Yesterday a few of us met up for the annual trip the the Buffalo Raceway Beer Fest at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. We packed up some Keg Security T Shirts and piles of Draft Magazines and hit the road. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, beyond beer, but I’m always up for a day of fine brews, so “working” on Sunday was not an issue in the least. I was also unsure as to whether there would be much of a turnout, since all of Western New York had been completely dumped on by a winter storm the day before. But, much to my delight, Buffalonians arrived in hoards – feet of snow never slows us down (how ever could I have thought otherwise?)!

The beer fest was four hours of tastings and incessant beer chatter. I met homebrewers, home bar owners, connoisseurs and the like. And the beer? Oh my, the beer. Some fantastic breweries came to show their stuff – Flying Bison, Custom Brewcrafters, Ithaca Beer Company, Magic Hat, Yuengling, Saranac Beers… the list goes on. Consumer’s Beverage Centers brought a sampling from a number of breweries, including Great Lakes Brewing Company. I had the pleasure of tasting Great Lakes’ winter seasonal Blackout Stout – a dark, rich, creamy Russian Imperial stout with heavy notes of bitter chocolate and coffee, topped with a thick tan head – my personal favorite of the day. The CascaZilla “Monstrously Hoppy” Red Ale from Ithaca Beer Company was a treat too! To be honest, I was pleased with each and every beer I sampled. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Check out more photos from the Buffalo Raceway Beer Fest here, on Buffalo.com.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER FEST | BEER REVIEW | BEER TASTING ]