BRIMFIELD — On Oct. 12, head to the New England Motel for the first Brimfield Brew Fest to enjoy sample beverages from 30 craft breweries, cideries and meaderies as well as a great amount of homebrewers across New England from 12-4 p.m.
Food offerings will include Crust & Confections, Angry Panda Foods, Cote’s Cooks, Fry’d Guys and Cookies by Ray. There will be games, live music from King Saison, free commemorative sample glasses, snacks and water, non-alcohol options, free giveaways and a big community fire pit.
Matt Skowyra, owner, Big Time Bill Events and Promotions was recently introduced to the craft beer community and attended his first brew fest in Springfield not too long ago. He loved the vibe, the sense of community, the variety and ability to try different beers in one place at one time, he explained. That sparked his idea to bring it to Brimfield, which is an area where he hosts many events.
“There’s a hole in the craft beer community in this area in terms of larger events,” Skowyra said. “I wanted to bring something to the Brimfield community and share a lot of beer from both east and west, and give people an opportunity to try them.”
He continued, “I want people to go and have a great day. Try a lot of different beers that they might not have normally have ever got to try and give the breweries new customers possibly for life and share great food and great music with everyone.”
During the fest, homebrewed beer will be sampled anonymously and ranked by local, esteemed beer industry professionals who will be revealed at an award ceremony. There will also be a “Crowd Favorite” competition voted on by fest attendees. Skowyra is hoping for the success of this first Brew Fest, he would like to make it at least annual if not semi-annual and have a Spring Fest as well.
“I just hope to bring the community together and have a great fun day,” said Skowyra. “The most rewarding part for me by far has definitely been getting to know the brewers, the people who work in the breweries and going to each place individually and seeing how passionate they are. That’s what really drew me to this in the first place. The whole community is very passionate and that’s very rewarding for me.”
To purchase tickets, go to ticketleap.events/tickets/bigtimebill/brimfieldbrewfes. A ticket gives you unlimited 2 ounce sample pours for $50. Designated driver tickets are $10. Interested parties can email Bigtimebillevents@gmail.com.
