Pictures courtesy of Southwestern Vermont Chamber and Hopridge Farms
Vermont Business Magazine The brews will flow once again as the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Hopridge Farms partner together to produce the thirteenth Homebrew Festival and competition. Saturday, April 29th at the Bennington Sports Center in downtown Bennington, brewers will go head-to-head to be named the best homebrew in the land.
The festival invites 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, this year the festival has also invited home chefs to participate in a cook off to be crowned “Best Home Chef.”
Homebrew is the craft of brewing beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. People choose to brew their own beverage for a variety of reasons including avoiding higher costs of buying commercially equivalent beverages, the freedom to adjust recipes according to one's own preference, creating beverages that are unavailable on the open market, or beverages that may contain fewer calories, or less or more alcohol. Homebrewing can also reduce the environmental impact of fermented beverages by using less packaging and transportation than commercially brewed beverages, and by the use of refillable jugs, reusable bottles or other reusable containers.
“I think one of the main traits of this chamber and our various partners is to develop festivals and see how they work over time,” says Matt Harrington, one of the creators of the festival and executive director of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce. “Over the past twelve festivals we have gotten better and better at not only the festival process, but the brews have really gotten better too. In 2023, we are no longer offering the Winter Homebrew and Summer Homebrew, but instead have combined the festivals and their brands to be able to offer Homebrew festivals whenever. This year we are focusing on spring and fall seasons to host the festivals. We realized over the years that the winters were just too cold and limited by indoor space, and the summers were too hot and close to our other major festivals. We are excited to launch the new combined brand in partnership with Hopridge Farms; we think spring and fall will be ideal times to have some fun and gather as a community.”
The Homebrew Festivals over the years have given homebrewers the chance to showcase what would have otherwise sat in their basements and only handed out to friends. Now homebrewers have the chance to have their brew critiqued both by popular vote, as well as professional judges in the business.
“When I started the HomeBrew Festivals back in 2015, I had no idea it would take off like it did. My original goals were to showcase the art of homebrewing, the wonderful local home brewed beverages, and hopefully start a more robust craft beer scene in Bennington,” remarks Will Gardner of Hopridge Farms, the other producer of the festival. “I feel that with the help of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber we have surpassed all these goals and have given our community a festival to be excited for and proud of.”
Over the past seven years the festival has encouraged many of its amateur brewers to enter into the professional industry. One brewer joined a local brewery as their brewery master, while five others have opened up their own breweries including two in Bennington (Farm Road Brewing and Harvest Brewing), another in Fort Edward, NY (Slick Fin Brewing Company), 1Way Brewing in MA, and another in Balston Spa, NY (Speckled Pig).
“There is an economic development angle to this festival,” confirms Harrington. “We set out seven years ago to work with Hopridge Farms to not only produce a great, fun festival for the community but to pave the path for possible breweries in the future. As we continue to host festivals like these, we continue to give brewers (and distillers) permission to put their toe in the water of running a business. We take great pride in the fact that this festival has produced great brews, as well as great businesses.”
Homebrewers To Watch This Year
The 2023 spring homebrewers include: Invisible Mountain Brewing, SPARGE Homebrew Club, The Jolly Fool Brews, River Valley Brewing, Level 3 Brewing, Catseyesoup Brewery, Breadwater Brewing, 7 Balls Brewing, Side-Gig Brewery, Intolerance Brewing , Wicked Ways, Whole Nother Level, Albany Brew Crafters, Flying Fox Brewing , Marshall Mash Brew Lab, Beerfort brewing , Groff Garage Brewery (GGB), Smooth Liquidation, Three Teachers Brewing , Sax Brewing Co., TYRANNICAL RUFFIANS, Over the River Brewing Co., Vintage Tree Cider, Three Girls Brewing, and Wilderness Brewing.
Home Chef Challenge
Local amateur chefs will go head to head to prove who has the chops to not be chopped. Ten local cooks are whipping up the best meals and offering it to the festival crowd. Matt Harrington remarks, “This year we wanted to change up the food portion to embody the spirit of the festival: home! Why are we only focusing on homebrewers; we should also highlight our amazing home chefs too! We are excited to partner with Chris Bates of Outdoor Secrets Unwrapped, as well as Tim Cahill of Hannaford Super Stores to host this competition. Patrons will not only be able to taste plenty of delicious beverages and vote, but they will be treated to great food including pulled pork, mac and cheese, chili and have the opportunity to vote on the food.” The festival is currently accepting applications for the Home Chef Challenge. Visit https://www.vthomebrewfests.com/home-chef-competition.html to learn more.
Unique and Eclectic Vendors
Vendors will also be on hand selling everything from maple products, nuts & fudge, to chocolates, hot sauces, and much more. Vendors this year include: Outdoor Secrets Unwrapped Hot Sauce, Highland Ledge Farm, i want pig candy, The Jupe Box, Uzume's Pots, Hangry Hogg, and Willow Creek Adk.
Tickets
Ticket gates will open at noon to exclusive VIP ticket holders for a private tasting of the best homebrews in the region. Ticket holders with general admission will be able to attend from 1pm - 4pm. All tickets can be purchased online at www.vthomebrewfests.com. Each ticket holder receives unlimited sampling of the brews and regional food, and the ability to vote for the winners of each.
Current sponsors for this year’s festival include Presenting Sponsor Coggins Auto Group, VIP Hour Sponsor Fidium Fiber, and Brewer Sponsor The Bank of Bennington. A special thank you to our host the Bennington Sports Center, our Media Sponsors The Bennington Banner and CAT-TV, and musical provider Jim Woodard.
For more information and to order tickets visit: https://www.vthomebrewfests.com
3.30.2023. (Southern, Vermont) ––Southwestern Vermont Chamber
