FEATURED FOOD
Lakes Region Brewfest Features 30+ Breweries
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
The Brew with a View festival is just what it sounds like: a brewfest held in a scenic Lakes Region location, with views of Lake Winnisquam, Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains.
The third annual event takes place Saturday, July 8, at Steele Hill Resorts in Sanbornton and will feature more than 30 breweries and beverage producers from New Hampshire and beyond.
“With the microbrew craze hitting, we thought it’d be fun to have an event where people can experience a wide variety of [beer] offerings, then turn around and enjoy this spectacular view,” the resort’s vice president, Justin Cutillo, said. “It’s one of the best views in the state.”
The festival will have two tents that house brewers and distillers serving samples of their products, and booths for wine tasting. There will be regional and national brewers as well as a number of local brewers including Throwback Brewery, Woodstock Inn Brewery, Stoneface Brewing Co., Redhook Brewery and Canterbury AleWorks; and local distillers Djinn Spirits and Tall Ship Distillery.
“We emphasize the local microbreweries,” Cutillo said. “It’s a great opportunity to go to a single spot and try all these different tasty beverages, some produced within 20 miles of the resort, and get a taste of the beer culture in the region.”
Upon admission, guests will receive a four-ounce tasting glass with which to taste the samples at each booth they visit. Brewery representatives, and in some cases the brewers themselves, will be pouring the samples and talking with guests about the inspiration for their product and how it is made.
Most brewers bring three or four beer varieties, which tend toward IPAs and small-batch brews.
“It’s less about the primary and mainstream beers that you associate with that particular brewery,” Cutillo said. “Many will be ones you haven’t seen before, or they’ll be a trial beer, and [the brewers] wants to get a reaction from people before they produce it.”
For even more exclusive small-batch beers, guests can opt for the VIP ticket, which will grant them admission to the festival one hour early and access to beers that won’t be available to general admission ticket holders.
Additionally, there will be sausages, pretzels and other foods that “appeal to the beer drinking crowd,” Cutillo said, catered by the resort restaurant.
The main tent will feature Janet and the Red Heads, a cover band performing classic rock songs, and to the side of the tents, there will be cornhole and other pick-up lawn games for guests to play between tastings.
A Brew with a View
Where: Steele Hill Resorts, 516 Steele Hill Road, Sanbornton
When: Saturday, July 8, 5 to 7 p.m. (VIP admission at 4 p.m.)
Cost: $40 general admission, $50 VIP
Visit: abrewwithaview.com
Participating Breweries & Beverage Producers
21st Amendment Brewery - Angry Orchard - The Brooklyn Brewery - Canterbury AleWorks - Djinn Spirits - Downeast Cider House - Foolproof Brewing Co. - Hidden Cove Brewing Co. - Ipswich Ale Brewery - Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers - Kona Brewing Co. - Life Support - Lord Hobo Brewing Co. - New Belgium Brewing - Newburyport Brewing Co. - Omission Beer - Pine State - Redhook Brewery - Rising Tide Brewing Co. - Samuel Adams - Seadog Brewing Co. - Shipyard Brewing Co. - Stoneface Brewing Co. - Tall Ship Distillery - Throwback Brewery - Traveler Beer Co. - Two Roads Brewing Co. - Von Trapp Brewing - Wachusett Brewing Company - Woodstock Inn Brewery - More TBA