The Bar Towel

andrewrg · Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 513 Location: Downtown TO

I'm going to be heading to Buffalo in a few weeks and had a few questions for people who've been there before. So far my plan involves hitting up the Blue Monk, which looks great, and going to Premier Gourmet/Consumers Beverages for beer buying.

Are there any Buffalo-local beers I should look for specifically? I also thought about going to Southern Tier since it's about an hour's drive outside the city. Good idea?

Also, any cheap/good hotel/restaurant recommendations would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks!

Kish84 · Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Posts: 319 Location: Kitchener

I'd also check Village Beer Merchant for bottles, just down the road from Blue Monk/Coles.

I'm not sure how local you mean, so I'll just lump upstate NY together. I was recommended by a local to try Flying Bison Rusty Chain, lets just say I wish I didn't take the recommendation. I've enjoyed the 2 Three Heads beers I've tried (Skunk Black IPA and Ontario Coast IPA.) Ithaca has a lot of good brews.

In terms of a cheap hotel, try priceline.com and choose the Best Deal/Name your own price. I've started with a $45 bid (not including tax/hotel fees and parking) and have gotten a room at the Hyatt Regency, but a bid that low working is rare.

Only catch is you don't know which hotel you get until you accept, and I don't think you can cancel once you accept, however you choose the general location and star level of the hotel. Also, if you get denied on your bid, you can't just change the price, you have to change/add to one of the options (location or * level.) As long as there's no events going on you should be able to get a hotel for around $100 taxes/fees/parking in.

Hope that helps a bit!

andrewrg · Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 513 Location: Downtown TO

Trip to Buffalo is this weekend. Pretty excited. So far my list of beers I want to get is pretty small, and I'd appreciate some help on some other good stuff to look for that you can't get here, and not necessarily stuff that is local to Buffalo, though that's fine too.

My list of things to buy so far include:

Something from BrewDog
Some good Saisons
Weyerbacher XVI
Bear Republic Racer 5
Southern Tier stuff from the brewery

So if you have any brewery suggestions, or single beer suggestions, it'd be helpful so I'm not just looking for the prettiest label while I'm there.

Lackey · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 161 Location: Bloor West

Ithaca...Flower Power and the 13th anniversary if they still have it. The Brute may be out now too, haven't been in a couple weeks. Their saison is pretty good but I prefer the Hennepin from Ommegang.

JerCraigs · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 2679 Location: North York

Ukie · Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Posts: 461 Location: Hamilton

matt7215 · Joined: 05 Sep 2008 Posts: 2582 Location: Cambridge

andrewrg · Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 513 Location: Downtown TO

Just got back a few hours ago and wanted to thank everyone who answered my questions/posted in this thread generally. Ended up going to a lot of recommended places, including Allen Street Hardware, Consumer's, VBM, Premier Gourmet, and The Blue Monk. Also drove out to visit Southern Tier, which was very far and I thought my GPS was leading me into the middle of nowhere for a while there.

Here's a few pictures and a list of what I brought back (bit over a case, no duty paid):

http://i.imgur.com/ieauR.jpg
http://imgur.com/KPXtW

Three Heads Skunk Black IPA
North Coast Le Merle Saison
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe Mere
Ovila Saison
Southern Tier Imperial Farmer's Tan
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
Weyerbacher Sixteen
He'brew Lenny Bruce RIPA
Ithaca Flower Power
Ithaca Thirteen
Stone Ruination IPA
Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada Life and Limb
Fantome La Dalmatienne (was excited to find a Fantome when Premier's website said they were out of stock)
Ommegang Hennepin
Smuttynose Maibock
Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

And a Dale's Pale Ale/Stone 15th anniv. Black IPA for some friends. So now I have to get to drinking before stuff starts to go off.

