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This week, Brian isn't just picking one beer—he’s recapping the entire CollaBEERation 6 experience. This past Saturday, April 25, 2026, the Buffalo beer community descended upon The Powerhouse in Larkinville for the ultimate showcase of Western New York’s creative brewing spirit.
The Champions & Fan Favorites The competition was fierce this year, with nearly 40 collaborative brews vying for the coveted Buffalo Beer Geeks Championship Belt.
- 1st Place (The Winner): Eli Fish Brewing – Diddy Kong: The Reckoning
- Style: Banana Root Beer Seltzer
- Brian’s Take: This blew the roof off the place. It’s root beer forward with a smooth banana finish that tastes exactly like those old-school root beer barrel hard candies. A rare win for a non-beer/non-sour!
- 2nd Place: Quentin (Collaboration beer)
- 3rd Place (Tie):
- BriarBrothers Brewing – Bananas Among Us (Banana Maple Nut Brown Ale)
- Mountain Roads Brewing – Double Jump Juice (Double Dry Hopped IPA)
Brian’s Highlight Reel - The "Throwback" Play: Pod City Beer Labs (Pizza Plant) set up a full water-pong table for their Beer Pong Pils. In a sea of wild adjuncts, this "beer that tastes like beer" was the perfect refreshing palate cleanser. Brian admits to going back 7 or 8 times before the keg finally kicked!
- The Sabres Spark: BriarBrothers tapped Warpath Lager, their new Sabres-themed brew. Brian credits this beer for the Sabres' massive 6-1 win over the Bruins in Game 4 of the playoffs the very next day.
- Most Visually Stunning: New York Beer Project brought back the "glitter beer" with Rainbow Road Gummy Glitter, a pineapple blonde ale that looked incredible under the Powerhouse’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
- The Cask Comeback: Hamburg Brewing & Flying Bison teamed up for a re-brew of the legendary Brindle Porter. Seeing a cask at a festival always warms Brian's heart, and the version aged on rum chips and coconut was a standout.
Special Shout-outs A huge thank you to the organizers: Paul Marco, Joe Yeager, and Eric Coleman (Beer by Coleman). The VIP section was the best it’s ever been, featuring incredible guest pours like Human Robot’s 666 (a West Coast Pilsner collab with Widowmaker).
Connect With The League - Website: BuffaloBeerLeague.com
- Hotline: 716-486-BEER (2337) — Call us with your favorite collab from the fest!
- Watch: Look for full video recaps and interviews on the WNY Brews YouTube channel soon.
- Bonus Episode: Don't miss this week's other episode featuring Spotted Octopus – Billy’s Smoking Jacket (Smoked Maibock).
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