Big Ditch Brewing Co. and the Buffalo Maritime Center launched a special beer on Thursday to commemorate the bicentennial voyage this September of the Erie Canal replica boat Seneca Chief.
The new Long Haul honey lager is made in the style of early canal-era beers, said Matt Kahn, president of Big Ditch Brewing Co. Kahn said Big Ditch began working on the brewing project well before establishing its tap room in Lockport.
The Seneca Chief even made the trip to Lockport for Thursday’s event, allowing on-deck visits of the replica canal boat.
“The coolest part about this is that on Sept. 24, Lockport is going to be the first stop for the Seneca Chief,” said Dave Kinyon, chairman of the Lockport Locks Heritage District. “So Lockport’s Big Ditch is the first location to unveil Long Haul. It’s very emblematic of the Erie Canal. To travel the entire length of the Erie Canal was a long haul. It gives recognition to the boat captains and their crews (for) being able to manage the long haul.”
Kinyon said wheat and barley used in beer making were major commodities that traveled on barges along the Erie Canal to grain elevators in Buffalo.
Kahn said the beer was brewed with traditional spruce tips, clover honey, New York hops, and six-row barley.
“We were trying to replicate what a beer would taste like in the 1800s,” he said.
Kahn said the project was a great fit for the brewery, which is named after the Erie Canal’s nickname. As the Seneca Chief heads along the canal in September, Kahn said Big Ditch will serve the beer at every stop it makes.
“Brewing Long Haul in collaboration with the Buffalo Maritime Center lets us honor the canal’s 200-year legacy while crafting a beer that will travel with the Seneca Chief to nearly every port along the way,” Kahn said. “We’re thrilled to toast New York’s history with our neighbors from Buffalo to New York City.”