The festival returns with more craft flavors than ever
One day a year, Happy Valley goes by Hoppy Valley, as some of the best craft beverage makers in the region and beyond find their way to our lovely town nestled between the mountains for the Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest.
Indeed, what a wonderful thing to think about: Happy Valley coming together to celebrate craft beverages. That is a Hoppy Valley indeed.
May 24 marks the third edition of this now annual festival, and this time around, it promises to offer an even wider selection of craft beverages. With the addition of wine, cider, and spirit makers to the beer brewers around the area, there is sure to be something to satisfy every palate at this year’s festival.
I have been to a few brewing festivals in my day, and it is always fun to make my way around to sample all the different beers that brewers bring to the table. It is a good way to try new flavors and talk to the folks who make them.
It is pretty great that this year’s event has expanded to include wine, cider, and spirits, providing a well-rounded sampling of craft beverage flavors. After all, you have to give the people what they want.
“As the craft beverage market continues to evolve, we have heard growing interest from both consumers and producers to expand the festival beyond beer,” said John Schaffer, owner of Antifragile Brewing Company, a founding partner of the Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest. “While our roots will always remain firmly focused on craft beer, adding wineries, cideries, and distilleries allows producers to collaborate across categories, diversify our beverage offerings, and connect with new audiences.”
John and his team worked together with the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance to bring this year’s event to Panzer Stadium, home of Penn State lacrosse since 2018. Hours will be 1 to 6 p.m. for VIP ticket holders and 2 to 6 p.m. for general admission. The Central Pennsylvania Tasting Trail is another founding partner of the festival, so you know it is going to be good.
“These changes not only enhance the festival experience but also help drive interest in local taprooms and tasting rooms year-round,” Schaffer said. “We are very excited for what this next chapter of Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest will bring.”
That all sounds good to me. So, what really can we expect at the Brewers Fest? Well, let’s take a look:
Beer
Number one in my book is the multitude of brewers (75-plus), local, regional, statewide, and beyond, that will be on hand to let you try some of their best brews. You can expect to find everything from pilsners to stouts, and everything in between. After all, they say the event is a celebration of water, hops, yeast, and grains, ingredients of beer if you didn’t know.
Wine, Spirits, and Ciders
Like I mentioned before, expect a variety of other craft beverages to try and sample as well. So maybe you want to try a new wine, whiskey, or cider. This is the place to try out new flavors.
Non-Alcoholic Options
From root beer to kombucha, our local craft beverage makers know how to make tasty non-alcoholic beverages. Good to mix in a few of these to keep one’s wits about them.
Food Vendors
What goes best with craft beverages? Food, of course. Expect to find a lineup of food vendors to help soak up some of the suds.
Music
A mix of musicians will be rocking the field to help keep you moving and burn off some of those calories.
Merchandise
Now, I am no fashion expert, but I have got to say, I really like the Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest logo, and there is plenty of great gear for sale that features the cool design.
Volunteer Opportunities
From helping to set up to keeping the brewers supplied with ice, there are plenty of ways to give back and be a part of the fun. Even better, volunteers get a T-shirt and free entrance into the event for working three-hour shifts.
Designated Driver Tickets
The event is committed to promoting responsible consumption and includes a designated driver ticket at a lower rate for entrance into the event.
Sounds like a party to me. Because beer tastes good no matter the weather, the event is rain or shine, so come prepared — we don’t let a little bad weather stop a tailgate around here, so think of it like that. Either way, it is sure to be a good time in Hoppy Valley.
With this much support for craft beverage makers, perhaps we should start calling it Hoppy Valley all year long. Either way, cheers to another year of the Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest. T&G
Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at Central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments
