It’s (almost) that time of year again, beer festival season! The weather is warming up and we are just a (month, few weeks) from one of Iron Hill’s biggest events of the year, the Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers Festival (BVCBF). The festival takes place outside Iron Hill Brewery in Media, and is one of the highlights of the year for me and my staff.
One of the things that I really love about the craft brewing industry, particularly here in the Philadelphia, is the camaraderie amongst the brewers in the area. While collaborative beers are all the rage, it is really fun to be able to taste the great beers of Philadelphia while getting a chance to drink those beers with your fellow brewers.
Iron Hill has been hosting the festival since 2005 and in that time we have raised over $130,000 for the Media Youth Center. I have had the opportunity to visit the center in the heart of Media, and have always been proud of our affiliation with the center. The center has recreational and educational programs for youth in addition to partnership opportunities with the community. It was started in 1942 by than Media Police Chief Malcolm Laughhead to provide a safe environment for young people while having fun.
Another big part of the day is seeing our staff come out and volunteer their time for such a great organization. Employees from each and every Iron Hill attends the event and pours beer, man’s the ticket counter and help set up or break down the event. I remember one year during set up that it was raining and really windy, and we all struggled to get the tents up, but thankfully the storm passed and it ended up being a dry day. That was a day that I especially appreciated what the staff does to make the event successful.
And of course the beer. We will have around 25 breweries from around the region. And King of the Hill members get an opportunity to taste beers that will only be available to members at NEW King of the Hill VIP tent.
The BVCBF takes place on Saturday May 18th, 2013 starting at 1 pm. But tickets sell out before the event, so I would urge you to buy in advance at our website. I hope to see you there!
Check out the breweries that are participating in this year’s BVCBF:
Appalachian Brewing Company – Bethlehem (Fegley’s) Brew Works – Flying Fish Brewing Company – Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Lancaster Brewing Company – McKenzie Brew House – Old Forge Brewing Company – Prism Brewing Company – Rock Bottom Brewery – Round Guys Brewery – Ship Bottom Brewery – Sly Fox Brewhouse and Eatery – Stewart’s Brewing Company – Stoudt’s Brewing Company – Tired Hands Brewing Company – Triumph Brewing Company – Troegs Brewery – Twin Lakes Brewing Company – Victory Brewing Company – Weyerbacher Brewing Company
(current list of participating breweries at the time of this blog post)
