Mt. Hope’s BrewFest Helps ‘Kick Start” New Breweries

It is extremely hard to transition from home brewer to selling the first beer.  The trials and tribulations of perfecting the product to opening the doors and selling to the public has many set-backs.  The 2012 BrewFest at Mt. Hope will provide an opportunity to new start-up breweries to highlight their product and share their unique tasting beer to the general public. In most cases the home brewers beer will be out in public for the very first time sampling to a large beer-savvy audience.

Just as money is an issue for start-up companies, the same applies to home brewers.  A website called “kickstarter” (www.kickstarter.com) is a funding platform for new and creative projects.  Individuals share their products through the “kickstarter” website and if it catches the interest of a visitor to the website, they can support the idea/business through donations.  The concept is simple – you never know where the next best idea will come from. The new start-up breweries are represented on “kickstarter” and are ready to share the business of beer with audiences like those who attend BrewFest.

The BrewFest festival is separated into two sessions, each lasting four hours in length. The first session is scheduled from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. and the second is from 4:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Beer fans can sample and learn about a variety of beers ranging from lagers to pilsners, porters to stouts, fruit beers to wheat beers and everything in between.

The Food

No beer festival would be complete without food to be paired with brews. At the BrewFest, beer fans will enjoy a variety of foods, included in the price of admission. Visit any of the Faire’s eight all-you-can-eat food booths around the faire grounds, all offering a different selection of foods. Fill up on fan favorites like Pork Barbeque, Corndogs, Cheeseburgers and more! Free bottled water and soda are available at all food booths.

The Music

Live Americana, Folk and Rock music from six high-energy bands, all hailing from Central PA, will create a festive soundtrack to the BrewFest. Throughout the sessions there will be live performances from Colebrook Road, DarryMiller & the Veil, Mark DeRose and the Way Home, MiZ, They Were Only Satellites, and Toy Soldiers. There will be three stages of music with each band will performing a one-hour set during each session.

A Side of Fun

In addition to unlimited sampling from microbreweries, free food and live entertainment, visitors to the 4th annual BrewFest at Mount Hope will have the opportunity to watch homebrew demonstrations, shop among a host of vendors offering the best in beer gear and merchandise from t-shirts to home brewing kits, and observe an AHA/BJCP sanctioned Homebrew Competition. During this competition, local homebrewers enter their best and most unique brews for the chance to win the grand prize, the opportunity to brew with Swashbuckler’s Brewmaster to create a specialty beer to be sampled at the 2013 BrewFest.

The Cause

The BrewFest will be raising money for the Central PA Food Bank. Participating breweries and vendors as well as some local businesses have donated items that will be used in a raffle during the BrewFest. Patrons will have the option to purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win prizes that range from t-shirts to beer, to gift certificates with all proceeds going to the Food Bank. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank distributes more than 22 million pounds of food and grocery products every year to more than 650 soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries in 27 central Pennsylvania counties. These agencies directly feed thousands of hungry families throughout central Pennsylvania.

The Details

The deliciously entertaining BrewFest at Mount Hope takes place Saturday, May 12, 2012. Divided into two tasting sessions, the first session is scheduled from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. and the second is scheduled from 4:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Tasting tickets are limited and cost $40 in advance and $45 at the gate. An unlimited number of designated driver tickets are available for each session and cost $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased online at www.PaRenFaire.com or by calling the Box Office at 717.665.7021, ext. 231.

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