All hail the Fest of Ale: Beer aficionados flock to fest for a good cause

Clark County

FEST OF ALE INFO

• WHAT — Seventh annual Fest of Ale
• WHEN — 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 2
• WHERE – St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 320 N. Sherwood Ave. in Clarksville
• PROCEEDS — Go to benefit the WHAS Crusade for Children
• ADMISSION — Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event and are available at Keg Liquors, 617 E. Lewis & Clark Parkway in Clarksville; at the New Albany location at 302 Pearl St.; or online at www.kegliquors.com/fest_of_ale.html. Designated drivers are offered free admission and no pets are allowed.

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June 1, 2012

All hail the Fest of Ale: Beer aficionados flock to fest for a good cause

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Fri Jun 01, 2012, 05:21 PM EDT

CLARKSVILLE — A festival designed to entice the palates of Southern Indiana beer drinkers is back, and it continues to grow.

Keg Liquors will host the Fest of Ale for the seventh time Saturday, with proceeds from the event going to benefit WHAS Crusade for Children. Todd Antz, owner of Keg Liquors, said the number of samplings available this year, compared to last year, has increased by about 10 to 15 percent and will feature more than 150 beers. It is also anticipated that this year’s Fest of Ale could draw its largest crowd since its inception.

Antz said more than 1,000 people attended last year’s festival and if the favorable forecast holds, the expectation is the festival will draw between 1,200 and 1,300 people.

And the more the festival grows, the more money goes to Crusade for Children. Antz said this year’s goal is to raise $9,000. Last year, the festival raised $7,250 for the Crusade.

Despite the festival’s growth and success, it’s the intimate nature of the event, the variety of beers offered and a chance to interact with the people who crafted the beer that really makes the festival unique and continues to draw crowds back each year.

“Even though there are over 1,000 people, you still interact [one-on-one],” Antz said.

It also gives people a chance to sample a lot of brews they wouldn’t normally get to try.

“There are a lot of breweries in Indiana that only distribute in Indiana,” Antz said.

Specifically for out-of-state residents, it gives them a chance to find a lot of products they’ve never had before, he said.

The festival will continue to feature regional selections and festival regulars like New Albanian Brewing Co., Bloomington-based Upland Brewing Co. and Kentucky brewer Bluegrass Brewing Co. New attendees include Louisville-based Against the Grain Brewery, Finch’s Beer Company out of Chicago, Cincinnati-based Rivertown Brewing Co. and Indianapolis-based Triton Brewing Co.

“There are quite a few new Indiana breweries coming down,” Antz said.

He said one Indiana brewery, Sun King out of Indianapolis, will be offering timed beer releases throughout the festival, tapping a new keg of a selected brew every few hours. Antz said another offering that will be a highlight of the festival is Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Founders Brewing Co.’s offering of its Kentucky Breakfast Stout at 5 p.m. The beer blends the flavors of the greatest two beverages invented — aside from beer — in coffee and bourbon into a rich stout.

Another feature of the festival that was new in 2011 will continue with an expanded lineup this year.

“Something we started last year is the House of Hops,” Antz said.

He explained it is an area of the festival that features hoppy brews. Last year, the House of Hops featured 10 beers; this year it will feature more than 20. Antz said the event has also expanded the number of wines it features to more than 50.

Hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst will be offered by the St. Anthony’s Men’s Club and there will also be live entertainment. Designated drivers will receive free admission to Fest of Ales, but will not be permitted to join in the tastings. The event will go on rain-or-shine and attendees must be 21 or older with valid identification to enter.