There are two kinds of beer; free beer and cold beer. And free beer doesn't have to be cold. But Erie County is giving out free beer, and it's cold.

To get the vaccine or not to get the vaccine?

It's not a simple question for anyone, as much as some of us may want it to be. The one question that should be simple to answer; do you want things to get back to life as we know it as soon as possible? No matter what your view of the vaccine, I'm pretty sure most Buffalonians would say yes.

It's with that idea, getting things back to some semblance of "normal" as quickly as we can, that Erie County health officials have taken a different approach to convincing people in Western New York to get their vaccine. The idea? This has to be one of the most Buffalo events ever; 'Shot and a Chaser' clinics at local breweries. That's classic. Get your shot (the vaccination) and get a chaser (a free beer).

The second 'Shot and a Chaser' event got the attention of more than just the people who showed up at Resurgence Brewing. It got Stephen Colbert's attention, where he took the opportunity to poke a little fun at us. (Skip to 2:02 for the Buffalo reference)

Sure, it was low-hanging fruit to make fun of a town known for its tailgaters' antics and has a last-call of four in the morning. But no matter what it looks like from the outside looking in, you've got to give credit to the Erie County health department for being forward-thinking. They looked at the declining numbers in vaccinations, and instead of just beating everyone over the head with a thicket of words about why you should get the vaccine, they came up with a plan to get in front of the people they're trying to get vaccinated.

According to WIVB, Erie county department of health commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein wanted to meet the community halfway, saying,

"We really need to reach out to more of our population in their 20s and 30s. They've had a lower uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, so we're trying really hard to go to meet people where they are in the community. And this is such a great place to have a beer and to have lunch at Resurgence, so we figured there might be a lot of people who come out to Resurgence anyway."

There are at least three more 'Shot and a Chaser' clinics happening, two this Saturday. But there are only a limited amount of appointments. Click HERE to sign up.

Steelbound Brewery on May 15
Thin Man/Tappo Pizza on May 15
12 Gates Brewing Company on May 20

Stephen Colbert, I know you're reading this, so I'd like to formally invite you to Buffalo to experience the Queen City in a way only a true Buffalonian can. Maybe you'll want to get your 'Shot and a Chaser' while you're here. Cheers!

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