It’s been about 18 months since we announced our intention to open our second tap room at One East Avenue in the Historic Post Office at Lockport, NY. The development and construction process took a lot longer than we planned. But we promised you that we would not open until we were completely ready to provide great beer, food, and service in an amazing setting.

Well, the day has finally come. Our Lockport tap room is now open to the public!

After several weeks of staff training and several days of private, soft opening parties, we opened our doors to the public fairly quietly for the first time last night on Wednesday 3/12, knowing full well that Lockport is a small/big town where no secret goes untold for very long.  It was a great night.  Everyone seemed to have a great time and have lots of great things to say about the space, the beer and the food.   We want to take the time to tell you about it in our own words and pictures here.

The Space

In a word, it is beautiful.  We have two main areas open to the public right now.  First is the main tap room area:

The main tap room has a large full-service bar and seating for up to 140 guests.

We love the big open space that the Historic Post Office provides; with the historical and modern images of Lockport and the Erie Canal, we think this almost looks like a museum. We also love the mural that hangs above the entire space:

This space also has its own Erie Canal map table, which are the same tables that we have in downtown Buffalo.

Also in common with our downtown Buffalo tap room, the entire Lockport space features TVs and sound, so you’ll be able to watch all the Buffalo Bills games here in the fall!

Second, here is the downstairs “Beer Hall”:

The beer hall features a smaller bar with the same beers we have in the main tap room and additional table seating in a slightly less formal and more laid-back setting, also with TVs and sound. It is very comfortable here!

Not yet open is a separate area for private events.  As we get used to running the tap room operation, we will eventually open this elegant and fun setting for anyone looking to book a party.

The exterior you’ve seen before, but maybe without the Big Ditch Brewing Co. sign atop the building.  Oh, and did you know it lights up at night? Here is what the entrance looks like:

The Beers

Just as we have downtown, we expect to have at least 12 beers on tap at all times – in fact, we now have 17 different beers available at Lockport! Besides signature beers like Hayburner American IPA and seasonal beers like Flow Rider Citrus Blonde Ale and Peanut Butter Cookie Stout, we’ll always have on some limited release offerings. In fact, we brewed some special draft-only limited release beers to celebrate the opening of our Lockport tap room:

• The Escarpment, NY Pilsner. Brewed uniquely for our Lockport tap room location, this beer will only be available in Lockport. The city of Lockport is named after the Erie Canal locks that were built to help canal barges cross the Niagara Escarpment. This pilsner, brewed with New York State Cascade hops, dry hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Motueka hops, then painstakingly lagered for two months before serving, features flavors of mild white grape and passion fruit aroma with a light earthy flavor, snappy bitterness and a clean finish. This beer is made with (nearly) the same strength, pride, and ambition that made the locks. ABV = 5.0%
• Lockport Extra Special, English Pub Ale/ESB. This classic English-style pub ale is made with traditional English malts, hops, and yeast. The resulting flavor is wonderfully bready from the malts, contains light apple and pear character from the English yeast, and finishes with a refreshing bitter bite. ABV = 5.5%
• Hoodledasher, Hazy IPA. A hoodledasher was a group of canal boats that were tied together and pulled by a pack of mules. This hazy IPA, brewed with Mosaic and Calypso hops, is bursting with flavors of honeydew, nectarine, and fruity pebbles. ABV = 7.0%
• Carrot Cake, Winter Ale. Made with five varieties of barley, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, vanilla, milk sugar, and light amounts of carrot juice, this is one of the most complex beers we’ve ever brewed, and almost shockingly, tastes like the real thing. It’s liquid carrot cake. ABV = 6.0%

We will (of course) serve Flights of Five in Lockport, which are 5 x 5 oz beer flights.

And yes, many of our beers are available to take to go, either in cans or in growlers. We will also sell kegs in Lockport.  Call ahead for keg availability as we don’t necessarily stock everything in Lockport, but we can usually get you anything if you give us a few days’ notice.

The Food

We’ve spent as much time (if not more) developing the food menu for Lockport. The goal was to serve the staples in Lockport that people love in Buffalo, like our Breuben with corned beef brined in our beer, our Hayburner Wings, and our hand cut fries; but also add some delicious new dishes. Here are some highlights:

• Sriracha Mussels – Served with sriracha cream sauce, Fresno chile, garlic, shallot, scallion, white wine, and served with crostini.
• Sticky Hog Wings – Mini pork shanks tossed with sweet and spicy sauce, toasted sesame seeds, served with kimchi ranch.
• Smash Burgers – actually double ¼ lb smash burgers served three ways: Classic, Green Chile, or BBQ Bacon.
• Seoul Fire Chicken Sandwich – Korean BBQ coated chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, red onion, kimchi ranch on a brioche bun.
• Gaucho Grinder – Marinated steak, chimichurri, roasted tomatoes, arugula, roasted garlic aioli on a sub roll.
• Chicken Wing Dip Pizza – ‘Nuff said.
• Penne alla Vodka – Served with vodka sauce, Italian sausage, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, parmesan.

Other Beverage Options

Just like Buffalo, we have a nice selection of beverage options available for those who would prefer something other than beer. We’ll be serving 1911 Hard Cider. We’ll be serving Chardonnay from Arrowhead Winery from Lockport amongst other assorted wines. We also have a full bar with all sorts of spirits available, including some fun new cocktails like our East Ave Smash (bourbon, mint, blueberries and lemon) and our Mango Tango Margarita (tequila, triple sec, mango chunks, chamoy, with a chile-lime salt rim).

The Staff

We couldn’t be happier with our staff.  Over the last three weeks, the staff we’ve hired have brought the same energy and passion for service to our Lockport location that we have in Buffalo. We’ve received nothing but positive feedback about the service during the soft open parties we held. Lockport is going to love this group of people!

Last but certainly not least! Our managers Michael, Zach, Sarah, and Kat have put a tremendous amount of thought into making our Lockport tap room every bit as good as our Buffalo tap room. Lockport is in good hands with this group of managers. Kudos to them!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

First, in case you didn’t have our address:
1 East Avenue
Lockport, NY 14094
Phone: 716-742-0080
Please enter our tap room along the side of the building where the Big Ditch Brewing Co. sign is located.

Second, our hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 4pm – 10pm
Friday 11am – 11pm
Saturday 12pm – 11pm
Sunday 12pm – 8pm (lunch and dinner – no brunch available in Lockport yet)
(closed on Tuesdays)

We don’t take reservations, but if you’re concerned about long waits, please call ahead to confirm wait times by pressing extension 1. If you have a large group coming (>10 people) please call ahead as we can make some suggestions regarding wait times.

Parking

There is a large public parking lot behind us and across from the Cornerstone Arena. This is your best bet for parking. There are also plenty of street parking spaces around Lockport. Here is a map showing all the public lots and street parking available near our tap room.

That’s it!  Thanks for all your patience and support, Lockport and Western New York.  We hope to see you soon. Cheers!