BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Craft beer enthusiasts, this is exciting news.
The heavily anticipated opening of Buffalo's new Mortalis Brewing Company location is now only weeks away. The new taproom, located on the 1200 block of Niagara Street, is set to open on October 12.
"You've got amazing craft breweries here, I'm just absolutely blown away by the number of craft breweries that are doing some really cool stuff here," says Paul Grenier, CEO of Mortalis Brewing Company, "I feel, and I hope, there is room for us."
Considering that Mortalis Brewing Company beers are currently distributed in 11 countries and 24 states, the new taproom should fit in pretty well in what has become a beer destination here in Buffalo.
Mortalis Brewing Company originally opened in Avon, New York, about 25 miles south of Rochester. Over the last five years, the celebrated brewery has established almost a cult following inside beer circles, with thirsty Buffalonians happy to make the drive down to get a taste for themselves.
Now Grenier, and his team, are excited to be bringing the show to the 716.
"We just developed a really amazing bond with the Buffalo community," said Grenier, a Rochester native, "We're like, well, we've gone to our hometown, let's go ahead and get to a city that we know loves us."
Grenier says he plans to return that love by doing what Mortalis Brewing does best, offering a selection of creative, award-winning craft beers, on 24 taps.
"We are definitely known for our fruit smoothie sours and our big crazy stouts," said Grenier, "We have refocused our stuff back to hazy IPAs as well, mainly because that's sort of what we started out with."
The Buffalo taproom will be the third location for Mortalis Brewing Company which also has it's anchor production facility and taproom in Avon, and owns and operates The Richmond in Downtown Rochester.
The Niagara Street location will also offer a selection of to-go beers and a beer-influenced food menu that will be made right on-site.
"We are going to have a house salad hydra-infused balsamic vinaigrette, nachos with a stout beer cheese, and burnt ends done in a barrel-aged stout glaze," says Grenier.
Renovations on the new taproom on Niagara Street have been taking place since June. Mortalis Brewing Company will take over the space once occupied by 'Company B' Cidery.
"We really needed to get in here and put our stamp on this place," said Grenier, who added he wants visitors to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and "human connection."
"We're hoping they really have a good time. We are hoping that they give our food a chance. We know that beer is super important, but these days you have to have a little bit more than beer. You need to create an experience," said Grenier, "What better place to have a human connection than over a beer?"
Mortalis Brewing Company will be open from Thursday - Sunday. The taproom has several televisions and a projector which the team believes will be perfect for watching Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres games.
The new taproom plans to partner with local Buffalo companies including Illumination Meadery, and hopes to establish Mortalis as a staple of the quickly evolving community on Niagara Street.
"You can see the growth, the buildings are being renovated, and people are coming back into the area," said Grenier, "Let me tell you something, the first thing I'm going to do when we open the doors is, I have a big chalkboard sign, and I'm going to put that sign out there right near the bike lane. It's going to say "cold beer" with an arrow this way, because I've never seen a bike lane used as much as this."
