
Buffalo Bills Beers & Ciders to Enjoy for the NFL Season Kick-Off
First things first – I live in New York State, but I’m a Miami Dolphins fan. It’s a long story, involving a childhood love of dolphins, the color teal, Larry Csonka, and marrying into a diehard Dolphins family… But I digress. Since I live in Upstate NY, I’m surrounded by Buffalo Bills fans. And Buffalo Bills beers. Since the Bills are so beloved across New York State, several local breweries – and a few distilleries – make their own Buffalo Bills beers for fans to enjoy during football season.
This one’s for my friends.
PILLS MAFIA – German Pilsner
Thin Man Brewery – Buffalo, NY
Possibly the most famous of all the Buffalo Bills beers, Pills Mafia is brewed by Thin Man Brewery in Buffalo, NY. The German Pilsner is made with traditional German malt. A light, crisp lager, it makes for the perfect football beer. Plus, who doesn’t love a good, punny beer name? Pills Mafia plays on the ‘Bills Mafia’ fanbase mixed with the pilsner style of the beer.
HEY EY EY EY HELLES – Helles Lager
Young Lion Brewing – Canandaigua, NY
It’s impossible to watch a Buffalo Bills game without hearing the crowd chant “Hey ey ey ey” and “Let’s go Buffalo”. Well, thanks to Young Lion Brewing Company, you can drink Hey Ey Ey Ey Helles too! This Helles Lager is made with German Pilsner & Carapils malts, and Mandarina Bavaria hops.
A LITTLE BIT LAGER NOW – American Lager
A LITTLE BIT CIDER NOW – Hard Cider
Hamburg Brewery – Hamburg, NY
Originally brewed to celebrate the Bills making the playoffs last year, A Little Bit Lager Now is a classic American Lager brewed with citra hops. This one is yet another play on the Bills’ fight song.
For our gluten-free fans, Hamburg also just released A Little Bit Cider Now. The hard cider addition features blue raspberry and cherry notes, so it’ll satisfy the sweet palates as well.
ALLENTOWN IPA – American IPA
Steelbound Brewery & Distillery – Ellicottville, NY
Drafted 7th overall in 2018, Josh Allen has quickly won the hearts of Buffalo Bills fans. Allentown IPA is an American IPA made by Steelbound in honor of the star quarterback. It’s only fitting that the quarterback of the football team in an “All-America City” has an American IPA named after him.
CIRCLE THE WAGONS – New England IPA & Pilsner
Resurgence Brewing Company – Buffalo, NY
Can’t decide which beer style you want for game day? Don’t worry, Resurgence Brewing Company, the closest brewery to the Bills’ stadium, has you covered. Circle the Wagons NEIPA and Circle the Wagons Pilsner pay homage to the Bills’ namesake, the cowboy Buffalo Bill, and his mode of transportation. The IPA features citra, galaxy, and German amarillo hops, while the pilsner is a crisp traditional German style. Grab a mixed 4-pack to bring to your next football party.
MAKE ME WANNA STOUT – Coffee Stout
Big Ditch Brewing Company – Buffalo, NY
Without a doubt my favorite of the Buffalo Bills beers, but that’s because I love dark beers. Make Me Wanna Stout by Big Ditch breaks the mold on traditional football beers. Instead of an IPA, pilsner, or lager, this one is a coffee and cream stout. It’s dark, made with local coffee beans, and has a wonderfully creamy texture. It’s delicious, and perfect for those cold Sunday fun days.
TABLES ON TABLES – American Light Lager
Other Half Brewing – Brooklyn, NY & Buffalo, NY
If you’ve ever been to a tailgate party at the Buffalo Bills stadium, you’ve seen someone jump through a table. Maybe multiple people. I don’t get it, but that’s their thing. So Other Half made a beer about it. Tables on Tables is a New England IPA featuring citra, stata, and el dorado hops.
TABLE SMASHER – Kolsch
12 Gates Brewing Company – Williamsville, NY
I wasn’t kidding about the table thing. Here’s another beer dedicated to the strange Bills Mafia tradition. Table Smasher is a traditional kolsch made with local honey. A great light beer perfect for drinking during the next big game.
