Photos Courtesy of the Winter Homebrew Festival/Hopridge Farms/Southwestern Vermont Chamber
Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Hopridge Farms will present the fifth annual Southern Vermont Winter Homebrew Festival on Saturday, April 30th in downtown Bennington, Vermont at the Bennington Sports Center formerly the Catamount School on North Street.
The Saturday festival, which was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, will open its doors at noon to exclusive VIP ticket holders for a private tasting of the best homebrews in the region. The general tickets will open the gates to those ticket holders from 1-4pm and can be purchased online at www.vthomebrewfests.com. Each ticket holder receives a commemorative glass, the chance to try the brews and regional food, and the ability to vote for the winners of each.
The festival invites the Northeast’s top home brewers asking them to bring their very best home brewed beer, cider, mead, braggot and wine for a chance to be crowned "Best Home Brewery." In addition, the festival has also invited regional restaurants to submit their best winter dish which could include a soup, chowder, chili or stew for the chance to be crowned "Best Winter Dish in The Region."
“We are excited to be back at it after a hiatus and to open up the ‘festival season’ officially,” says Matt Harrington, one of the creators of the festival and executive director of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce. “This year we are also excited to have a brand new spot at the Bennington Sports Center to show off and host the festival on the front yard on North Street. This is a great location, close to downtown and with plenty of parking options.”
The festival, and its sister festival the Summer Homebrew Festival, have given homebrewers the chance to have their brew critiqued and improved upon with the winter festival being the eleventh gathering of homebrewers. “We have seen professional level beers and amateur brewers emerge from our festivals. When we started the festivals we had a vision of creating an ecosystem and testing ground for home brewers to showcase their brews, get feedback and grow,” remarks Will Gardner of Hopridge Farms, the other producer of the festival.
“Over the past 6 years we have seen many of our amateur brewers enter into the professional industry with one being a head brewer at a local shop, while four others have opened up their own breweries including two here in Bennington (Farm Road Brewing & Harvest Brewing), another in Fort Edward, NY (Slick Fin Brewing Company), 1Way Brewing in MA, and yet another in Queensbury, NY (Bloodville Brewery).
Homebrewers To Watch This Year
Winter Homebrew Festival 2022 homebrewers include: Invisible Mountain Brewing, The Jolly Fool Brews, Catseyesoup Brewing, Side-Gig Brewery, Shady Brewing, Teddy K's Brewing, River Valley Brewing, TYRANNICAL RUFFIANS, Vintage Tree Cidery, All Nighter Brewing, R's Hole Brewing, Bear Hole Brewing, Intolerance Brewing, Smooth Liquidation, Albany Brew Crafters - Group B, Scattered Light Brewing, Oxford Brewing Company, Albany Brew Crafters - Group A, Groff Garage Brewery (GGB), Yuppie Beers, 7 Balls Brewing, and Level 3 Brewing!
Unique and Eclectic Vendors
Vendors will also be on hand selling everything from maple products, nuts & fudge, to chocolates, hot sauces, and more. Vendors this year include: Outdoor Secrets Unwrapped Hot Sauce, Nutty Bavarian and Kettle Fudge, Highland Ledge Farm, Hoppy Valley Farm, A Taste of Pomegranate Tarot, PhytoCare Vermont, and Mettowee Valley Maple!
Best Winter Dish
Local restaurants and food providers signed up so far to share with you their best soups, chilis, chowders or stews include: Ramunto’s Pizza, Outdoor Secrets Unwrapped, Madison Brewing Company, 421 Craft Kitchen and Bar, Hannaford Supermarket, and more to come!
Sponsors for this year’s festival include Presenting Sponsor Coggins Auto Group, Brewer Sponsor John Ray and Sons, Food Sponsor The Bank of Bennington, Vendor Sponsor LeafGuard and Dion Snowshoes, Venue Sponsor Kaman Composites and the On Draft Sponsor Farm Road Brewing.
A special thank you to our host the Bennington Sports Center, Hannaford Supermarkets, our Media Sponsors The Bennington Banner and CAT-TV, and music provider Jim Woodard.
For more information and to order tickets visit: https://www.vthomebrewfests.com
(Bennington, VT) –– The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce
