Buffalo RiverWorks has opened up its brewery operation inside the Labatt Blue-branded grain silo (former GLF grain silo). At the same time, a rock climbing operation is now underway inside and outside the Wheeler grain silo.

Let’s start with the beer. According to head brewer, Chris Herr, there are three miles of lines being used to brew the beer. The brewery is considered the first in the world to open inside of a grain silo. The brewing team is excited to see the return of grain being reintroduced at the RiverWorks silos. They are also happy to be using the grain to produce beers that include the following styles:

The Conveyor Cream Ale nods to Buffalo’s grain silo history by utilizing corn grain mixed with the barley to create its light, sweet, and crisp taste.

The Wheeler Wheat is a traditional unfiltered German Hefeweizen brewed with wheat and barley to keep the ode to the grain elevators going.

The Rejuvenator IPA is Buffalo Riverworks’ take on the New England style IPA .

The Rejuvenator IPA is Buffalo Riverworks’ take on the New England style IPA . Another year round brew is the Bin House Ale, a nutty brown ale with toasted caramel notes, which is named after the building that sorted the grain as it was delivered by lake freighters on top of the silo.

Two seasonal beers are also on tap (see below). According to Herr, a saison is coming in late June.

The New York State Rye Pale Ale was meticulously crafted from locally sourced ingredients. The rye came from Craft Malt in Batavia, the barley from Niagara Craft Malt out of Cambria, and finally Chinook Hops from right here in western New York. Chris Herr has blended these ingredients together to a create a spicy and sweet rye pale ale.

The Double Decker XPA is an experimental pale ale that combines El Dorado hops, which give a watermelon flavor, with dank hops from Idaho to balance the flavor.

All of these beers are available exclusively at Buffalo RiverWorks.



As for the new climbing wall inside Wheeler grain silo, the first climbers got a chance to test out the climbing facility this past holiday weekend. The highest wall is fifty feet tall, which means that it’s pretty challenging. At the same time, there are easier walls to climb, making the facility an all ages wall climbing destination that has a range of skill levels. The climbing course offers auto belay and manual belay systems.

If that wasn’t enough, RiverWorks is also in the midst of launching tiki boat cruises, which should be super popular with anyone hoping to simply drift about with an island cocktail in hand… underneath a thatch roof of course. The floating tiki huts each feature a full bar and sound system. Now what could be better than that?

How about zip lining? Yup, RiverWorks is also going to be introducing zip lining that will incorporate the grain silos into the course.

And if that wasn’t enough, the waterfront complex will soon be launching its first London double-decker bus. The bus will take people to and from the complex, stopping at various points of interest along the way.

Since the start, the owners of Buffalo RiverWorks promised that there would be plenty of action throughout the course of the year, from roller derby to bubble soccer. They have gone far beyond anything that we could have imagined. Plus, the athletic events and the activities just keep on coming. There’s always something new being introduced, no matter the season. So far, this waterfront venue has lived up to all expectations, and is now starting to surpass them.

Buffalo RiverWorks | 359 Ganson Street, Buffalo NY | 844.SIX.CANS | Facebook