The Greenville Craft Beer Festival is this weekend at Fluor Field, which means it’s time to start mapping out which of the 126+ beers to try first – tough life, we know. If you don’t know where to start, head to “Beer College,” where brewmasters + representatives from each brewery will give you an insider’s look, er, taste.
It’s also the perfect time to step out of your beer comfort zone. With 42 breweries to choose from, there is no reason not to try something new, like Snafu, who celebrated one year of beer-making in September. (Love fruity brews? They make a sour ale with grape – yes, it’s purple.) Or check out Bold Rock Hard Cider, the brainchild of a V.A. farm owner + a New Zealand cider expert who got his visa based on his “extraordinary ability” as a cider maker.
Here a few other beers you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for:
🍺 Quest Brewing Co.’s fall seasonal: a Kermesse Pumpkin Saison that hits the right fall notes but is still clean + easy (a.k.a. you’ll definitely want more than one) with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon + nutmeg. Also check out their newest year-round addition, a mango white ale that’s wheaty but laid-back enough for everyone to love.
🍺 Thomas Creek Brewery’s Monkey Barrel Milk Stout: Thomas Creek’s Banana Split Chocolate Stout + vanilla bean + Four Roses Bourbon Barrels = a beer that tastes like dark chocolate with a little oak and bourbon.
🍺 Foothills Brewing’s Intrepid: an American-style IPA, which is part of their Craft Happiness Project: a new beer is released each month with a special label highlighting a cause. Part of the proceeds of each beer benefit a charitable organization — Intrepid is dedicated to service animals.
Nothing’s better on a crisp fall Saturday than a few craft brews (and the chance to taste some seasonal, small batch, and rare beers). We’ll be there with our own cozy hay bale living room, so stop by to cheers + take a photo with the team.
Bonus brewery highlight: Charleston’s Frothy Beard has an ongoing backstory behind its bearded mascot + his adventures stranded at sea. (One guess what he longs for most…)
Craft beer culture is one of the quirkiest + most fun communities I’ve seen, and that is reflected in the creative beers you’ll find at the fest this weekend. Don’t miss out – grab tickets before they sell out.
