Long Grove brewer forms partnership

Buffalo Creek Brewing in historic downtown Long Grove is collaborating with Brown's Brewing Co. in Troy, New York, for an homage to back to school season this month.

Buffalo Creek owner/brewmaster Mike Marr is preparing to resurrect Cherry Razz, a Brown's original recipe he first fell in love with during his college days in the mid-90s at Troy's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The amber strong ale will be re-launched on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. at Buffalo Creek Brewing.

To celebrate, Marr will also co-host a virtual launch party on Zoom with Brown's Troy Taproom & Brewery during this time (those interested can visit www.BuffaloCreekBrewing.com/Events to obtain the public Zoom link).

“You always remember your first love,” said Marr, who opened the Bavarian-inspired Buffalo Creek Brewing three years ago. “Brown's Cherry Razz is the beer that sparked my passion for brewing and it's a dream come true to introduce it to Chicagoland all these years later. I'm thrilled to bring both breweries together and look forward to kicking things off over a virtual pint with Brown's beermakers on Zoom on Sept. 19.”

“First brewed close to three decades ago, this beer strikes a very positive chord with many new to craft beer,” said Brown's owner Garry Brown. Kelly Brown, Garry's wife, added “It was so well received back in the day that the public's name for it, Cherry Razz, stuck as the official name. That's taking ownership of a beer!” Brown's Brewing has been around longer than most craft breweries. It's the success story of a hard-working couple with the guts and determination to build a brewery simply because they wanted a place to drink good beer. Two breweries, and countless awards and accolades for beer and scratch cooking, Brown's Brewing's continues to craft a revolution of its own.

While Mike enjoyed all of Brown's beers during his collegiate days, Cherry Razz is the one that stood out. The beer is a unique, undefined amber strong ale with a rich, fruit forward tone. The recipe has gone through many iterations and today's version is similar yet refined from what was first brewed when Mike fell for it at Brown and Moran's taproom (which later became Brown's Brewing) in Troy. As a matter of fact, he loved it so much he bought two kegs for a party he threw after he accepted his first job offer. Now that Mike owns his own brewery just north of Chicago, it's fitting that his first collaborative effort be the beer that started it all. Cherry Razz will be available in the taproom as well as outside on Buffalo Creek Brewing's spacious biergarten and lawns starting September 19.

Buffalo Creek Brewing complies with all COVID-19 health and safety regulations to protect customers and staff, including tables distanced at least 6-feet apart, the implementation of sanitizing stations, and mandatory mask-wearing inside the taproom when not seated.