EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) – 42 North Brewing Company tapped its name from its location on the 42nd parallel.
“It’s where wars were fought, fortunes lost – and found – and where legacies are made,” the brewery’s website reads. ” And when it comes to beer, the 42nd parallel is unparalleled as well. Some of the world’s best hops grow along it, and in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, it’s where New York State hops grew bountiful and full-bodied.”
The brewery opened in Oct. 2015 at 23 Pine St., right off of Main Street in the Village of East Aurora. It’s located right behind Vidler’s 5 and 10.
They expanded last year, adding on 6,000 sq. ft.
“We like to call it a brew campus,” Zachary Keller, brand manager for 42 North said.
The “campus” includes a spacious taproom with at least 15 beers on tap at all times, a beer garden which is host to music on Sundays in warmer months, the brewhouse, an event/meeting space, and four Airbnbs, each with a different theme. They’re branded as The Lofts at 42.
READ MORE | East Aurora brewery expands, adds overnight Airbnb stay to its menu
“The response has been great with the Airbnbs, especially with all of the other events going on in East Aurora,” Keller said.
The expansion added a canning line to the brew house operation, which will allow 42 North to extend their reach into more corner shops and convenience stores, head brewer Matt Matuszewski said.
“We were using mobile canners before, so we were kind of on their schedule,” Matuszewski said. “It’s nice to have our own line- it allows us to have some more freedom.”
42 North has a 20-barrel brew house with its own barrel house, 42 Below.
In the barrel house, beer is aged in former wine and spirit barrels, from a couple of months to a couple of years, Matuszewski said.
“The wood imparts a nice flavor, especially the former spirit barrels,” he added. “You get a little character of what was in there.”
42 North is the first barrel house in the Buffalo area.
The brewery’s beer portfolio also includes a wide variety of IPAs, porters, stouts, ales and lagers.
Coming up from the brewery is a seasonal Scotch Ale, which should be on tap by next week.
“We made some tweaks to the recipe,” Matuszewski said.
42 North will also be putting out a barrel-aged collaboration with Buffalo Distilling Company, using the distillery’s Krupnik barrels.
“Those are aging now and will be coming out for Dyngus Day,” he said.
When asked the beer that first timers to 42 North should try, both Keller and Matuszewski brought up the flagship Borderland American IPA.
“It’s a little East Coast-meets-West Coast,” Matuszewski explained. “Bitter but enough fruit to back it up. It’s probably our biggest seller.”
Keller also mentioned the “Halt, Who Gose There” raspberry gose.
“People have been really loving that,” he added.
The Borderland IPA is named for the Borderland Music Festival, an annual two-day music and art festival at Knox Farm State Park. 42 North is a major partner for the festival.
READ MORE: Borderland takes over Knox Farm State Park this weekend
“Each year has been great so far,” Keller said. “It’s really about our community and Buffalo being located in this great area- it’s been a great ride these past two years, and we’re looking forward to a third.”
42 North Brewing Company is open the following hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday through Thursday: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Click here for more information.
If there’s a brewery you’d like to see featured in this segment, email me at kaley.lynch@wivb.com.
