Welcome to another edition of The Best Beer I Drank This Week. I’m your host, Brian Campbell from the Buffalo Beer League, and let’s be honest—I’m basically floating on air right now. Not just because of the beer, but because the Buffalo Sabres are officially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 14 years. It’s finally happened.

Naturally, I had to celebrate with a trip to Other Half Buffalo at Seneca One Tower to snag their latest Sabres-themed masterpiece.

• Brewery: Other Half Brewing Co. (Buffalo, NY)
• Beer: Swords on Swords
• Style: Hazy IPA (New England Style)
• ABV: 6.5%
• Brian’s Verdict: This is "scary good"—literally. A "fabulous haze" that is pillowy soft and creamy. It perfectly balances sweet citrus juice and watermelon candy with a sophisticated hint of orange pith and bitter rind on the finish. At 6.5%, it’s dangerously drinkable and hits that perfect ABV wheelhouse.

Other Half has outdone themselves with the hop bill on this one. It features Citra, Motueka, Krush® Cryo, Enigma, and the elusive Anchovy hops. The result is a profile that ranges from tropical lychee to tart red berries.

But the real story here is the timing. As the Sabres clinch the Atlantic Division and prepare to face the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round, this is the beer of the postseason. Whether you're lucky enough to have tickets to Game 1 at KeyBank Center or you're watching from your couch, Swords on Swords is the mandatory pairing for the return of playoff hockey to Buffalo.

Don't miss out on upcoming local events as we head into peak beer season:

• Collaboration 6: April 25th
• Rhythm and Brews: May 8th at Kleinhans Music Hall

• Website: BuffaloBeerLeague.com
• Hotline: 716-486-BEER (2337) — Call and tell me your Sabres playoff predictions!
• Socials: @BuffaloBeerLeague (IG/Untappd/Threads) | @BuffBeerLeague (X)
• Support: Use BuffaloBeerLeague.com/Amazon to help us keep the podcast running.

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This week, Brian takes us on a deep dive into what might be the most technically ambitious beer ever produced in the Southtowns. We’re talking about Peche Spon 2024, the inaugural release from the New York Beer Project (NYBP) Beer Lodge coolship program in Orchard Park. This isn't just a beer; it’s a time-intensive labor of love that brings Belgian tradition to Western New York.

• Brewery: New York Beer Project (The Beer Lodge - Orchard Park)
• Beer: Peche Spon 2024
• Style: Spontaneous American Wild Ale (Lambic-style)
• ABV: 6.45%
• Brian’s Verdict: Absolute standout of the recent Brewers Invitational. It is delicate yet incredibly complex. The locally grown peaches provide a bright, popping fruit character that balances a playful, approachable tartness. Unlike some aggressive sours, this is smooth, refreshing, and remarkably drinkable.

The production of this beer is a masterclass in "slow beer." Head Brewer John Hyman and the team utilized a coolship—a shallow, open-top vessel—to let the hot wort cool naturally overnight, inoculating the liquid with wild yeast and bacteria from the Orchard Park air.

The Journey of Peche Spon 2024:

• Brewed: October/November 2024 (via the Beer Lodge coolship).
• Aging: Spontaneously fermented and aged in Red Zinfandel wine barrels for 12 months.
• Blending: Selected barrels were blended and conditioned on 600 lbs of fresh whole peaches from Singer Orchards in Niagara County for an additional 6 months.

Because "Lambic" is a protected designation for beers brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium, this is technically a Spontaneous American Wild Ale, but the soul of the beer is purely Old World.

If you missed the preview at the Brewers Invitational, don't panic. While a firm date hasn't been set, the beer is currently bottle-conditioning and the team is targeting an April 2026 release. This will be a limited-run bottle project—perfect for your beer cellar—and will also make a highly anticipated return to the draft lines at the Lodge.

• Website: BuffaloBeerLeague.com
• Hotline: 716-486-BEER (2337) — Did you try Peshpon at the festival? Call and leave a review!
• Email: Brian@BuffaloBeerLeague.com
• Socials: @BuffaloBeerLeague (IG/Untappd/Threads) | @BuffBeerLeague (X)
• Watch: Catch the video version of the Buffalo Beer Buzz on the WNY Brews YouTube channel!

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This week, Brian travels to Orchard Park to visit our patriotic friends at First Line Brewing. While First Line is known for their support of first responders and the military, their latest taproom hero, I Got Your Six, stands out for both its mission and its unique hop profile.

• Brewery: First Line Brewing (Orchard Park, NY)
• Beer: I Got Your Six
• Style: West Coast IPA / American Pale Ale
• ABV: 6.0%
• Brian’s Verdict: A standout West Coast IPA (though listed as a Pale Ale on Untappd) that has evolved beautifully. Even with a little age on the current batch, it remains incredibly drinkable. The "Veterans Hop Blend" delivers bright berry and citrus notes—Brian specifically noted a strawberry-like berry flavor—finishing with a satisfying, dank hop presence on the back end.

This beer is centered around the 2025 Veterans Hop Blend from Yakima Chief Hops. This annual project is curated by veteran brewers to support military causes. The 2025 edition features a powerhouse lineup:

• Krush® (HBC 586)
• Citra®
• Idaho 7®
• HBC 1134

While Yakima Chief donates $3 per pound of hops sold to Soldiers' Angels, First Line Brewing is doubling down on the impact by donating proceeds from their version to the local Veterans One-stop Center of WNY. It’s the definition of "craft beer for a good cause."

If you're heading to Orchard Park, Brian also highly recommends the Everyday Lager. It’s a brand-new house lager designed to be a "crushable" staple for the hardworking Western New Yorker. It’s sitting at a clean 4.2% ABV and is the perfect palate cleanser after a hoppy IPA.

• Website: BuffaloBeerLeague.com
• Hotline: 716-486-BEER (2337) — Call and let us know what you think of the new Everyday Lager!
• Email: Ryan@BuffaloBeerLeague.com
• Socials: @BuffaloBeerLeague (IG/Untappd/Threads) | @BuffBeerLeague (X)
• Support: Use BuffaloBeerLeague.com/Amazon to keep the lights on at the pod.

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