Beer Guide

Love various types of beer? Enjoy Dogfish Head, Rogue, Southern Tier or any other Micro Breweries but you don’t know what Bars serve them in Buffalo ?  For the most part, great beer in Buffalo is located downtown (more specifically Elmwood/Allentown areas) and in the Northtowns.

I would also recommend using the following websites to help you find your way:

• Craft Beer Talk – Nicholas Mendola and some staff from Consumers Beverage have a podcast about beer!
• Buffalo Beer Blog – updates on Taps for bars like Coles, Mister Goodbar, Allen St Hardware
• Consumers Beverages – Hands down the biggest speciality beer shop in Buffalo, 10 of their locations offer growlers with delicious craft beer.
• Village Beer Merchant – Want to save money and drink at home? Check out their Elmwood store.
• Premier Gourmet – Don’t want to drive to Elmwood and live in the Kenmore area? Check out their single bottles.
• Buffalo / Rochester Beer Guide – BeerAdvocate.com is a website every beer fanatic should visit.

This will hopefully help you find your way, and if you think that we have left out a Bar/Restaurant, please leave us a comment and we will definitely add it to our guide.

• THE BLUE MONK
• Location: 727 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
• Phone: (716) 882-6665 ‎
• Official Website: http://bluemonkbflo.com/
• Hours: Mon-Wed 11:30a – 2:30a; Thurs – Sun 11:30a – 3:30a
• Beers on Tap: 30 beers on tap, with a big bottle selection, the rarest beers in Buffalo
• Buffalo Eats Notes: Even though they are the newest location on this list, they might already have the best beer selection in Buffalo.  When you walk into the building you immediately see a gigantic chalk board with 30 rare microbrews/imports.  Prices run a little high (generally $5-$9 per glass) and they do have a large bottle list, but along with a great beer list they have a really solid menu as well.  They’ve also invested a lot of money into renovating this building, just a great place to hang out in general. [11/10/2010]

• BUFFALO BREW PUB
• Location: 6861 Main St, Williamsville, NY
• Phone: (716) 632-0552‎
• Official Website: http://www.buffalobrewpub.com/
• Hours: Mon – Thu 11:30 to 12 am, Fri – Sat 11:30 – 1 am, Sun 12 to 12
• Beers on Tap: 30 + (including 3 to 5 of their own ‘house’ beer), What’s On Tap
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “…run of the mill pub food..meal was saved by amazing drafts and great selection of local beer…I wouldn’t go for a meal but would stick to the bar for free popcorn and peanuts and get a draft” – Adam [10/3/09]

• COLE’S RESTAURANT
• Location: 1104 Elmwood Av, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 886-1449
• Official Website: http://www.meetmeatcoles.com/
• Hours: Open Monday – Sunday, Restaurant Open until 11pm, Bar open until 4 am on most nights.
• Beers on Tap: 30 (large selections of Belgians, American Micros) along with ~70 bottles available.
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “…has been one of my favorite bars since I turned 21…one of the best draft selection’s in Buffalo…food separates it from other ‘Beer Bars’…actual bar area is really narrow and can be frustrating to navigate through…parking in that area can be a pain”. – Don [5/13/09]

• COLTER BAY
• Location: 561 Delaware Av, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 882-1330
• Official Website: http://www.colterbaygrill.com/home.asp
• Hours: Restaurant opens at 11am and is open late, Bar usually closes from 2am – 4am depending on the night
• Beers on Tap: 25 beers on tap, small selection of bottles.
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “If you are looking for the best selection of draft beers in Buffalo, you are at the right place.  Their menu includes the typical staples of Chicken Wings, Burgers and Sandwiches and Wraps.  However I recommend going there for the beer, it is a nice “low key” place to get a drink.  Can get crowded on weekends, but the crowd is usually on the older side.” – Don

• MISTER GOODBAR
• Location: 110 Elmwood Av, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 882-4000
• Official Website: http://www.mistergoodbarelmwood.com/
• Beers On Tap: 20+
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “Located next to Coles (see above), a large selection of taps, affordable prices and room to hang out with friends are all pro’s.  They do have a frier and serve French Fries, Pizza Logs and anything else you can think of frying.  Check out their monthly Beer Club, $25 will get you a ticket to enjoy 8 to 10 different home brewed beers that go along with their “theme” of the month.”

