The State Fair of Virginia and the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild will join forces for one weekend during the 2017 fair to showcase everything from barley to brewery.
The Virginia Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Fest, which will take place Oct. 6-8 at The Meadow Event Park, will celebrate Virginia’s craft beers and the ingredients used to make them.
The event will give beer enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy unlimited tastings of craft beer from more than 30 independent Virginia craft breweries. Ticketholders also will get to meet the brewers and brewery owners, as well as enjoy music, food and all the events on tap during the State Fair.
“Partnering with the State Fair has been a goal of ours since our founding,” said Betty Arnold, Virginia Craft Brewers Guild member services director. “This is a great opportunity to expand Virginia craft beer and craft beer tourism in the commonwealth.”
Participating breweries will include independent, small, commercial breweries, including farm breweries. Each will offer a sessionable beer and one of their flagship brews. Malt, honey and hops producers from Virginia also will be part of the event, highlighting beer’s direct tie to agriculture.
Ticketholders will be able to learn how brewers develop distinctive flavors, the ingredients they use and the passion they put into every ounce of their products.
“The State Fair at its core is a celebration of agriculture, and we are thrilled to feature the Virginia craft beer movement at this year’s event,” said Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, the fair’s executive director. “It’s a great way to show the direct tie between agriculture and a very popular, homegrown, commercial product, all during the family fun of the fair.”
Those attending the Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Fest on Oct. 6 also can attend a farm-to-fork dinner, Barn Appetit which will begin at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a delicious meal in Meadow Hall featuring locally sourced foods and craft libations. The dinner will include the debut of Lickinghole Creek Brewery’s second Secretariat-themed brew, Tremendous Machine. The bourbon barrel imperial stout is named after Secretariat’s powerful victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes, which clinched the Triple Crown. Tickets to this event include admission to the fair and a ride on the Ferris wheel. Admission to the Craft Beer Fest is separate.
The Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Fest will run from 2-7 p.m. Oct. 6-8. Tickets are $15 per person and must accompany an admission ticket to the State Fair. Ticket sales begin Sept. 1 at blueribboncraftbeerfest.
For more information on the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, visit vacraftbeer.com.
The 2017 State Fair of Virginia will run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 8. Information is available at StateFairVa.org.
The State Fair is held each fall at its permanent home at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. The fair’s mission is to increase agricultural and natural resource awareness and interest through educational programs, exhibitions and competitions in a fun, family-friendly setting.
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