BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Brewing Company owner, John Domres, has high hopes for his continued redevelopment of the historic Schreiber Brewery at 662 Fillmore Ave., saying "This could be the most important thing I do in my lifetime."
This is a story of a proud history's link to a promising future.
"Beer is the second most celebrated beverage in the world, so look to the history of beer and look at it as a conduit to the future," Domres said.
For Domres, transforming the former Polonia brewery into the future home of his Buffalo Brewing Company is his dream, slowly becoming reality. But the dream is about more than just making beer. "Oh, I think there's a lot of traction going in Broadway Fillmore in general," and Domres says he wants to be a big part of that.
It's about being part of something greater and that is why he has concentrated on tying in his beer menu to the history of the area. From his Manru line, which was the flagship beer of the original Schreiber Brewery, to the Buffalo Terminale he created as a fundraiser for Central Terminal.
"I wanted to work with our neighborhood partners here and help get the word out that we're in Broadway Fillmore, even though we have a retail location in Larkinville, we're making all our beer here in Broadway Fillmore and the Central Terminal is the last brave frontier of redevelopment projects in Buffalo. It's perhaps the most critical to the success of not only Broadway Fillmore but the greater east side," Domres said.
Domres' link to the neighborhood's history recently took a huge step forward with a message he recieved from the great-grandson of the original Schreiber brewmaster.
Domres was sent the grandfather's original records for all of the beers they brewed a century ago.
"These beers give us a real glimpse into pre-prohibition American beer. This is the first time anyone has ever seen a brewhouse report from a pre-prohibition brewery," Domres said.
It also offers a glimpse into the brewer's cookbook, that john will now use as a reference as he forges ahead in resurrecting the past.