Beer lovers unite at Brrr Fest

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by Quinton McClain :: UPDATED: 24 January 2013 | 3:00 am :: in Eat & Drink :: No Comments

If you don’t already have a ticket to Brrr Fest 2013 at the Marriott in Coralville this Saturday, you better start thinking about creative and legal ways to acquire one.

It sold out a couple of days ago, which should come as no surprise to the beercentric among us. The festival will offer creative seasonal and special release beers, great ambiance and an outlet for beer lovers who haven’t had access to a good, local beerfest since October.

Jacob Simmons, the brewmaster at Backpocket Brewing and an organizer of Brrr Fest, saw an opportunity to, “feature the beers of winter at a time that does not have many beer fests.”

A fine idea, if I do say so myself. Tickets sales have shown agreement with the notion.

I attended Brrrf Fest last year and really enjoyed not only mingling with my fellow beer aficionados to discuss the finer points of yeasts and hops, but also relished the opportunity to sample all the great malt beverages being produced by Iowa’s brewpubs and packaging breweries (my favorite brewery last year was Court Avenue out of Des Moines). I don’t mean to discount the great breweries from the eight surrounding states that will also be there. Many of those beers are world-class and will be poured by brewery representatives and distributors that have done much to promote good beer in our state.

But the most interesting part of a beer festival for me is talking to the local brewers and owners and hearing about their creations. I take comfort knowing that dedicated Iowans are out there furthering the cause of great, local beer. And it’s always good to know the face behind your suds.

This year, there are many familiar faces at the Brrr Fest and a few new ones. Exile Brewing and Confluence Brewing out of Des Moines are making their debuts. I have yet to sample anything from them, but look forward to the opportunity.

Backpocket Brewing has their new facility and taproom opened for this year’s fest and if you can’t obtain a ticket to get inside the convention center at the Marriott, I would recommend passing a little time in the taproom in order to see their new facility and sample some of their beers. Backpocket has just released a barrel-aged stout for the occasion and recently unveiled their Machete Double IPA.

Whether you attend Saturday’s event or not, I encourage you to take an interest the eclectic array of beers that are either produced in the state or are finding their way here.

Related:

Winter ales highlighted at Brrr Fest

Backpocket Brewing opens tap room in Coralville

Participating breweries in 2012 were: