me great pain to write this, it is also very clear that steps have to be taken to reduce the amount of sickness and suffering in our region, and so, we feel it really does make sense.

There's no sense being angry about it. Let's just keep doing what we can to continue to (re)flatten the curve.

We want to commend everyone who has worked for us over the last several months as we've tried to make the best of this situation. We also want to thank our guests for their unwavering and continued support.

Some notes about next steps:
- The restaurant will be open for dining tomorrow 11/19 normal hours (11am-8pm)
- To-go hours will be 12-8pm M-Sat, 11am-7pm Sun
- PLEASE ORDER DIRECT FROM US USING OUR SQUARESITE!

https://big-ditch-brewing-company.square.site/

Pickup from our tap room is fast, easy, safe, and will ensure best quality and pricing. We can easily arrange for curbside pickup orders. Third party delivery services cost both you (the customer), and us (the business), more money, and will generally take longer, which will lead to the food more likely to be cold and not to our standards.

- We will allow limited outdoor dining as weather permits while in an Orange zone (although we are obviously not expecting much interest)
- Brunch will unfortunately be paused - but Stoutsgiving 2020 is still a go, albeit in a 100% to-go format. Plenty of cans, bottles, and crowlers will be available for all 9 beers.
- Expect to see some fun new family-style food packages over the next few days.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone soon. Thanks again for everything.

- Matt

Stoutsgiving 2020

Welcome to Stoutsgiving 2020! We hope our annual event celebrating dark beers warms your soul this year.

All packaged beers will be available both onsite and to-go. Packaged beers will be available on our squaresite for preorders beginning at 8pm on Tuesday 11/24. Our doors will open at 11am on 11/25.

https://big-ditch-brewing-company.square.site/

THE MENU:

Main Course:

1) Bourbon Barrel Aged Towpath 2020. Barges on the old Erie Canal were often pulled by beasts of burden along a Towpath, which were roadways alongside the canal. This bourbon barrel aged version of our imperial stout, which was originally brewed to commemorate our 200th batch, is a beast of a beer itself, clocking in at 10.1% ABV, and featuring a full-bodied, rich and roasty flavor, complemented by notes of vanilla and chocolate from the barrel aging process. This year's batch was aged in Willett bourbon barrels which emphasized the roastiness a bit more than previous years. $19.99 + tax / 12 oz 4-pack

The fixin's:

2) Rare 2020. This Rare version of our bourbon barrel aged imperial stout was aged in a single Heaven Hill barrel for a year before bottling by hand. The result provides an even smoother bourbon and oak finish to our rich and roasty stout. Maybe the best batch of Towpath ever. $8 + tax / 12 oz bottle

3) Double Barrel 2020. Aged first in an Iron Smoke Distillery bourbon barrel from Fairport, NY, before being transferred to a barrel previously holding maple syrup which had held Buffalo Trace bourbon before that. We then blended the finished beer with maple syrup. The result provides additional sweetness and complexity to our rich and roasty stout. $8 + tax / 12 oz bottle

For dessert:

4) Mudlarked. A boat on the Erie Canal was said to be mudlarked if it got stuck on the mud when the canal had too little water. This imperial stout, thick and dark as mud, is a wonderful winter treat. Brewed with 9 different malts, milk sugar, and cocoa nibs, enjoy this beer when you're ready to settle down for a while. Available in two different variants: Marshmallow and Peanut Butter. 10.0% ABV. $22.99 + tax / 16 oz 4-pack

Other side dishes (not pictured):

5) 2018 BBA Towpath. Our best vintage ever. Only a few bottles remain. Bottles for sale only, not available for tasting. $25 / 22 oz bottles.

6) French Vanilla Hazelnut Make Me Wanna Stout. Our coffee and cream stout aged on vanilla and hazelnut. Nuff said. Draft only, no crowlers available.

Festive fall beers that aren't stouts!

7) Sweet Potato Coconut. An amber fall ale brewed with house roasted sweet potatoes, toasted coconut, and milk sugar. Wonderful body, sweet and complex. Limited crowlers available. 6.7% ABV

8) Pumpkin Vanilla Chai. An amber fall ale brewed with fresh pumpkin, chai tea, and a subtle hint of vanilla. Festive, spicy, and fun. Limited crowlers available. 5.8% ABV

We hope you will join us, at least for a little while, this holiday season. Cheers.

Tap room seating update: 11-9-2020

Starting 11/9/2020 per NYS, the maximum number of guests at a table is 4. Parties larger than 4 will be asked to split tables. We will be reworking our dining room tonight and tomorrow morning to better accommodate these smaller parties.

This will change almost nothing about your dining experience with us.

Other things that won't change: your safety is the most important thing to us. Our staff will continue to follow strict mask adherence and area sanitization protocols. Have a look through our safety policy here.

For our guests: continue to wear masks in public, wash hands frequently, and we will all weather this storm together. Thanks for your cooperation.

New Facility Update (October 2020)

On a rainy Tuesday night where not much else is going on - here's a new facility update. 👷🍻

Demolition is nearing completion, which is great! The pandemic has definitely delayed us however, and we don't have a firm date for construction startup yet. Nevertheless, we're firmly in design mode: we are designing specifics of the new brewery, we are selecting our canning line, the facility plan is pretty much done, and the kitchen design is all but completed as well.

Lots on paper, but that's still progress. Still a lot of work to go until we're filling glasses of our beer for you. Be patient with us Western New York, we can't wait to share it with you.

Matt's YMCA Turkey Trot Fundraiser

Big Ditch co-founder Matt Kahn was luckily enough to be selected to run in this year's YMCA Buffalo-Niagara Turkey Trot which is restricted this year to only 125 people due to COVID-19. (Pictured here with daughter Violet at Girls on the Run!)

As a condition of running this race, Matt agreed to raise at least $1,000 to benefit the YMCA:

https://runsignup.com/Race/23667/Donate/o0pkNVYpGGc4xAHz

The Y has been serving local community youth and families as a place to play and learn for many years. This race is a critical fundraiser for the Y at a time where so many are in need of assistance.

For those that don't know, the YMCA Buffalo-area Turkey Trot is the oldest continuously held foot race in America. It usually attracts about 12,000-14,000 runners. Running the course with only 125 people is a special honor and privilege.

Please consider a small donation and Big Ditch will 100% match all donations. Thank you Buffalo!