![]() sNear the end (or start, depending on how you look at it) of the New York State Route 33 in downtown Buffalo sits an old Verizon fleet maintenance facility. In this repurposed building lies Big Ditch Brewery which opened in 2014. Big Ditch traces it’s roots back to Matt Kahn and Corey Catalano who used food grade buckets to home-brew in their garage. While they continued to learn their craft over 2 years they met Wes Frobel who previously had owned a brewery himself. Together the trio were able to find a development company and the location for Big Ditch was converted to the tap room/restaurant that it is today. The name Big Ditch comes from that Erie Canal. This canal is one that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. This canal opened up a way for ships to get through Buffalo and helped make Buffalo a major city/port in starting in the the 1830s. The theme of hard manual labor runs throughout the brewery and there are many pictures of construction of the canal on the walls. They also are focused on being local, for example, their brewing equipment was all made in the Niagara Region. When walking in the building there is a merch/bottle shop as part of the entrance. The tap room/restaurant is an open area with TV screens and a large bar, the outside walls are all floor to ceiling windows to add to the open look/feel. Big Ditch also has 3 different spaces for events. There is a second level in the tap room area that is a loft. This is more of a rec room feel with couches, chairs, shuffleboard, darts and a large TV. On the main floor is the area they call the Beer Hall. It has garage doors that can open, a bar for that room and, their own bathrooms. This room also has A/V abilities with a projector. Finally there is a 3rd room. I actually did not see this room when I visited. The Canal Room is a smaller room akin to a board room with a large tv, conference phones and, wifi. It’s advertised to be good for meetings, showers and, corporate dinners/lunches. Much like I mentioned in my write up on Thin Man, food is not the focus on my blogs but seeing as this is essentially a brew pub, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the food here is amazing. The entire menu is modern spins on foods that have been associated with pubs or snacks that beer drinkers traditionally consume. In fact, the baked pretzels are some of the best I’ve ever had. Besides the food, the beer is also top notch. They are clearly dedicated to their craft. I tried 9 beers and there was not one I disliked, even with some styles that aren’t really my favorite. I think that is reflected in my 2 picks for Big Ditch. Blonde Peach: This is a Belgian style blonde ale. Generally speaking, blonde ales are not my favorite but what Big Ditch did here is use yeast that gave this beer a hint of spice to it, blend that with the New York State peaches (continuing that theme of being local) that give it a sweet taste. Honestly, it’s almost like drinking a peach pie. Refreshing too, it would be easy to drink a few of these. Hayburner: Hayburner is one of Big Ditch’s year-round offerings. It’s a cloudy American IPA. So it's probably no surprise that I picked it. It’s got a fairly strong citrus flavour which balances out the hops, in fact, the citrus is a bit stronger. Normally this would actually be a negative thing for me but they’ve seemed to strike a really good balance.
