Old First Ward Brewing Co (Gene McCarthy's)

About Us:

Twenty years ago a then young "Beer Messiah", Bill Metzger, met Matt Conron during Matt's stint as head brewer of Breckenridge Brewing in downtown Buffalo. Their paths would part over the next several years, but as fate would have it, Matt found himself home brewing in Bill's Old First Ward building before too long.

Bill and Matt decided to purchase Gene McCarthy's, with the intent of establishing a brewery in the Old First Ward. Like all good Irish pubs, St. Patrick's Day (and March in general) is the busiest time of year. After their first successful March, in 2012, the two beer lovers took the meager proceeds and purchased a brewing system from a brewpub called The Three Needs, out of Burlington, Vermont. The system sat in storage in Ballston Spa, New York, for over a year, until they could amass the funds to start construction on a brewery (the next March). Brewery construction started in May of 2013, and Matt's beer flowed from the taps by February of 2014.

Much of what OFW Brewing does has evolved over time. The opening boasted three beers: a hefeweizen; a pale ale; and an oatmeal stout. Matt has now brewed over 25 beers and manages four to six strains of yeast. OFW prides itself on brewing a wide range of beers, using traditional methods and improving on tried and true ones. For example, OFW lagers are just that: fermented at 50-55° Farenheit for two to three weeks, then conditioned for 4-6 weeks. OFW Hopster and This is Not A Pale Ale have two separate hopping additions and take up to four weeks to make. OFW Liaison is a saison, fermented with Saison DuPont yeast and finished at 85-90° F during its final stage.

OFW is constantly looking to improve what they do in both product and process.

This means improving upon the beers offered as regulars, as well as trying out new styles and flavors.

We hope you enjoy our craft, and will help us drink it!