Who is CBW?
Brewing quality, award-winning beer in Buffalo, NY since 2012.
In 2012, Community Beer Works opened a [very] small brewery in a garage space on Lafayette Ave in Buffalo’s West Side neighborhood. With a focus on producing high-quality, locally-sourced craft beer, the brewery quickly gained a reputation for its innovative brews and commitment to using fresh, local ingredients.
Over the years, Community Beer Works has grown in size and popularity. In 2018, CBW opened a new taproom and production facility just down the road at 520 7th. St in Buffalo’s Lower West Side. The 7th street space features a 20 BBL brewing system, a large open format tasting room with full restaurant, front and back patios, and more space for visitors to enjoy their beer. With that local expansion also came the acquisition of a canning line, allowing further distribution of CBW Beer across New York State. You can find CBW beer almost anywhere you look in WNY – a testament to the quality and popularity of their beer.
In addition to their focus on brewing great beer, Community Beer Works has also become known for their commitment to giving back to the community. They regularly participate in local fundraisers and donate a portion of their profits to local charities and organizations.
Our goal is to foster a sense of togetherness and place, enriching our communities and bringing people together through the love of great beer. CBW’s foundation is firmly cemented in the City of Good Neighbors, but we work hard to be an integral part of every community that welcomes us.
Build community in all that you do and good things happen!
Meet CBW!

Chris Smith
President & Co-Founder
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
Our OG, our first, our classic tried and true, Frank American Pale Ale!
Operations & Finance

Justin Frost
Director of Operations
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
The best year-round brown ale ever brewed, The Whale!
Brewing & Packaging

Ryan Demler
Director of Brewing Operations
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
Dreizehn, a dynamite German-Style Pilsner from our Hydraulic Hearth brewstation.

Robert Turley
Head Brewer
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
The Whale (a perfect brown ale for all seasons and reasons), and bourbon barrel-aged Bindlestiff Barleywine.

Vandra Ruppel
Brewer
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
Ein Bier Bitte Hefeweizen and The Whale (it’s wonderful to make and enjoy!).

Justin Daugherty
Packaging & Warehouse Manager
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
2020 GABF gold-medal winning The Snow Imperial Stout, and Gose With Strawberry & Lemon Sour Ale.

Chris ”Pepper” Jones
Lead Cellarman
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
GABF bronze-winning That IPA, Interrobang IPA and Dude Incredible Sour Stout with Raspberries.
Sales, Marketing & Advertising

Chris Groves
Marketing Director
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
Import Export Export-Style Stout, Interrobang IPA, and Gose With Mixed Berry Sour Ale.

Brittney Sikora
Creative Director
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
All time fav, Frank Pale Ale with Strawberry Gold a close second.Thirst Aid Kit Grisette, reallllly good!

Andrew Kulaszewski
Sales
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
Anything sour!
Restaurant

Mike “Mac” McNamara
Head Chef
CBW Beer Selects 🍻
The Whale Brown Ale!