Brewery Row on the Historic Buffalo River

Yep, that too.

Yesterday, a local group announced plans for a beer district along the Buffalo River. Actually, when reading the Buffalo News it may be more of a real estate redevelopment deal with a beer district option.  Yes, it's "a bit premature" but that will not prevent us from speculating. I'm imagining Brewery Row along the river. The big fish teaching the small, economic revitalization, and beer drinkers having access to a local beer selection that hasn't been seen in these parts in almost 100 years. These folks could single-handedly plant Buffalo's flag on the craft beer map. Sure, we can get there without this but it will take more time.

This is the type of clever economic development that can do wonders for a local economy. Cleveland has the Flats, Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, and Pittsburgh has the Warehouse District. Two out of three isn't bad. Regardless, if you're going to do something like this you should do it proper.

If we were creating a Beer District it would be modeled after various art space programs typically formed by nonprofit organizations looking to jump start some economic development. In that vein, below are recommendations we offer for the Buffalo Beer District:

1. Discount space. The big fish in this small(ish) town from development and brewing are backing this effort. In true beer camaraderie rental space should be offered to startups at a discount. We all know startups come up with the craziest - and best - ideas for beer and that will be a big attraction for beer drinkers. 
2. Shared costs. The good folks that run Pearl Street have been at brewing for awhile. They have connections in the industry for tools, parts, systems, and equipment. Working together with enough smaller brewers in this district can increase buying power and reduce costs. This goes beyond hardware to include ingredients.
3. Education. This is a two-pronged effort. The experienced brewers need to share knowledge with the newbies. All the brewers need to educate the common man (folks like me). Craft beer is booming nationwide and expanding locally. However, this town is still dominated by Molson, Labatt and terrible light beer.
4. Marketing. This is a no brainer and surely something folks are already thinking about (of course, the same can be said about items 1-3). Joint marketing is a key feature of any good district whether it be an arts district, theatre district, entertainment district or beer district.
5. Free Beer. Free beer for me.

The New Kid in Town

Every once in awhile we bring you actual news - not your "Brotherhood of Man" news but real news. The kind of news and information you find on A Good Beer Blog or Seen Through a Glass. So, finally...some real news.

We would like to introduce you to The New Buffalo Brewing Company. Bill Campbell is Founder/Owner and he was kind enough to sit down and answer some of our questions - from Afghanistan.* Bill and his fiancé (spoiler alert) are both currently in the US Air Force.  Bill is serving in Afghanistan and still found time to answer our questions.

Bill, thanks for starting a brewery in Buffalo. More importantly, thanks for serving.

Background

DB: How did you get into brewing and how did it become a business idea?

BC: After I was commissioned I ended up at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo,Texas, and started to move up the drinking ladder. I made the jump from Keystone Light to Shiner. When I started class I began drinking with Capt Dan Curry and Lt Leon Hontz. Capt Curry was one of the guys in the ‘finer things’ club, and he was also a Captain so he was making twice as much as me and Hontz and could afford good booze. His home bar must have had 500+ bottles in it, with all sorts of fine liquors, bitters, cordials for cocktails, and when it came to beer he was at the same level. I don’t know what the first one he gave me was, but it was honestly the worst thing I have ever had… a pitch black, overwhelmingly bitter beer. I was going to head right back to Shiner but he ended up pushing a Mothership Wit, and it was a revelation.

Over the next seven months I tried craft brews, Belgium Wits, Wheats, Hefewizens, and Sweet Stouts. Shortly thereafter I moved to Manhattan, Kansas. Once I got there I started home brewing some easy beers; Cream Ales (hail to Genny), Kölschs, and then headlong into English styles, milds, browns and stouts. A lot of guys in the military are home brewers. Ben Gartner was an avid and extremely skilled home brewer, and invited me to the local Home Brewing club where I met more guys who taught me allot about home brewing. Someone had to drink all that beer, so another friend, Doug Bunch, ended up consuming many, many gallons of hit and miss batches and providing feedback on what he felt would make the cut commercially. He’s a pretty seasoned drinker of craft brews so it really guided a lot of my brewing.

