Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - This is not your typical beer run.
Big Ditch Brewing Company has announced a partnership with the YMCA Buffalo Niagara on Friday in the release of the first beer ever brewed to celebrate the Buffalo Turkey Trot, “Turkey Trotter” Blonde Ale.
"It's very, very cool," said Matt Kahn, President and Co-Founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company. "I personally have run the Turkey Trot for, I think, 10 years, 15 years or so. It's one of the greatest traditions that we have here in Western New York. It's the oldest continually running footrace in the country, and we sort of thought it deserves its own beer."
Kahn says the idea of an official beer for the Turkey Trot came to him years ago when he first helped open Big Ditch Brewing Company, while also taking part as a runner in the Turkey Trot.
"Maybe just a little while after that, went over to the party and [thought], 'You know, there really needs to be a beer here,'" Kahn explained. "It actually took this many years, about seven years to sort of make the right connections and bring this sort of vision to reality. So very happy to be able to do that and work [with] the YMCA."
The annual YMCA Turkey Trot is celebrating its 127th start in 2022, and is the world’s oldest consecutively run footrace. This year's race will also mark a return to normalcy for organizers after a couple of years of being forced to alter plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The great thing is with certain things that we're doing, working with different community partners, such as our announcement that we have with Big Ditch Brewing Company... It's a celebration of the runners throughout our 127 years" said Mike Baggerman from YMCA Buffalo Niagara. "We're super excited for it, this year is going to be the best ever."
Each year, the Turkey Trot is held on Thanksgiving morning, and currently draws up to 14,000 runners. The 4.97-mile route begins on Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo and finishes near the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, where the post-race party is almost as popular as the race itself.
Of course, Turkey Trotter will be available to drink at this party as well.
"When you think about the Turkey Trot, one thing we're always careful to say is that people don't run the Turkey Trot. Yes, there are the runners, the competitive track stars, the cross country college athletes that are always at the front, but this is your trotter. You're there to go out, have a good time. You don't have to be running like you're going to the gym," Baggerman said. "I mean, we have costume contests. There's a guy who's been running the race for years now that carries a full on canoe over his head for the five-mile race. He carries it over his head this entire time. This is a celebration of Buffalo. It's a celebration of the YMCA. It's the YMCA Turkey Trot."
While the name of the beer is a no-brainer for the event, what can beer lovers and aficionados expect when they get a taste of Turkey Trotter?
"We describe it as, like, a perfect finish line beer," Kahn said. "I always think is a perfect, like, post-race beverage. It's got protein and carbohydrates, your metabolism's running really high, so you can have a few and feel great. I know I do, anyway.
"We call it a refreshing blonde ale. It's got a crackery malt flavor and light, hoppy fruit flavor. Very easy to drink, that's sort of the whole point around this. Nothing too difficult to drink, not super strong, it's only 4.7% [ABV]. So just a great beer to refresh you at the end of the race. Before your Thanksgiving dinner, I guess."
Turkey Trotter is now available on draft or to-go in six-packs of 12-ounce cans at Big Ditch Brewing Company’s taproom at 55 East Huron Street in Downtown Buffalo. The beer will also be available in six-packs at craft beer retailers and supermarkets throughout Western New York in the coming week.
And when you purchase a pint or six-pack of Turkey Trotter, a portion of the purchase will go towards supporting the YMCA.
"For every single six-pack that is sold in a store, $1 is going to go to the YMCA," Baggerman explained. "If you go to Big Ditch's restaurant on East Huron Street in Downtown Buffalo, if you were to get just a pint of it starting Friday night, you will benefit the YMCA. It's going to go towards our mission of strengthening the Western New York community. It's going to go to help things like children learning how to swim, it's going to help combat food inequities."
"We brew this for the Turkey Trot, but a portion of sales proceeds from this beer are going to be donated back to the YMCA Buffalo Niagara, to support the efforts to strengthen the Western New York community," Kahn added. "We appreciate what they do for us, and we're happy to give a little something back to them."
Registration for the YMCA Buffalo Turkey Trot is open and available online at www.ymcaturkeytrot.org. The Turkey Trotter beer cans will also contain a QR code, which can be scanned to register for the Turkey Trot race.
Oct. 14 is the last day anyone can sign up for the early bird fee of $37 for the Turkey Trot.