The 6th Annual Schuylkill County Brew Fest on Saturday, May 16th will include 40 breweries and a new homebrew contest.
Event organizers Dave Cantwell (Cousin Dave Ent) and Tyler Budwash (Pilger Ruh Brewing) have been working vigorously to put together another amazing event.
“The move from Frackville to Downtown Pottsville really helped the event thrive. We’re making some adjustments to the layout of the festival this year which I’m sure everyone will be happy about,” says Cantwell.
Over the span of 6 years, the Schuylkill County Brew Fest has grown to be one of the area’s premier events.
“I put a lot of thought into the brewery list. The vast majority of the brewers have become legitimate friends of mine over the years and are constantly helping me get my own brewery open. Every year is like a big family gathering for us,” adds Budwash.
Like years past, the 2020 Brew Fest will feature plenty of familiar breweries such as Troeg’s, Revere, Abomination, and Three Phase Brewing.
Like years past, the 2020 Brew Fest will feature plenty of familiar breweries such as Troeg’s, Revere, Abomination, and Three Phase Brewing.
“We don’t do a lot of events, but we make ourselves available for this festival every year,” Josh Arno, owner/brewer of Abomination Brewing Company, a nomadic brewery that recently relocated to North Haven CT from Stoudsburg PA.
Returning for its third year is the Skook Series, a collaboration beer made just for this festival between Pilger Ruh Brewing and the other participating breweries. “I want that belt!” exclaims Brad Moyer, a Schuylkill County native, who is now the brewer at Liquid Noise Brewing Co. in Marysville PA.
Breweries such as Rotunda Brewing Company and Tattered Flag look to win the championship title for a second time while others such as Snitz Creek Brewery, Burd’s Nest Brewing Co, and Hidden Stories Brewing Co. look to strike championship gold for the first time.
The festival continues to grow every year, and new for 2020 is the first ever Schuylkill County Homebrew Competition that will take place during the event.
The festival continues to grow every year, and new for 2020 is the first ever Schuylkill County Homebrew Competition that will take place during the event.
“One thing that Schuylkill County needs is a homebrew community and homebrew club, and I want to help make that happen. We started out doing homebrew competitions before we got serious about opening a brewery of our own,” Tyler Budwash.
As of this writing, almost 20 homebrewers have signed up for the competition. There will be a preliminary vote March 13th as only 8 homebrewers will be selected to pour at this year’s event.
Just like the Skook Series, attendees will vote for the winner of the homebrew competition who will receive a championship title belt.
The 6th Annual Schuylkill County Brew Fest takes place Saturday, May 16th in Downtown Pottsville on Centre Street between Market and Laurel.
The 6th Annual Schuylkill County Brew Fest takes place Saturday, May 16th in Downtown Pottsville on Centre Street between Market and Laurel.
The General Admission session will start at 2pm, but you can gain early access to the festival at 1pm by purchasing a VIP ticket. There will be less than 100 VIP tickets sold and besides the extra hour of sampling, you’ll get an exclusive VIP glass and VIP beers throughout the hour with only a fraction of the crowd.
The event will feature 40 breweries, live music, food and craft vendors, and two fan vote competitions. Presale starts March 1st with GA tickets only $35.00. They will go up to $40.00 on April 1st.
You can find more information and GA and VIP ticket links on the event Facebook page or www.puffspromotions.com.