One of the biggest influences on my decision to start a brewery was going to Tallgrass Brewery right outside of Manhattan. Here I got a chance to start talking to owner Jeff Gill, and he shared huge information about the transition from home brewing to commercial brewing. It went from a ‘this would be cool’ to an ‘I can do this’. Shortly thereafter we started building the business plan, meeting with the city, working with realtors, and buying equipment. This was really the point where I decided to leave active duty and move back to Buffalo to open a brewery.

DB: Sounds like you guys are international travelers. Care to tell us what you’re doing when you are NOT brewing beer in Buffalo?

BC: My fiancé and I are both Active Duty Air Force (I’ll be reserve come the New Year), so we’ve been sent all over the world. Between us I think we have been to 18 countries, from Korea and China to Argentina and Colombia to the Germany and the Czech Republic. Jimmy, our brewer, has also seen such exotic places as Iraq with his time in the USMC.

DB: Why brew beer in Buffalo?

BC: Buffalo is a really interesting town, on paper you would think the place would be booming. Buffalo is one of the businesses gateways into the United States. Toronto is hardly a two hour drive to the north, and Pittsburgh is only a bit farther. Yet, as we all know, the city has struggled for years. There is a certainly a sense the city is going in the right direction, but we still need some grass roots movement to really get on top again. Brewing can be a big part of that, because Buffalo drinks a lot of beer. It’s a beer town. We also have the Niagara Brewing school and Criveller right across the river, so it ends up being a great place to set up shop.

The Brewery

DB: Will you offer beer in cans, bottles, bombers, growlers, all of the above?

BC: At first, we will be focusing on production for bars. We’ll start with 32, 64 and 128 ounce growlers, but we don’t expect to start canning until year 2.

DB: Can you tell us about the brewery system you will use (number of barrels, who designed and manufactured it, etc)?

BC: We have decided to stay local and go with Criveller. They have been a great company to work with. We have equipment designed for a 15 bbl or 30 bbl if we can find a space to fit it. Since we are still searching for a location, we haven’t committed to either system yet.

DB: How are the other local breweries helping in your endeavor? Do you peacefully co-exist or consider them friends and colleagues or bitter archrivals?

BC: I’m sure Tim at Flying Bison doesn’t remember me, as I must be one of the hundreds of people who go on his tour and tell him ‘Hey I’m going to open a brewery in a couple of years.’ He was friendly and entertained my questions. His brewer taught us a lot about physically setting up and the issues breweries have to get though with the TTB and State to get open for business. I also have spoken with Ethan over at Community Beer Works several times. He’s a real standup guy who I think is setting the right tone for brewing in Buffalo. Pearl Street breweries spoke to me several times about their beers and the amazing draft system they have over there. Flying Bison is King of the lagers, and Community Brew Works is doing some really great beers. New Buffalo is looking decidedly English/Irish. (I need to update the website to reflect this). There is so much room in Buffalo that we can all work and grow together.

The Brew

DB: Looks like you have a steady rotation of beers. Will you offer seasonals or one-off, limited brews?

BC: We like to brew (shocking right?), so we brew allot of small batches (15 gallons) of pretty much anything we think would be fun to brew, fun to drink or just want to monkey around with. (Again… I’ve fallen way behind on the website.) We are going to keep up this trend at New Buffalo and put our experiments out in our tap room. However, one of our first goals is to produce 2-4 beers perfectly and make sure they are always available at bars and restaurants.

DB: When and where can we get your beer?

BC: As I’m sure you know, the approval process is a bear for breweries and with an extension in Afghanistan I was pushed back a bit. We are still on track to have our first beers for sale in bars this summer. We are working with another brewery to see if we can get some space on their system and get started sooner. Watch for a Kickstarter campaign in the near future about just that!

Activism

DB: Brewers are pretty good at activism.  How does New Buffalo give back?

BC: Our first public tasting was at a charity event for Roswell. There are so many worthy causes it’s going to be a challenge to pick which ones we will work with. For obvious reasons we would like to work with Veterans in our community.

DB: Many micro-brewers have a bit of a green bent. Will New Buffalo be an environmentally-conscious brewer?

BC: Micro-brewing in allot of ways is almost inherently a green business. When your beer is produced locally you are using less fuel to move it around, less energy keeping it cool, as well as the spent grains we’ll give away to farmers. We have been looking into a C02 capturing system as well for our tanks after speaking with some Alaskan Brewers and about the real benefits.

