buffalo craft beer

The top 5 craft breweries in Buffalo

Craft breweries in Buffalo exemplify the way this city to the south is flexing just as hard as Toronto when it comes to the craft beer scene. There are lots of great places to enjoy beer brewed right in Buffalo, but these are the breweries this drinking town with a sports problem relies on for their beloved suds.

Here are my picks for the top craft breweries in Buffalo.

Big Ditch

This brewery is named for the sense of sarcasm Buffalonians had toward the Erie Canal initially, which brought the town its most prosperous years, and beers with names like Beautiful River (Buffalo is thought to be mispronunciation of a Frenchman’s exclamation “belle fleuve!”) continue the tradition.

Resurgence

There’s both a Sponge Candy Stout and a Loganberry Wit on tap here, which are both very Buffalo. Chocolate-coated sponge candy is a popular treat here, and it actually goes great with the beer.

Community Beer Works

By contrast, this is one of Buffalo’s smaller breweries, but it has a ton of heart. There’s a chalkboard where you can “Embeer it Forward,” paying for the next person’s award-winning Whale brown ale by taking a pic on your phone and posting it online.

Flying Bison

Probably Buffalo’s best known craft beer brand, their brewery and tasting room are located in a barn-like structure out in the middle of a field. However, because of their popularity, you can find beers like Aviator Red and Larkin Lager in many other bars, breweries, restaurants and stores in town.

A post shared by Marty Farrell (@martyrunner) on

Old First Ward

This brewery is actually located inside Gene McCarthy’s, a pub renowned for their McCarthy-style triple blue cheese chicken wings, meaning when you head out here you can get two Buffalo classics in one great spot.

Lead photo by

Brittney Hebbourn at Big Ditch


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