Big Ditch Brewing Co. has quickly become a Buffalo Niagara institution in its own right. With a new location opening soon, the momentum Big Ditch has been building up over the past few years shows no signs of slowing down.
by Alex Monterville
Located in downtown Buffalo at the corner of East Huron St. and Ellicott St., Big Ditch asserts that “Buffalo today is a city reborn”, and they shoulder the mission to be instrumental in “the next 100 years of prosperity” for our region
If you’re from the Buffalo Niagara region, chances are you’ve at the very least heard of Big Ditch Brewing Company. Perhaps you’ve spent a night with friends throwing back a few in the Big Ditch Brewing Company tap room in downtown Buffalo, all while munching on some of the scrumptious Instagram-ready food options Big Ditch has to offer. Or you’ve probably tried one of their unique, delicious craft beers that are on tap and also found in stores, restaurants & drinking establishments around Buffalo Niagara and beyond.
Any way you spin it, Big Ditch Brewing Company has quickly become a Buffalo Niagara institution in its own right. With a new location opening soon, the momentum Big Ditch has been building up over the past few years shows no signs of slowing down. Let’s dive into the details of this hometown hero of a brewery, and then make some introductions to the true stars of the show, if they indeed need introducing: da brews.
THE BREWERY
The Big Ditch Tap Room is a two-level restaurant that accommodates more than 200 people. Anywhere from 6 to 12 beers are on tap at all times, and a full-service menu includes small plates and entrées that both complement and incorporate Big Ditch brews into the recipes
As you may or may not know, the name Big Ditch is a homage and reference to “the working name of the Erie Canal, the historic waterway that altered the trajectory of Buffalo and the Great Lakes region forever.” Big Ditch opened for business in October 2014, and in just a few years has earned a reputation as one of the rising stars of the booming Buffalo Renaissance, and one of the leading contenders in the exploding local craft brewery scene.
How do they brew, you ask? Most importantly, every single Big Ditch beer is created in their downtown Buffalo facility. The nitty gritty deets? For that, let’s ask Big Ditch: “Big Ditch Brewing Company makes its beer using a 20-barrel (620-gallon) Criveller brewhouse that was manufactured in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We have a 2-vessel brewing system consisting of a mash-lauter tun and a boil kettle-whirlpool. We have five 40-barrel and eight 60-barrel fermenters, allowing us to brew the same recipe up to three times in one day to fill up each fermenter. Beers ferment in these tanks for anywhere from two to eight weeks. After fermentation, we carbonate the beer in a brite tank, filling from the brite tank into ½ and ⅙ barrel kegs using a semi-automated keg filler or into 12 or 16 ounce cans using our onsite automated canning line.”
Big Ditch has five 40-barrel and eight 60-barrel fermenters, allowing them to brew the same recipe up to three times in one day
THE BREWS
Big Ditch is known for their signature beers, and an ever-rotating lineup of seasonal and limited edition beers. Here’s a glance into some of the brews that are now available:
Signatures:
HAYBURNER
INDIA PALE ALE
Hayburner is a luscious and citrusy IPA with primary notes of
orange, melon and grapefruit, and a slightly earthy finish. It
packs a firm bitterness but remains balanced by abundant late
hop additions and a soft and airy malt base.
LOW BRIDGE
GOLDEN ALE
This bright, slightly fruity, and very hoppy golden ale features
old-world American and German hops. Low Bridge has
impressive depth of flavor, yet is also extremely drinkable and
will always serve you well, whether savoring it with a fine meal
or while visiting from a far away town. Everybody down!
EXCAVATOR
RYE BROWN ALE
Excavator incorporates seven different malts to achieve a rich,
yet smooth flavor and balance. It is highlighted by judicious
amounts of chocolate malt, with a subtle, spicy finish from the
use of flaked rye.
Other brews:
Here’s a flight of Big Ditch’s ever-rotating selection of seasonal & limited edition brews. You can find more information on the Big Ditch website under “Beers”.
FC (FANTASTICALLY CRUSHABLE)
SESSION WHEAT IPA
This beer was brewed in collaboration with FC Buffalo, Buffalo’s professional soccer team. The beer is an extremely light and crisp summer beer, late hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo, and Citra hops, which results in a beer with irresistible aroma and flavor of pineapples and oranges. This “Fantastically Crushable” beer is truly For Our City.
FRESH BAKED
WINTER ALE
Fresh Baked is a winter ale brewed with chocolate malt, English brown malt, and oats that have been oven toasted right at our brewery. The beer is then finished with subtle touches of cinnamon and vanilla bean, yielding a toasty, lightly sweet, lightly spiced brown ale reminiscent of fresh baked oatmeal cookies. Yum!
GALAXY RED
INDIA RED ALE
A spring seasonal, Galaxy Red is a super juicy India Red Ale loaded with late kettle and dry hop additions of tropical Galaxy Hops, from Australia. The result is a malty-sweet beer with pineapple, mango and papaya flavors.
Big Ditch has an always evolving and innovative food, seasonal brews and limited edition brews. Shown here: Chicken Bruschetta Flatbread and the Big Ditch limited edition 2020 Independence Day brews
ON THE UP & UP
Like we mentioned earlier, Big Ditch Brewing Company is in the process of opening a new location, and far from showing any signs of the using the same old tried-and-true formula that brought them success, they plan on remaining part of the innovative vanguard of the “burgeoning craft beer tourism industry that has blossomed in the [Buffalo Niagara] region over the past decade.”
The ever-evolving Big Ditch Brewing Company beer and food menus make them an important part of the Buffalo Niagara Renaissance, and showcase their forward-thinking, adventurous spirit. Which, for them, started way back when the Erie Canal helped to put Buffalo on the map.
We here at Welcome 716 are excited to see what Big Ditch Brewing Company does in the coming years. Don’t forget to follow Big Ditch on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with their latest!
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