Last Thoughts

DB: What three things do people need to know about your beer?

BC: Great Beer is the point for us. When everything is said and done we will make high quality, delicious beer. That’s our bottom line.

We are already growing some ‘test’ hops back at the farm, and have spoken with some farmers about getting our own runs of barley grown locally. We are looking forward to working on not just the brewing side, but the growing as well.

We are starting with distinctively English and Irish styles of beers. It’s great that a lot of breweries are pushing out some really big beers. Beers over seven percent are becoming pretty normal, but we want to put out beers that are not only delicious, but can be enjoyed in bulk or with a nice dinner. We just enjoyed some Rochefort 10 last night, and it’s an amazing beer, but you can’t really drink a couple with a meal, and it’s almost 12% alcohol (not to mention its seven bucks a bottle). We want to make sure we are putting out beers most people can enjoy as our main lines. We’ll have a lot of special beers, but those will likely only be in our brewery for short periods of time.

DB: Community Beer Works likes to “Embeer Buffalo”. They say “Our goal is not only to succeed as a brewery, but to better the beer culture of Buffalo. Our city loves beer, and has the potential to be one of the premiere beer destinations in the country. Help make that happen. Embeer Buffalo.” How will you “Embeer Buffalo”?

BC: ‘A Toast to Progress’ is on all of our work and it’s in the same vein. Buffalo truly is set up to become a Beer Destination. We have all the right ‘stuff,’ we are in a central location in the northeast, and we are seeing hops farms and craft malt houses starting to get up and running. Buffalo is still one of the cheapest cities to visit, and very convenient to the Falls and an amazing wine trail just to east of us. We also have a great philharmonic and theater selection. We have to rebuild what it means to be a Buffalonian, and a big part of that is going to be at home drinking Buffalo Brews.

DB: What else should we know about you guys?

BC: We are working on a Kickstarter video to raise some money for New Buffalo Brewing. Watch for it in the near future along with a series of tasting events.

*Bill Campbell did serve in Afghanistan but he informed me after this interview was posted that he provided responses while stateside. 

Marketing is for Chumps

Sometimes beauty really is on the outside.

Three Floyds Brewing Company - Munster, IN

Community Beer Works - Buffalo, NY

Adirondack Brewery - Lake George, NY

Because We Can

We don’t do a lot of automobile reviews here on Dumbarton’s Beer. We tend to leave things like this to the experts. Besides, I always assumed my first review would cover the 1968 Mustang I just purchased. However, relocating to Buffalo means I’ve traded enhanced revenue for quality of life so the Mustang is on hold indefinitely.

There are a couple of reasons for expanding Dumbarton’s Beer into the auto world. First, if you’re not innovating your dying (I think I read that in Forbes). Second, I am eminently qualified to do this because I watch a lot of auto-related shows. Third, it’s a natural fit having grown up in and around the auto industry. Fourth, the trusty assistant was "on holiday" at press time and I’m home with sick kids. Two sleepless nights means that if I have a beer I will fall asleep before any attempt at writing about it. Finally, suck an egg.

While those are all perfectly legitimate reasons for an auto review the primary driver (pun intended) is my love-hate relationship with new cars. 

Case Study: the 2012 Ford Fusion SEL I4.

This really is the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you want a real, quality review search through Jalopnik. If you want test track data and comparisons against other mid-size sedans search through Motor Trend. Either of which will prove infinitely more informative.

The Good

As far as I can tell, SEL is code for “loaded”. This particular model is really only missing AWD and two cylinders (more on that below). Here is the list of options: six colors of ambient lighting, automatic headlights, fog lights, leather, AM/FM/CD/Sirius, Sync, Sony sound, 12v plugs, power seats driver and passenger, power windows including one-touch for driver and passenger, sunroof, blind side warning, variable windshield wipers that automatically determine speed based on rain, rearview camera for reverse, chrome stuff, and floor mats. Can anybody tell me why floor mats are an “option”?

The Bad

I4 is the engine code and the four represents the number of cylinders. By far the worst thing about this car is the four cylinders. Yes, they upped the HP for the 2012 but it’s still sluggish off the start. Once you are cruising you have no trouble. Still, get the six cylinder engine. I don’t notice the missing AWD though I might change my opinion after driving through my first Buffalo winter in a decade.