• AMHERST PIZZA & ALE HOUSE
• Location: 55 Crosspoint Pkwy, Getzville, NY
• Phone: (716) 625-7100
• Official Website: http://www.amherstpizzaandalehouse.com/
• Hours: (Restaurant) Mon-Thu 11 – 11; Fri-Sat 11-12; Sun 11 – 10
• Beers on Tap: 12 – 14 (1/2 of which are micro brews), over 80 different bottles
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “Located in Getzville, a great location for Happy Hour for those who work/live in the Northtowns.  Also known as a great location for watching Sabres games, can get pretty busy but they have good drink specials and food deals.  They also sell growlers on site, while I don’t for-see myself getting a growler of Coors Light, some Arrogant Bastard sounds pretty good.”

• ALTERNATIVE BREWS
• Location: 3488 Sheridan Dr, Amherst, NY
• Phone: (716) 446-0424
• Official Website: http://www.alternativebrews.com/
• Hours: Happy Hour Mon-Fr 4pm – 7pm, otherwise open late.
• Beers on Tap: 12 – 15 (a large selection of Local Beer), over 100 bottles [bottle list]
• Buffalo Eats Notes: While we haven’t visited Alternative Brews ourselves, their bottle list is pretty impressive and deserves a visit on its own.

• PEARL STREET BAR & GRILL
• Location: 76 Pearl St, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 856-2337
• Official Website: http://www.pearlstreetgrill.com/
• Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 am – ?, Sunday 12pm – ?
• Beers on Tap: 8 to 10 of their house brewed beers, change in styles with the time of year.
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “Pearl Street is maybe the premier pre-game/post game destination for the Sabres and Bandits… the dinner menu is alright but I would recommend sticking to just their wings and cheese fries… their beers are reasonably priced and you can get a Widow Maker Tube“

• FAT BOB’S SMOKEHOUSE
• Location: 41 Virginia Pl, Buffalo, NY
• Phone: (716) 887-2971
• Official Website: http://www.fatbobs.com/
• Hours: Mon – Wed 11:30-10; Thu 11:30-11; Fri 11:30-12; Sat 3:30-12; Sun 3:30-10
• Beers on Tap: 7, Over 50+ Bottles (Beer List)
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “Fat Bob’s has a fantastic beer bottle selection and on this list of bars/restaurants they might have the greatest selection of good… I highly recommend the Fish Fry, Sweet Potato Fries, and Tenderloin Tip Sandwich… in the summertime make sure to enjoy the patio.”

• MAMMOSER’S TAVERN & RESTAURANT
• Location: 16 South Buffalo Street, Hamburg, NY
• Phone: (716) 648-1390
• Official Website: N/A
• Hours: no idea
• Beers on Tap: 12-15 (Magic Hat, Harpoon, Blue Point, Seasonal Drafts)
• Buffalo Eats Notes: Surprisingly the best beer seleciton that I have found in the Southtowns… known for their Chicken Wings (they grill after frying).. definitely a cozy place that has a dedicated group of regulars but is a good stop for newbies as well” – [Don]

• PIZZA PLANT
• Locations: 8020 Transit Road, Williamsville, NY & 5110 Main Street, Williamsville, NY
• Phone: (716) 632-0800‎ (Transit) & (716) 626-5566 (Main St)
• Official Website: http://pizzaplant.com/
• Hours: not sure
• Beers on Tap: 13 changing seasonal beers (view events/beers here)
• Buffalo Eats Notes: “After reading some of our readers comments (See below) I realized that Pizza Plant should be included, for having really good and unique options for their “pods” they also offer some great craft beers and even host events.  We visited them once but due to poor lighting quality of our pictures, we were unable to write up a proper Food Porn, expect one soon.”