Savor the Suds From America’s Finest Microbreweries at the BrewFest at Mount Hope
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Beer fans will flock to Mount Hope Estate in Lancaster County Saturday, May 9, for unlimited beer sampling, free food
and live music. It’s a celebration of all that is ale at the first ever BrewFest at Mount Hope featuring up to thirty
microbreweries from all across America sampling their finest trademark ales and seasonal favorites.
The BrewFest salutes microbreweries who have transformed their love of beer into a passionate business. The list of
participating breweries includes many local PA favorites and breweries from the East and West coasts. The festival is
broken into two separate 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 P.M. to 8 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.
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The Food |
No beer festival would be complete without an all-you-can-eat buffet. At the BrewFest, beer fans will enjoy not one but
three free buffets featuring popular foods from three different countries. The Irish buffet will feature traditional sage and
onion flavored bangers served over mashed potatoes with onion gravy, spiced corned beef with broth steamed cabbage,
Stout Stew and soda bread. American pub foods including beer and cheese soup made from Swashbuckler beer, foot long
Angus beef hot dogs and chicken marinated in a Swashbuckler brew with herbs and spices will round out the American
buffet menu. Traditional dishes will make up the German buffet menu including a wine and vinegar-spiced beef roast
known as sauerbraten, sauerkraut, seasoned bratwurst cooked in Swashbuckler’s stout beer and hot bacon potato salad.
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The Music |
Live Americana, Folk and Rock music from four high-energy bands will create a festive soundtrack to the BrewFest. The
band 6 Day Bender hails from Charlottesville and features a banjo picking meets drums, electric guitar and bass sound
they describe as "Mountain Rock 'n' Roll." Harrisburg, PA native, The Green Onions, is a five-piece rock outfit that
draws its influence heavily from the Rock and Roll back catalogue. From the foothills of Appalachia come five gentlemen
known as The New Familiars who combine an amazing passion for harmony with multi-instrumental talent and unusual
storytelling abilities. Boston, MA band Oneside is not afraid to make departures from traditional styles combining
elements of bluegrass, rock, jazz, and even reggae.
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A Side of Fun |
Want to learn what the professional look for when sampling? Keynote speaker Gordon Strong will demonstrate beer
sampling techniques used by certified beer judges. Discussions will focus on what to look for in a beer, the proper way to
sample beers, and how to tell an extraordinary beer from an ordinary beer. Strong will use Swashbuckler Brewing Company’s ales as examples during these interactive discussions and listeners will receive samples so that they can follow along. Strong is an award-winning homebrewer, Grand Master Beer Judge and president of the Beer Judge Certification Program, which is an international association of more than 5000 beer judges.
At the Swashbuckler Cooking Stage, guest chefs will demonstrate cooking with beer and the wide range of unique flavors
it brings to food. During the 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. session, Roy Pitz of Roy Pitz Brewing Company in Chambersburg, PA,
will whip up a batch of his “Truly Honest Chili” using the brewery’s signature Truly Honest Ale. During the 4 P.M. to 8
P.M. session, Russell Skiles, Executive Chef at Lancaster Brewing Company in Lancaster, PA, will be preparing
“Drunken Mussels and Milk Stout Braised Beef Cheeks” utilizing Lancaster Brewing Company’s Milk Stout. Dude Food,
a cooking show for Dudes featuring food made by Dudes, present some simply tasty cooking tips as they make Black &
Tan Irish Nachos with Swashbuckler Brewing Company’s Porter and Gold Ale.
Festival goers can shop with host of vendors offering the best in beer paraphernalia and wares from t-shirts to home
brewing kits, tour the onsite, working Swashbuckler Brewery or take a turn on the automated “Ride-the-Keg” rodeo-style
ride.
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Friday Night VIP Tasting and Concert |
Kick-off the BrewFest Friday, May 8, with a Friday Night Concert guaranteed to have everyone on their feet dancing the
night away. Headliner Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile is among the most in-demand performers in the worlds of
bluegrass, folk and traditional music. Opening the concert is Scythian, dubbed by The Washington Post as "one of DC's
most energetic and eclectic bands" and Oneside, a band known for their willingness to take traditional fundamentals and
place them firmly in a modern context. Gates open at 5 P.M. and the music begins as 6 P.M. Tickets are $26.95 per adult.