The Ugly

The Fusion is made in Mexico. Every day I drive to work and pass a Ford plant that makes parts of the Escape, Edge and Flex. Some 2013s will be made in the US so that helps.

My biggest complaint applies not just to this Fusion but to all of today’s cars. Like smartphones today’s cars are making us dumb. In this case, cars are making us dumb at driving. I once drove a stick shift Focus and to this day it was one of the most fun cars to drive. The driving experience is so much better because you are part of the car. Thanks to the Focus, I will never again be able to drive in reverse without the rearview camera. I expect that 6 months from now I will forget how to operate windshield wipers. All this means I can never own that '68 Mustang without being a complete menace on the roads.

We Owe Frank Curci A Beer

The relocation of our headquarters has not been without challenge. We officially made the move on August 11-12, 2012. However, due to timing and poor planning (mostly the latter and by me) we finished moving on August 18-19, 2012. It is this secondary move where we begin our story.

On Thursday August, 16, 2012, our trusty assistant made a pilgrimage to the local supermarket, TOPS Markets* to pick up a few things for the second phase of our relocation – bottled water, snack bars, and other requirements for a 950 mile, 24-hour trek. Feeling generous our trusty assistant also picked up a bomber of Wailing Wench by Middle Ages Brewing. Late in the evening we realized that bottled water and the bomber went missing – left on the counter at the cash register.

You can get water out of the tap but we never leave a beer behind. A quick call to the local store manager resolved the situation. Bring in the receipt and pick up your bomber anytime before 4p the following day we were told. That is customer service.

Meanwhile....if you ever traveled Georgia Avenue between Silver Spring and Petworth you know that it is stop and go on a good day. It’s only a slight exaggeration to say there is a light at every block and they are timed to make sure you get caught (the Walter Reed hospital area is the worst). So, after 7 hours in the car I hop off the Beltway and make my way South on Georgia Avenue. At the first light I hear a thump under my seat and assume I ran over something. At the second light I hear it again and fear that worse than running something over I have car trouble that will make this trip longer than it already is. By the sixth light I am reaching under my seat trying to grab whatever it was. Of course, today’s cars all have power seats and all sorts of wiring and boxes that prevent an easy reach while driving (safety not withstanding). When I park the car at our pervious headquarters I get out and reach under the seat from the back side and pull out a bomber of Wailing Wench.

Fortunately by then our trusty assistant had requisitioned the previously missing bomber from TOPS Markets. That is why I owe Frank Curci, CEO of TOPS Markets, a beer.

*Disclaimer: The author worked at TOPS Markets for several years during college stocking shelves in the Dairy/Frozen Department and generally causing mayhem for customers but it was great fun.

News Release: Dumbarton's Beer Announces Corporate Relocation

August 3, 2012 (Washington, DC) - In a press conference today Dumbarton's Beer announces the relocation of its international and intergalactic headquarters from the capital of the free world, Washington, DC to the capital of winter, Buffalo, NY.

The move to upstate New York will allow Dumbarton's Beer to recognize enhanced craft beer social media economies of scale, create greater efficiency within the company's various output channels, and reduce our carbon footprint. The relocation will increase the population of western New York by at least four. While specific data is not available this increase could lead to the creation of thousands of jobs and a Super Bowl victory for the Buffalo Bills.

The President and Chief Beer Drinker for Dumbarton's Beer said "we are excited for the opportunity presented in upstate New York and we very much look forward to imbibing in the various upstate craft beers. Dumbarton's Beer is very proud of the growing craft beer segment in Washington, DC. With a little luck, Dumbarton's Beer can do for Buffalo area beer what it did for Washington, DC brewers - which amounts to little more than drinking as much of their beer as possible." He specifically mentioned Franklin's (Hyattsville), Chocolate City, and DC Brau; and went on to thank area Petworth pubs including DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge.

Dumbarton's Beer will officially open the new headquarters on August 13, 2012.

Staff of Dumbarton's Beer are not available for media interviews or press inquiries at this time.

Video Friday at Dumbarton's Beer

Courtesy of the fine folks at the  Washington City Paper. A friendly competition to see which local beer experts know their beer. Read about it here.




This one is just for fun. "All we need is one pin, Rodney."