Penfield's K2 Brothers Brewing pushing into Buffalo with Hatchets and Hops partnership

Growing Rochester-area brewery taking over taproom at Black Rock neighborhood axe-throwing business

Already renovating a Wayne County elementary school into a destination location, Penfield-based K2 Brothers Brewing is pushing into the Buffalo market with a new partnership.

K2 is teaming with Hatchets and Hops and will open a branded taproom inside the axe-throwing business’ second location in Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood. The new partnership, which will be known as the K2 Brothers Taps and Hatchets and Hops, will showcase nine K2 beers on draft, including one-off releases and taproom exclusives.

The new partners expect to host a kick-off party on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the west-side Buffalo spot located at 68 Townawanda St.

Married couple Katrina and Andrew Piechowicz own three Hatchets and Hops locations, including the original one in downtown Buffalo and another down in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Hatchets and Hops will celebrate its seventh anniversary next month. They also own Twin Petrels Seltzer Co., a hard seltzer producer, which is a really short distance away from the Black Rock spot.

“I opened this second location on the west side of Buffalo during the pandemic and it felt like it’s never been able to fully reach its potential,” Andrew Piechowicz said. “I got wind of Mortalis opening here and it got me thinking. It’s always been hatchets first and the bar has always been secondary. But what if I put the beer first and made it a beer destination where you can throw axes? For me, it had to be a partnership.”

And the partnership came about pretty quickly, both sides agreed.

Twin Petrels, the first hard seltzer-focused producer in this region, is located in the original Resurgence Brewing location. That building will soon be home to Avon-based Mortalis Brewing’s new satellite taproom. Mortalis will team up with Illumination Meadery in the new spot. Canandaigua’s Frequentem Brewing is in the process of opening its first satellite taproom. It’ll be in Buffalo’s Old First Ward neighborhood.

So you could potentially call it a looming 585 takeover of the 716. (After all, we once shared the same 716 area code.)

Sean Smith, K2’s sales and marketing director, said nine of the 10 lines at Hatchet and Hops will be devoted to K2 beers. The last tap will feature a Twin Petrels seltzer.

“We’re not looking to do any brewing there,” Smith said. “We’ll have plenty of space for that at the school. We resonate so well in Rochester. But the farther west you go, and being a Buffalo guy myself, we can build more awareness. Buffalo is kinda like Rochester, we support our own. It’s gonna be cool to get out there. We do a lot of Blue Razz (fruited sour) in Buffalo. It’s just a way to get our name farther out west. And it’s an opportunity where they wanted a partner.”

Hatchet and Hops’ second location is bigger than the original and features outdoor patio space, too. The location is poised to be a piece of the west-side Buffalo beer trail. Pressure Drop is on Elmwood. Froth is close. Twin Petrels and Mortalis will be in the same Niagara Street building. This K2-HH partnership helps bridge that gap, Andrew Piechowicz said. While Community Beer Works completes the trail.

“We couldn’t just put anyone in here,” Piechowicz said. “It had to be good. And I have a fully functioning bar, so we can move quick. We just want to make it better.”

And thankfully, the K2 crew roots for the Buffalo Bills. Eventually, patrons will be able to scoop up K2 cans and merchandise at the satellite space, too.

“This is awesome. When Andrew got a hold of me and we started talking about this, it’s really a dream come true,” said Smith, a Buffalo native.

School project update

Kyle and Brad Kennedy, the founders of K2 Brothers, are just goofy enough to transform a shuttered Wayne County elementary school into a destination brewery. And work is progressing on schedule, Smith said.

Demolition work is nearly complete at the former Free Will Elementary School property, 4320 Canandaigua Road in Walworth. After clearing all the red tape, gaining all necessary approvals, and purchasing the 42-acre property from the Wayne Central School District, work started earlier this year.

The Walworth project remains on schedule. The taproom could be open by November, Smith said. And the brewhouse will be installed before the end of the year, if all goes according to plan.

The plan is to only utilize only a fraction of the 72,000-square-foot building at first. But other phases will convert the rest of the space into different entertainment options and meeting areas, the Kennedys said. There are also big plans for the expansive outdoor space.

K2 opened its original Empire Boulevard location in late 2017. As of late head brewer Adam Keith and K2 have formed a partnership with the recently opened Bar-Bill East, also on Empire Boulevard. K2 brews Bar-Bill’s house IPA.

Smith said they can’t brew enough beer to meet demand. So the 20-barrel system planned for the Walworth location will help K2 ramp up production, especially for its fast-selling series of fruited sours.

“We envision this place being a mix of Dave and Buster’s, Lasertron, and Radio Social, and all under one roof,” Brad Kennedy said in May.