By Sam Robinson
Whitestown hopes its upcoming craft beer festival will become one of the largest in the state.
‘Brew Fest’ is scheduled for Sept. 19 at the Whitestown Municipal Complex from 1 to 6 p.m. Whitestown expects to draw 50 breweries from across the state and more than 3,000 attendees.
Whitestown is partnering with Indiana On Tap to host the inaugural event. Joseph Knepp, the founder of Indiana On Tap, said he’s excited to be a part of what he thinks will be the next big thing for Hoosier beer enthusiasts.
“Whenever you can get that many breweries, it becomes an attraction for the entire state,” Knepp said.
Live music and food vendors will also be at the event.
The festival will also host a competition for home brewers. The person to win the most attendee votes will have his or her beer produced by a local brewery.
Whitestown Parks and Recreation director Nathan Messer said he hopes it puts Whitestown on the map.
“We feel this event is a great tool to help showcase Whitestown,” Messer stated. “The event will bring people to Whitestown that may have never known Whitestown was here.”
“With all of the development they may decide it is a place they want to invest in,” he added.
Messer said that 20 breweries confirmed they’ll attend, and that he’s contacted several more that have yet to confirm, including around five that haven’t yet officially formed. Those breweries have said they want Brew Fest to be their opening event.
Next year’s Brew Fest will be the state beer festival for the Indiana bicentennial celebrations. Knepp said it was “an honor” to be a part of the festival.
Tickets can be purchased at www.WhitestownBrewFest.com. Interested home brewers looking to enroll in the competition should email [email protected]