LET’S GO PILS – American Light Lager
Community Beer Works – Buffalo, NY
Are you truly a Buffalo fan if you’re not shouting “Let’s Go Bills!” while drinking a Let’s Go Pils during tonight’s game? Community Beer Works is the mastermind of this American Light Lager. It’s dry and crisp with notes of melon and grape from the Hallertau Blanc hops.
NOT A FOOTBALL BEER – American Lager
Pressure Drop Brewing – Buffalo, NY
This clearly states it’s Not a Football Beer, so I don’t know why I put it on the list. They definitely don’t want you drinking this crisp lager on Sunday afternoons or Thursday and Monday nights. And they sure didn’t take a photo of the beer in front of the Bills stadium.
WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU RATHER BEER – Kolsch
42 North Brewing Company – East Aurora, NY
It’s no secret that I absolutely love 42 North Brewing. How can you not love a brewery where you can spend the night? Well, they wanted to get in on the fun and made their own Buffalo Bills beer, perfect for any tailgate. Where Else Would You Rather Beer? is a light-bodied kolsch made with Nelson Sauvin hops.
NUMBER 17 – West Coast IPA
NUMBER 14 – East Coast IPA
Brickyard Brewing Company – Lewiston, NY
If one Josh Allen beer wasn’t enough, don’t worry. It’s not just the Buffalo football community who loves this quarterback, but the craft beer community does too. Number 17 speaks for itself. Representing Josh Allen’s jersey number, the West Coast IPA also pays homage to his California roots. The beer features Chinook, El Dorado & Simcoe hops.
But wait – there’s more! The counterpart for Number 17 is Number 14, a New England IPA made to honor Bills’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The hazy brew features tropical notes.
TAILGATE TIME IPA – American IPA
The Herd – American Lager
Ellicottville Brewing Company – Ellicottville, NY
I don’t know which is better – the name, the label, or the taste of Tailgate Time IPA. They say that there are no fans that are more hardcore than Bills fans, and that is captured perfectly in the artwork. As for the beer itself, it’s a bright IPA with notes of apricot and lemon.
If you’re a diehard Bills fan, you know that their division rivals are the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets. All of whom are features on Ellicottville’s second Bills beer – The Herd. Designed to be had during football games, this crushable lager is everything you wanted in a game day beer.
(By principle, I can’t drink a beer that specifically hates on the Dolphins, haha.)
FRUTIE FLAKES – Wheat Beer
Billsberry Bombshell – Hard Cider
War Horse Brewing Company – Geneva, NY
It’s not just current Bills’ quarterbacks that get honored with their own craft beers. Frutie Flakes by War Horse Brewing Company is a play on ‘Flutie Flakes’, the breakfast cereal from the late ’90s. Both flakes pay tribute to Doug Flutie, quarterback for the Bills from 1998-2000. The wheat beer contains notes of blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, banana, and a touch of vanilla.
Who says breweries only make beers that are Bills-themed? War Horse pushed the boundaries and created a Buffalo Bills cider too. Featuring the famous Buffalo loganberry flavor, Billsberry Bombshell is sure to be a football party hit.
BILLIEVABLE – Hard Cider
Blue Toad Hard Cider – Rochester, NY
Rochester doesn’t have its own professional football team, so they are just as big Bills fans as their friends in Buffalo. So Blue Toad Cider joined in on the Bills-themed drinks and created the Billievable Hard Cider. With blueberry and cherry notes, this cider is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
SHOUT! – Hard Cider
Clarksburg Cider Company – Lancaster, NY
A perfectly balanced cider that isn’t too tart not too sweet, Shout! is another play on the Bills’ fight song. According to Clarksburg Cider Company, this cider “scores every time”.
QB1 LABATT BLUE LIGHT SELTZER – Hard Seltzer
Labatt Brewing Company – Toronto, CA & Buffalo, NY
Okay, okay, this one isn’t a craft beer. Heck, it’s not even a beer. But since Labatt Blue Light is the unofficial beer of the Buffalo Bills, they felt it was only right to make a Bills’ themed seltzer as well. QB1 Labatt Blue Light Seltzer features flavors of raspberry, lemon, and cherry.
More Football-Themed Beers
TAILGATE PILSNER – Meier’s Creek Brewing Company
Syracuse, NY
A beer to make any football fan happy, Tailgate Pilsner by Meier’s Creek is perfectly crushable no matter what team you love. Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Syracuse Orange… Stock up for your next tailgate.
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