A longtime favorite of Buffalo beer drinkers is branching out.  Labatt USA and Pegula Sports and Entertainment's joint venture for a brewery and restaurant in the Cobblestone District is slated to open this weekend.

The Labatt Brew House and Draft Room restaurant is located down the street from KeyBank Center.  It's Labatt's first brewery in the United States and they'll be trying some new varieties beyond Blue and Blue Light.

How many new varieties? The opening menu has more than 30 varieties on tap and ready for the tasting.

Brewmasters will craft different styles right in the building and customers there will be among the first to sample.

"We love to have a conversation with our customers that come here and say, 'What do you like about this beer? What are you drinking somewhere else that you'd like to see? Or what's the hottest trend going on right now that we may want to innovate with and experiment with at the Labatt Brew House,’" said Brinn Johnson, director of retail strategy and business development for  Labatt USA.

Along with the brewery, the Draft Room restaurant will serve a variety of foods that pair well with, what else, beer.

The brewery and restaurant is on tap to open Saturday at 4 p.m. 

An outdoor beer garden will likely open sometime next year.

Look a little closer

  • 200 guests can sit down and enjoy the bar and dining room setting
  • 100 additional people can be accommodated in the 4,000 square foot outdoor beer garden
  • 30 varieties of beer on tap ranging from pilsners to stouts and everything in between
  • Fear not, there's also a variety of cocktails
  • A full menu with fresh-baked pretzels to pizzas and sandwiches, all with suggested beer pairings