Hello, I am going to be heading to Buffalo this weekend from Ohio and am looking for some advice. First off, will be looking to hit one or two good beer stores within reasonable driving distance from the Orchard Park neighborhood. Our friend who lives there but is not really into craft says the consumer's beverage in town there is pretty good but the few recent reviews don't look the greatest. I also see Premier Gourmet looks like it has good reviews up in Amherst. Is it worth the extra drive to grab some good local beers from Premier or can i get a pretty good selection at the consumer's beverage? Also, any recommendation for local NY beers or stuff from the East Coast that may not make it out to Ohio? I'm not really familiar with any of the smaller breweries in NY but have heard good things about Captain Lawrence. Anything particular to keep an eye out for or to avoid altogether? I'm looking for pretty much anything except for sours and smoked beers. And are the rumors/sarcastic comments about GI Bourbon County languishing away on the shelves in NY true? Any luck on it being available? Lastly, I will be going to the wing festival on Saturday, for anyone who has been before- do they have any craft beer choices there? THanks in advance for any help :-)
Premier dosent have much more than Consumers. They do have 3F Golden blend and sometimes some Crooked Stave stuff. Its the same distributors so its basically the same. As to the festival, there may be some craft stuff this year, if Pizza Plant or Coles shows up. Both of those previous listed restaurants, as well as Blue Monks, which is owned by the guy who owns Coles are worth a visit.
If you dont want to make the drive from Orchard Park to Premier, then you may want to look up Aurora Brew Works in East Aurora...its about 10-15 minutes away from OP.
Cool thing about ABW is they not only have a good beer selection to go, but you can kill two birds with one stone there in that you can also enjoy a pint while you're there and the line up of drafts is typically stellar. There is a Consumers location in OP also, don't know the addy, but making quick work of the internets would confirm. Enjoy your trip.
Consider stopping in Fredonia for great food and beer at the Elliocottville brew bub not far off interstate 90
Premier has far more on their shelves than Consumers - Premier is the best beer store in Western NY. Consumers has many locations - some better than others. But none remotely compare to Premier. Ethan and his team at Premier offer great service as well. If you only have time to go to one beer store, Premier is it. You may also want to check out Aurora Brew Works: https://www.facebook.com/AuroraBrewWorks?rf=397519903638434 I have not been there yet but it's only a bit more than a 10 minute drive from Orchard Park. Unfortunately, I have not seen Bourbon County Stout for some time on shelves. Have a great time in Buffalo - Cheers!
Look for beer from Community Beer Works. Its a newer Buffalo Brewery. We liked their IPA and Brown. Also, Coles had some good taps while we were there.
thanks for the info, looks like i will be hitting premier gourmet in addition to blue monk. if i have time to i will be checking aurora brew works. and will keep an eye out for community beer works beers. probably won't have time for any brewpubs or breweries on this trip because we are mainly going up to see one of my wife's friends, and i already drag her around to plenty of breweries and distilleries (which she recently reminded me of). but i will keep those other places in mind for future trips
I searched out this thread because I will be in the Buffalo / Amherst area this weekend for a wedding and was looking for a good place to get pre-game supplies. Premier is less than two miles from my hotel, so this is fantastic. I have a question about NY growler rules. Can they fill other-branded growlers, or will it need to be Premier glass? (Ive got a ton of HF and TreeHouse, etc growlers kicking around).
In NYS you can get any growler filled. It doesn't have to be from the store. If you wanna bring some Tree House for me too that would be pretty awesome
Ha, they are open Thurs and Sat, but I dont think i'll get a chance to make the hour and half trip down there tonight. TreeHouse is pretty fantastic. Are there any popular locals I should be keeping an eye out for while I'm in the area?
Community Beer puts out some good ones. Other than that, unfortunately there aren't many good local breweries. Although I have a soft spot for Pearl Street Brewery because of the many good times I've had there. Southern Tier Brewery is only about an hour away but it sounds like you'll be pretty busy.
Just want to say thanks for the advice. Premier was fantastic. Got a growler of Narwhal and a pack of Gandhi Bot, as well as some cider stuff that the ladies wanted. The wine/spirits side of the store was impressive also.
