FeBREWary

Several Downtown businesses were packed on Saturday evening with a parade of beer tasters who signed up for the Business Improvement District's annual FeBREWary events.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Hundreds of thirsty visitors walked the streets of downtown Batavia this weekend in search of some tasty ale.

As it turned out, they found plenty of it -- 21 stops, in fact, of craft brews, ciders, and meads at various merchants throughout the Business Improvement District. It was the annual FeBREWary beer walk hosted by the BID.

Beverages, snacks, raffles, and prizes aside, the bustling sidewalks were a welcomed attraction, BID Executive Director Shannon Maute said. Overall, the event went "extremely well," she said.

"We had just about 600 attendees. It was nice to see people walking our main streets and filling our downtown businesses," she said. "Everyone seemed to be having a great time."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

There are still some tickets remaining for the 2023 Febrewary beer walk Saturday in downtown Batavia, so grab your coat and gloves and head out for a cold one. 

General admission tickets are $30 and include a collectible snifter glass, snacks along the way, raffles and giveaways, and tastings from 5 to 8 p.m. VIP tickets are $40 and include all of the regular features plus an extra hour, from 4 to 8 p.m., an exclusive tasting and a food station.

Designated drivers will be able to partake of the specials, raffles, snacks and non-alcoholic tastings for $10.

Tickets may be purchased at Event Brite, and there will be a limited number of paper tickets available at Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle shop on Center Street and Yngodess on Main Street, Batavia. They will also be available for purchase on Saturday. For more information, go to BID Febrewary. 

As the Western New York weather rollercoaster continues its ride — with predictions of another blizzard looming for next weekend — it would be nice to have something to look forward to.

And downtown Batavia’s Business Improvement District has the answer, Executive Director Shannon Maute says.

Febrewary.

“It’s a chill event,” Maute said Tuesday, no pun intended. “People are out and enjoying themselves … there’s something for everybody.”

The event, set for 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 25, was just picking up steam for a few years when COVID hit and it was derailed in 2021, resuming the crafty beer fun walk last year.

A close replica to the BID’s popular fall wine walk, Febrewary features tastings — 21 stops are planned this year — at various downtown merchants, many of which will have specials, drawings, and giveaways, Maute said.

She is still lining up the lead performers, but 810 Meadworks of Medina, Windy Brew from Sheldon and OSB Ciderworks from Buffalo have been confirmed. Not familiar with a mead? This libation is made with honey, and dates back to Biblical times as “probably the first fermented beverage,” the company’s website states.

“More versatile than liquor, wine, or beer, mead can taste like a refreshing summer shandy, a hoppy IPA, a full-bodied Cabernet, or a fine dessert wine,” it states.

Windy Brew is a Wyoming County-based brewery of craft beers, and OSB’s lineup of ciders will be featuring anything from the crispy bite of homegrown concord grapes from along the Finger Lakes, and Intergalactic Raspberry combined with hibiscus flower, to the Scotch Bonnet Bomber, described as “apple forward with a throat chop of spicy.”

Of course, brewmasters such as Eli Fish of Batavia are also expected to participate, as Maute is seeking out a sour, Belgian witbier, stout, lager and other varieties of craft brew.

Maute was interim director of BID when this February event came up as her first official one, and it has been a favorite ever since, she said.

“It’s an event I like, people are just having fun,” Maute said.

General admission tickets are $30 and include a collectible snifter glass, snacks along the way, raffles and giveaways and tastings. VIP tickets are $40 and include all of the regular features plus an extra hour, from 4 to 8 p.m., an exclusive tasting and a food station.

Designated drivers will be able to partake of the specials, raffles, snacks and non-alcoholic tastings for $10.

“A lot of people were happy with the way it was at the wine walk (for DD’s),” Maute said. “They will be able to do everything, except for the tastings.”

There will be a total of 600 tickets, and 25 for designated drivers. They may be purchased at Event Brite, and there will be a limited number of paper tickets available at Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle shop on Center Street and Yngodess on Main Street, Batavia. For more information, go to BID Febrewary. 

Top two photos of 2022's event by Howard Owens. Photo above submitted by Shannon Maute.

It was a bit FeBRRRary and a lot FeBREWary in Downtown Batavia on Saturday as throngs of beer lovers descended on local businesses to sample a variety of beers from regional breweries.

Press release:

The B.I.D. FeBREWary Committee announces this year’s event which will be held on Saturday, February 26th.

Only 600 tickets are available for this year’s event. Tickets may be purchased online. General Admission tickets are $25, VIP $35 and DD tickets for $5. All VIP ticket holders get into event 1 hour early at 4 PM, a special gift, raffle tickets and more! All ticket holders will enjoy a tasting of several NYS Craft Beer and at over 20 local businesses throughout our Downtown.

For more information contact the Batavia Business Improvement District at 585-344-0900 or Shannon Maute at director@downtownbataviany.com.

It was a lot of fun shooting video of FeBREWary last night and I was looking forward to editing the footage this afternoon.

When I got home last night, I put the SD card in my computer and imported the hockey video footage. When that was done, I forgot to import FeBREWary.  

Normally, I don't take SD cards out of the computer and put them right in the camera for the next project. I rotate through them in order to diminish the chance of deleting something I'm not ready to delete. But that isn't what I did this morning -- running late to cover something, I grabbed the SD card I saw first -- the one in the computer. I didn't realize my mistake until I was ready to edit the FeBREWary video.

I was disappointed. My apologies to anybody who was looking forward to being included in the video and to the BID and Downtown businesses.