AlanB · Joined: 16 May 2009 Posts: 62

Just got back from a couple of days in Buffalo. In addition to the sights and accommodations listed in previous posts:

If you don't mind spending more money on accommodation, (and especially if you have a significant other looking for something a bit more romantic than the Holiday Inn by the airport) try the Parkside House B&B. Great location in a quiet part of town, just a few minutes walk from Delaware Park, Shakespeare in the Park (in season), the Buffalo Zoo and Darwin Martin House. Our two breakfasts were substantial and delicious: huge pieces of French toast with a raspberry coulis on the first morning, a large piece of quiche the second morning, accompanied both mornings by fresh fruit and strong coffee. You have your choice of a very large room with small bathroom and shower, or a small bedroom with a very large bathroom and tub + walk-in shower. Cost is $150 (+ applicable taxes) per night during the summer.

If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan and have already done the Darwin Martin House, drop by the Forest Lawn Cemetery (near Delaware Park) and see Wright's Blue Sky Mausoleum, a beautiful staircase of white marble cascading down a small hill to a reflecting pond. Wright also designed this for Darwin Martin, but ironically Martin died before the project was formally commissioned, so Wright never built it. Recently a local company bought the design and had it built.

Another Frank Lloyd Wright creation, Graycliff, is a bit further afield, about a 30-minute drive down the Lake Erie coast. Wright designed this as a summer residence for Darwin Martin's wife. The interior is now undergoing a long-term restoration, so it's a bit of a construction site inside. However, the exterior is is very good condition and the docent (tour guide) was very good.

(Photos of all of the above, including a photo of our room at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150403318273084.435252.616948083&l=3296c75759

The Blue Monk (Elmwood Ave.) has an extensive and ever-changing Belgian list both on tap and bottled, but also a few other non-Belgian treasures on its blackboards.

Check out this "undocumented feature" at the Village Beer Merchant: they have a rack of "only one left" bottles inside the large cooler at the back, but these can't be seen through the doors on the front of the cooler--you have to go around to the side and actually enter the back of the cooler via the service door to find these treasures.
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Too many beers, too little time...

phat matt · Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 358 Location: 905

Was in the states today at a sunoco that sold growlers. Tehy also had a large amount of craft beer in bottles. Even had bear republic racer 5, stone ipa, and rogue dead guy for .99 cents a bottle. Definetly picked up a last minute sixer.

Iceman · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 74 Location: Toronto

I'm thinking of heading down to Buffalo to visit Premier Gourmet and I was just wondering what are the prices like?

Are the six pack prices similar to Toronto ($12-14)? I would like to pick up some Ommegang, Stone, Rogue, etc single bottles as well.

I'm just trying to get an idea of how much I end up spending, which will probably be more then I intended too.

Thanks.
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"Beer that is not drunk had missed its vocation."
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andrewrg · Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 513 Location: Downtown TO

Six Packs are usually similar in price, though the local stuff is sometimes cheaper. And at Premier, they have singles available of most everything that comes in a sixpack/they don't care if you break sixpacks.

Bombers range from 5-15$, depending on what you're buying. Some stuff is obviously more expensive, like various imports, Jolly Pumpkin beers, rarer/seasonal stuff, etc.

If it's your first time, just go have fun and try not to worry too much about spending as long as you aren't going overboard.

Iceman · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 74 Location: Toronto

TheBeeraholic · Joined: 05 Aug 2011 Posts: 489 Location: Whitby, ON

Finally making my way out this weekend. Booked hotel Comfort Inn Suites. Receptionist when I called quoted the per night stay at $104 a night. I told her that I was on priceline looking at a price of $63 (I was not on priceline) and if she could match it or come close. Without question she brought the per night stay down to $69 before tax. Unbelievable. My boss said to try this, I doubted him. But luckly no problems. More money to spend on beer.

My question is if anyone has been down to Premier in the last week or so if they know if I should keep my eyes out for anything in particular that you've seen. Same goes with the Village Beer Merchant. Hoping to bring back q big haul.

hopdevil · Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 49 Location: Mississauga

MacGregor's, the Rochester craft beer chain has opened a location in the Buffalo area.
It is in Amherst, at 4350 Maple Road ( at Sweet Home )
Just off the 290.