Long Haul and the Bicentennial Voyage of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief!

Last month we announced a new beer, Long Haul, a honey lager we brewed in collaboration with the Buffalo Maritime Center to celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial.

While we are very excited about the collaborative beer, the most important part of this collaboration is the Bicentennial Voyage.

From September 24^th through October 26th, the Buffalo Maritime Center’s full-scale replica canal boat, the Seneca Chief, will set out on a 33-day, 500-mile journey from Buffalo to New York City, commemorating Governor DeWitt Clinton’s historic trip in 1825. Big Ditch Brewing Company, stocked with plenty of Long Haul (and also Hayburner), will travel with the boat and be available at stops along the route.

That’s right, Big Ditch will be travelling alongside the Seneca Chief and serving beer right next to the Erie Canal as we celebrate the Bicentennial with New York State. Our brand ambassador Kait will be travelling with the Maritime crew and providing samples, selling beer to consume at each stop, and selling 6-packs to go.

It’s been a lot of work preparing for this journey; Big Ditch has been working on this for over two years! (Which is a relatively small amount of time compared to the amount of time the Buffalo Maritime Center has been planning this journey.) Not to mention the fact that Kait will be on the road for a month straight travelling across New York State!

However, this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to celebrate the Erie Canal, the waterway that changed New York State forever (and our brewery’s namesake).  If there’s no Erie Canal, there’s no Buffalo as we know it today; and there definitely wouldn’t be a Big Ditch! So, we’re honored to have this opportunity to serve our beer to New Yorkers for such a special occasion.

Look for Big Ditch, our cans of Long Haul and Hayburner, the Seneca Chief, and the Buffalo Maritime Center at the following stops. We can’t wait to see you there and celebrate with you!

• Lockport – Wed. 9/24, 2pm -7pm, Flight of Five Forebay
• Medina – Thurs. 9/25, 2pm -7pm, Medina Canal Basin
• Brockport – Fri. 9/26, 2pm -7pm, Harvester Park
• Rochester – Sat. 9/27, 2pm -7pm, Corn Hill Navigation
• Fairport – Sun. 9/28, 2pm-7pm & Mon. 9/29, 12pm-7pm, Erie Canal at the Box Factory
• Newark – Tues. 9/30, 2pm -7pm, Port of Newark
• Lyons – Wed. 10/1, 2pm -7pm, Lyons Fire Department
• Clyde – Thurs. 10/2, 2pm -7pm, Lauraville Landing Park
• Baldwinsville – Fri. 10/3, 2pm -7pm, Angry Smokehouse
• Syracuse – Sat. 10/4, 2pm -7pm + Sun. 10/5, 12pm -7pm, Onondaga Lake Park
• Brewerton – Mon. 10/6, 2pm -7pm, Riverfront Park
• Sylvan Beach – Tues. 10/7, 2pm -7pm, Erie Canal 1^st Bypass
• Rome – Wed. 10/8, 2pm -7pm, Bellamy Harbor Park
• Utica – Thurs. 10/9, 2pm -7pm (the Seneca Chief will be here, unfortunately Big Ditch will not!)
• Herkimer – Fri. 10/10, 2pm -7pm, Gems Along the Mohawk
• Little Falls – Sat. 10/11, 2pm -7pm, Benton’s Landing
• Canajoharie – Sun. 10/12, 2pm -7pm (the Seneca Chief will be here, unfortunately Big Ditch will not!)
• Amsterdam – Mon. 10/13, 2pm -7pm, Riverlink Park
• Schenectady – Tues. 10/14, 2pm -7pm, The River House
• Waterford – Wed. 10/15, 2pm -7pm + Thurs. 10/16, 12pm -7pm, Waterford Harbor Visitor Center
• Troy – Fri. 10/17, 2pm -7pm + Sat. 10/18, 12pm -7pm, Troy Downtown Marina
• Albany – Sun. 10/19, 2pm -7pm, Jennings Landing
• Hudson – Mon. 10/20, 2pm -7pm, Henry Hudson Riverfront Park
• Kingston – Tues. 10/21, 2pm -7pm + Wed. 10/22, 12pm -7pm, Hudson River Maritime Museum
• Cornwall-on-Hudson – Thurs. 10/23, 2pm -7pm, Cornwall Yacht Club
• Ossining – Fri. 10/24, 2pm -7pm, Shattemuc Yacht Club
• New York City – Sat. + Sun. 10/25 – 26 (the Seneca Chief will be here, unfortunately Big Ditch will not!)