Breaking News - Peoria International Beer Festival Pours in Peoria, March 11, 2000
February 28, 2000 -- Specialty Distributing hosts hundreds of beers and thousands of beer lovers at Eighth Annual fest
It’s once again time for the Peoria International Beer Festival. Steve King of Specialty Distributing Co. and the Peoria Jaycees are hard at work to bring a huge selection of imported and domestically produced specialty brews to the folk of downstate Illinois.
The year 2000 event is the eighth annual iteration of this great gathering of beer lovers. The doors of the Youth Building at Exposition Garden open at 3 p.m. and the fun goes on until 9 p.m.
Advance purchase tickets are $3. Tickets purchased at the door are $5. Donation of a canned food item gives $1 off your ticket purchase at the door.
Last year some 4,000 beer lovers were on hand to sample more than 200 different brews from around the U.S. and the world. For more information contact:
Specialty Distributing Co.
Steven King
Box 6247
Peoria, IL 61601
phone 309/673-1100
Go to:
http://www.jaycees.com/beer.html
for more details on the event.
For a good feel of what the Peoria International Beer Fest is like, check out the following story from the June 1999 Midwest Beer Notes. It was written by our correspondent Brian Gustafson.
The 7th Annual Peoria International Beer Fest
by Brian Gustafson
On a blustery cold day this past March, about 4000 serious beer lovers had a chance to sample over 236 brews from thirteen different countries and sixteen different states in central Illinois. The middle of Illinois might at first seem like an unlikely place for a brewfest, let alone a major beer festival. But for the past seven years, the Peoria International Beer Festival, hosted by the Peoria Jaycees and Specialty Imports, has treated thousands of beer enthusiasts from Central Illinois and beyond to one of the best and most successful brewfests in the country. Few are older, and even fewer are larger.
At a beer festival this big, with this much variety, there is literally something for everyone — loads of lagers, plenty of pale ales, a horde of hopped-up brews and an impressive array of imports, including four brews from Africa and ten from Poland. For those who prefer darker beers, there were more than eighteen stouts, eight porters, and nine dark lagers. Those who like the bigger bolder beers got to try the bocks, maibocks, doppelbocks, belgian single, double and triples, scotch ales, and barley wines. Attendees with a taste for a different beer flavor had a choice of honey, honey raspberry, raspberry wheat, cherry, pumpkin, peach and lemon flavored brews. And there were even several choices for those with a taste for adult liquid refreshment that was not beer, such as Vice T, Lusty Lemon, Apple, Pear and Raspberry Cider, Mead and even Root Beer (courtesy of Sprecher brewing.)
Even from the beginning, this beer festival was destined to be a success. “It all started seven years ago,” explained Steve King of Specialty Imports. “A friend of mine, Jeff Pulfer from the Peoria Jaycees, and I were both beer aficionados. I had a beer distributorship, selling imports and microbrews. I approached him with the idea of having a fund-raiser for the Peoria Jaycees — he’d provide the volunteers, and I’d get the brewery people to help me promote the beers. The first one was held at the local Holiday Inn. We had a room for 300 people, and 1600 people showed up at the door. We knew we had something to offer as a fund-raiser, and an opportunity for people to start tasting the beers. The next year we moved and drew 2500. Last year we drew 4300. It just keeps growing.”
“Seven years ago we had no idea what the impact would be,” adds Jeff Pulfer from the Peoria Jaycees. “The first year blew us away as far as the number of people who showed up. We knew we had to move it so we came out here. The first two years were on a Friday night. The third year we took a risk and did it on Saturday. It got bigger and bigger ever year. Steve brings out different beers every year, and people come back every year. It blows people away because they cannot believe that this kind of event can happen in Peoria. We hope to continue this event as long as it is successful. This event kicks off Spring for people in Peoria.”
“For $20 you can come out here and have a heck of a good time,” continues King. “We advertise 150 different beers, but that is so that the attendees know that they will have at least 150 to choose from. The reason why the beers are 50 cents is that it lets the attendees choose their beer. In other beer festivals it’s $20 to get in and then it’s anything you want — just ounce, ounce, ounce. Here they have to be a little more selective. They have to want to try something. They do not have to try a stout or a porter if they do not like it. We have people in here who just drink Lusty Lemon all night. It’s not a beer but it is a part of the beer industry. We have cider here as well — another big part of the beer industry. Here people can try a raspberry cider for 50 cents and not feel like they got ripped off by paying $7.99 for a six pack at the liquor store if they do not like it.”
