Buffalo, USA
In June 2016, only two months after a dispute with his former partner led to the implosion of '''Blue Monk''', Mike Shatzel made his triumphant return to the Elmwood Village with Thin Man, the brewpub he fashioned out of a combination of the adjacent former homes of '''Faherty's''' and '''Toro Tapas
Bar''' and named after the original automobile crash test dummy, invented in Buffalo in 1949 — a symbol of "the ingenuity, innovation and commitment to quality that have always had a home in his region", in the words of the website — creating in an instant one of the most popular and perenially packed destinations on the strip, helmed by a veritable all-star team of Buffalo's elite restaurateurs: Shatzel, partner Rocco Termini, general manager Mike Pijanowski (former owner of '''Bistro Europa'''), head chef Bruce Wieszala (late of '''Tabree''' and '''Bourbon & Butter'''), and brewmaster Rudy Watkins (co-founder and former head brewmaster at '''Community Beer Works'''). Speaking of beer, the drink list makes it clear that — more than '''727 Elmwood''', which opened contemporaneously in the former Blue Monk space; more than '''Allen Burger Venture''', '''Moor Pat''', or any of the other craft beer-centric restaurants Shatzel runs — Thin Man is the rightful heir to Blue Monk's storied legacy: the slate of beers Watkins produces in-house is augmented by a range of several dozen other craft beers that strikes a near-perfect balance between local brews, beers hailing from elsewhere in t
Listen to the audio guide for Thin Man Brewery Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off