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![]() Elmwood Village in Buffalo, NY is a residential and commercial neighbourhood that features around 300 businesses including local coffeehouses, restaurants, bars and, art galleries. This community is host to 5 different historic sites and lots of Queen Anne-style architecture. Nestled in the middle of it all on Elmwood Avenue is Thin Man Brewery. Started in 2016 as a collaboration between real estate developer Rocco Termini and restaurateur Mike Shatzel, Thin Man has managed to find a great balance between gastropub and brewery. The theme that is consistent throughout is of crash test dummies. I’m not sure what the inspiration is for that but it is a significant part of their branding. The first floor offers a very modern dining space featuring an open “loft” look. On the beams they feature beer bottles and cans from all sorts of different breweries. I have noticed a lot of Ontario craft beers featured. The second floor is a space that is ideal to rent for private events. The third floor is a beer hall style area the features reclaimed wood. There is also a rooftop dining area that is built over the sidewalk as well as a patio on the main floor. I’ve been to Thin Man twice this summer and I can see why it’s always busy. The food menu seems to be always changing just a little bit and the beer menu seems to change quiet regularly. In both cases there are a few signatures that stay on the menus. Generally speaking, I don’t talk about food here besides to mention if it is offered or not. Today I’m going to tell you to try the fries with truffle oil, so good! Thin man does host bands, with a stage that is set up on Elmwood Ave that faces into the main floor of the restaurant. Thin Man also is the official spot for the 103.3 the Edge Buffalo Bills away game viewing parties. They have even created a beer, Pills Mafia, especially for this reason. It’s a pilsner for the Bills Mafia. The Buffalo beer scene is really starting to take off, much like the Ontario scene and, in my opinion, Thin Man is leading the way. They have experimented with a lot of different flavours and the do a lot of collaborations. To be honest, I am going to give you 2 picks for “Jer’s Picks” but that’s because I’d rate these 2 beers some of the best beers I’ve ever had. That said, there is a long list of delicious beers to try and there will always be something new to try. Minkey Boodle: Thin Man says this is a sour, some others say this is an American wild ale. There is a difference (https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/difference-between-sour-and-wild-ale) but I’m not certain as to what yeast is used so I’ll just go with a sour as per Thin Man’s website. That said: it’s a raspberry beer, and I love raspberries. It’s very drinkable which sours usually aren’t. It’s got a nice mouthfeel and, not too sweet either. Blackberries for the Beer-geoise: This may be one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Of course, that means it’s a milkshake IPA. This one is lightly hopped and is heavy on the blackberry taste. It’s got a bit of a thick mouthfeel but it’s not too much. It’s neither to sweet or too sour. The Vanilla is also present but not overbearing. Honestly, it’s just all kinds of delicious. It’s too bad it was a limited run. ![]() One of the things I love about Hamilton is the entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve heard many stories of people who came to Hamilton to go to school and never left. Some people come for other reasons (house pricing) and some got sick of the “rat race” and went for their dreams. Some cases see people take buildings that had a business that failed and re-purpose it. You’ll find that this is a theme for a lot of the Hamilton area breweries. This is, of course, another one of those stories. Brad Clifford started brewing in 2009. First as a home-brewer and then commercially. In 2015 he decided to start his own company: Clifford Brewing Company. He brewed his flagship beers: Pinball Wizard and Clifford Porter (which has won 3 Gold Medals and 2 Silvers in the Canadian and Ontario Brewing Awards) under contract for bars and the LCBO until he could secure a site to call home. That site was found in 2017 in an old mattress factory. In 2018 the tap room/bottle shop opened and they have frequently had food trucks come in. At times they have also had different snacking options available like charcuterie boards. Starting this month they will also have monthly casks nights. This was my second visit to Clifford. The first came not long after their opening. They have a large taproom, so there’s plenty of room to sit. There’s a pinball machine (which, you almost have to have based on the flagship beer), a nice selection of glassware and t-shirts, a large fridge that is always well stocked and, the brewing area is wide open for you to see what is being brewed. It looks like there is plenty of room to add more tanks down the line too, which I hope they get the opportunity to do. I've had 7 of Clifford's beers (see photos for the untappd ratings). Unfortunately I missed a limited release porter with coca and raspberries in July but I am hoping to get to taste their Saison with Niagara peaches soon. During both of my visits the same gentleman was working behind the bar. I neglected to get his name but he’s been very friendly and helpful in explaining the types of beer that are offered. Exceptional customer service. In fact, I already have planned my next trip because of it. Jer’s picks for Clifford are: Pinball Wizard APA: If you know me, you know I like hops and this beer delivers! As is usually the case; an APA has a citrusy note and that’s how this beer starts. Honestly, for the hop lovers this is a must try! Devil’s Punchbowl: As you would probably expect from the name; this is sweet and fruity, very much a sweet citrus taste to it. It finishes with a slight bitter note from the hops. I also found that it was not overly carbonated which I thought was appropriate considering that a punch usually isn’t overly carbonated either. Hop Tart: I mean, the name is clever and the packaging is perfect! That said this is a sour session ale that’s not overly sour which I really enjoy! It’s lightly hopped and has a tart finish. It’s very drinkable. |
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