Jack Reilly of Geneva International Corporation, an importer of Kozel, agrees. “I like these brewfests because you can get to the actual consumer. A lot of people are afraid to go out and buy a six pack of something they haven’t tried before. Here, where it’s 50 cents to sample something, it’s a great opportunity for them to get away from their normal beers and try something new. And for me as an importer, it gives me an opportunity to talk one on one with the consumer.”
For the thirty plus brewers that showed up to promote their beer, it was a golden opportunity to get immediate feedback on their product.
“This is our sixth Peoria International Beer Festival out of the seven they have done,” commented Stephen Hale, brewer of the Schlafly brand beers for St. Louis Brewing. “We love it - it is a great event. It’s wall to wall people and they are becoming more beer savvy every year.” Schlafly’s Belgian Dubbel was one of the favored brews at the event, along with their Alt.
Mike Whitaker of Crooked Waters, a local Peoria brewpub and favorite watering hole of many of the attendees concurs. “This is our third time at this festival. It is my favorite festival. There are a lot of great beers to try. It’s a great crowd.”
“This is my first time here and it looks like a good one,” commented Kirby Nelson of Capital Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. “We have all sorts of people out here having a good time. So far it is pretty good but with an eight hour festival, I suppose come eight o'clock at night it could become a little chaotic out here on the floor, but we're professionals and ready. Capital’s Weizen was another crowd-pleaser and fared very well along side some of the popular German imports. Capital also has the distinction of being voted America’s #1 rated brewery at the BTI World Championships. “People are responding to that with lots of enthusiasm,” added Nelson. “We’re ready for a good time.”
Some of the breweries and distributors see this brewfest as an indicator of what the regional palate is like in Illinois, and to “test the waters” prior to distribution. “We opened in June of 1997,” explained Jason Spaulding of New Holland Brewing Company, from Holland, Michigan. “We are not distributed yet in Illinois, but we wanted to come down and see what Illinois is all about. The fest is very nice. It is one of the best turnouts I’ve seen for a fest like this. Everyone’s real friendly and they appreciate good beer.” New Holland’s Olde Poet Oatmeal Stout was very well received by the attendees. “It’s kind of surprising as we brought more light beer than dark beer and we’ll run out of the stout soon,” added Spaulding.
Several brewers and brewery representatives were amazed by the beer knowledge and well developed tastes of the attendees. “I’m really surprised by the advanced palates in central Illinois, commented Brad Vokac of Breckenridge Brewery. “It’s very pleasing and certainly warrants more concentration from Breckenridge to do more advertising and marketing in this area of the country. This is one of the best-organized brewfests I’ve seen to date, and I’ve been to brewfests all over the Midwest and Rocky Mountain region.”
But of course the true measure of the success of any brewfest is what the attendees think. “This is a great event,” commented Greg Collins of Peoria. “There are not many chances to taste these kinds of beer in this type of venue in central Illinois. The variety is amazing, and the price is right. I’ll be here next year for sure”
People from more beer-intensive areas liked the event as well. Gigi and Chris just moved to Peoria from Albany, New York. “My favorite beer is the Belgian Dubbel from John S. Rhodell Brewery,” said Chris. It’s a BOP right here in Peoria. Gigi likes the Irish Red from the same place. The Raspberry Honey from Big Shoulders is pretty good as well. We’re homebrewers so we’re definitely distinctive about what beers we drink.”
The attendee who traveled the furthest to sample the beers at this event was Simon Billis who was on holiday from the UK to visit friends. “The brewfest was great,” commented Billis. “Such good quality beer that could well stand its own ground on the international arena really surprised me. Over the last few years American micro brews have improved beyond all recognition. I think that the most amazing thing about the brewfest was the number of ordinary local folk that turned up to have a few. That really does show how far the micros have gone as well as the way that the palate of the ordinary man on the street has matured. Hopefully we will see the demise of the thin watery substance that a lot of Americans think is beer.”
Well said. We hope to see you all again here next year, for the 8th annual event.
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