The Swashbuckler Brewery & Restaurant will be serving mouthwatering foods, handcrafted ales and Mount Hope wines
at a la carte prices throughout the evening.
Want to add even more to the Friday Night Concert? Purchase a VIP ticket and gain access to the exclusive VIP BrewFest
Tasting. Ten different breweries will offer samples of their specialty brews not available during Saturday’s tasting
sessions. The all-you-can-eat buffet will feature a variety of pub food favorites including buffalo wings, crab cake sliders,
carved prime rib, barbeque chicken, fingerling potatoes and smoked chicken corn chowder. The VIP Tasting is from 5:30
P.M. to 8:30 P.M. and tickets are limited. Tickets, which include admission to the Friday Night Concert, are $75 for a
drinking admission and $40 for a Designated Driver admission. Attendees must be 21 or older to purchase VIP tickets.
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The Birth of a BrewFest |
A passion for beer was the driving force that led Scott Bowser, creator of the BrewFest at Mount Hope, to open the
Swashbuckler Brewing Company in 2000 at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, the first brewery ever to be located on
the grounds of a renaissance faire. Beginning with a small three-barrel system, Bowser began producing fine handcrafted
ales and lagers for Faire patrons to enjoy. In just one season, the small brewery became insufficient to keep up with the
demand. Now, in its ninth year, Swashbuckler Brewing Company has expanded to a much larger 12 bbl direct fire
brewing system and six 12 bbl Bright Beer tanks with a full-time brewmaster to keep up with the growth and business
demands. Today, Swashbuckler house ales and specialty brews are available year round at the Swashbuckler Brewery &
Restaurant and at local pubs and restaurants.
Bowser is a proud supporter of microbreweries and thus decided to create a festival to celebrate their efforts and
accomplishments in the industry. Utilizing the faire grounds at Mount Hope, Bowser decided to bring in microbreweries
from all over America to share their brews and love of brewing during the BrewFest at Mount Hope.
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The Details |
The deliciously entertaining BrewFest at Mount Hope takes place Saturday, May 9, 2009. 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 P.M. to 8 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.
ALL ATTENDEES, including designated drivers, must be 21 or older to attend the Saturday sessions and Friday night VIP BrewFest Tasting. All attendees will be carded at the gate with no exceptions and no one under the age of 21 will be admitted. This includes children, toddlers and infants. No refunds will be issued to patrons under the age of 21 attempting to enter the festival.
Mount Hope Estate & Winery, home of the Swashbuckler Brewery & Restaurant and Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, is
located on Route 72, ½ mile south of PA Turnpike Exit 266, 15 miles north of Lancaster and 14 miles east of Hershey.
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Participating Breweries |
Appalachian Brewing Company..........................Harrisburg, PA
Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Company...............Williamsport, PA
Bube's Brewery ....................................................Mt. Joy, PA
Cape Ann Brewing Company ..............................Gloucester, MA
DuClaw Brewing Company.................................Abingdon, MD
Erie Brewing Company........................................Erie, PA
Flying Fish Brewing Company............................Cherry Hill, NJ
Franklin's Brewery...............................................Hyattsville, MD
Gilded Otter Brewing Company ..........................New Paltz, NY
High Falls Brewery ..............................................Rochester, NY
Intercourse Brewing Company ............................Wilkes-Barre, PA
Lancaster Brewing Company...............................Lancaster, PA
Old Forge Brewing Company..............................Danville, PA
Olde Burnside Brewing Company.......................East Hartford, CT
Roy Pitz Brewing Company ................................Chambersburg, PA
Samuel Adams .....................................................Boston, MA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company .......................Chico, CA
Sly Fox Brewing Company..................................Royersford, PA
Spaten Brewery....................................................Munich, Germany
Spring House Brewing Company ........................Conestoga, PA
Stone Brewing Company .....................................Escondido, CA
Swashbuckler Brewing Company........................Manheim, PA
Tröegs Brewing Company...................................Harrisburg, PA
Union Barrel Works.............................................Reamstown, PA
Victory Brewing Company..................................Downingtown, PA
Yards Brewing Company.....................................Philadelphia, PA
Yuengling Brewery..............................................Pottsville, PA
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