Resurgence Brewery is pretty much open at this point, bringing with it a fantastic brewery experience to the Old First Ward. The wait was worth it for this one – a walk through Resurgence II is pretty spectacular. As far as local breweries go, the place is giant. But the owners have managed to tame the unwieldy space by creating a variety of rooms and levels that can close off from one another.

Instead of going for the more traditional red brick tasting room, owner Jeff Ware opted for white walls and a nautical blue/gray ceiling. The two-tone color schematic gives off a vibe that one might be in Nantucket, the wine country, or even LA. The tap room is not only spacious, it opens into a shared outdoor courtyard (outdoor beer garden) that is equally spacious – the courtyard is shared by a climbing gym (now open) and a distillery (coming soon).

Then there’s the indoor beer garden, and the banquet hall… and the mezzanine that overlooks the brewing operation. Altogether the place is 30,000 square feet. It can accommodate between 800 and 1000 people when in full swing. As for the brewery, it has the capacity for 15000 barrels a year, but Ware says that they will not be hitting that number any time soon. “We need to take care of ourselves first,” said Ware. “Then, we have room to grow. We can also accommodate other breweries that are stuck in-between being a small brewery and a large brewery – the middle ground can be a tough place to live… we can be a contract brewer for those smaller breweries that are looking to grow, but don’t have the space to do it themselves.”

As far as the breadth of the project goes, Ware says that the most challenging aspect was working with so many entities to get everything off the ground. “There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen on this one,” he explains. “We needed buy-in for all parties – from concept to beginning construction was two years.”

Whether it’s a wedding or grabbing a casual beer with friends, Resurgence II is a lot of things to a lot of people – the possibilities are endless. There’s the food: Mazurek’s pretzel (from the hood), beet deviled eggs, crudite board, poutine, wings, a couple of salads, fried chicken sandwich, BBQ pulled pork, two kids’ options, and a smattering of desserts including sponge candy stout chocolate cake, an ice cream sandwich, and a beer float. And then there’s the ability to lounge around in numerous indoor and outdoor areas, all surrounded by the brewing operation.

Resurgence 11 has a new canning line that puts out 100 cans a minute – “It’s one of the things that I’m most excited about,” Jeff mentions. “Canning is a real motherfu**er… but it’s good for an efficiency standpoint.”

This is another big deal for the Old First Ward. It’s another game changer. Ware has done a great job planting another brewing flag in Buffalo… and this time its a grand old flag with Buffalo’s name waving proudly.

The tap room is now open for business. The banquet room will open second week in July, and grand opening on Thursday, July 11 (3pm).

Resurgence II | 55 Chicago Street | Old First Ward | Buffalo NY 14204 | 716-381-9868 | Flights and growlers available | Also available: Red and white wine, and Black Bird Cider