Brewfest is hopping with excitement

By Brandon Macz of the Tribune

Beer makers, beer drinkers come together in Lewiston

Jessie Blankenship of Cottonwood, Carrie Marek of White Bird and Jessica Harris of Cottonwood enjoy ... Tribune/Kyle

 

Beer connoisseurs armed with pint glasses took a gamble on some of the newest drafts on tap at the Northwest Best Brewfest. They didn't walk away bitter.

The first Northwest Best Brewfest had its debut in August, but Saturday's event surpassed both in the number of brewers and drinkers in attendance.

Organizers Lee and Angie McVey, of Lewiston's Northwest Best Entertainment, said Saturday's Brewfest brought in nine more brewers than in August, with 30 microbrews to choose from.

"We hope to get to 50 someday," Lee McVey said. "The crowd's really supportive. We'll get there."

More than 400 tickets were sold prior to Saturday's event compared with the last Brewfest presale of 76, Lee McVey said. Angie McVey said 700 people showed up to buy tickets for August's event. Saturday, a line stretched into the parking lot at the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds Pavilion just before the noon opening of Brewfest.

Making its first appearance at Brewfest was Manny's Pale Ale, which sales representative Andy Schreck said has a medium body and a smooth and crisp finish. It takes the Georgetown Brewing Company of Seattle eight days to brew.

"We're just looking for a little exposure in the market," Schreck said. Manny's is more prominent in Pullman and Spokane, but in the valley is only found in draft at Rooster's Landing in Clarkston. "We're fairly new to this market."

On his second go at Brewfest, Benjamin Negrete of Clarkston took a liking to Manny's.

"Manny's is by far the best," Negrete said before defending his endorsement. "I drink a lot of beer, too."

For a $10 ticket, beer patrons received a commemorative Brewfest pint glass filled with five tokens to purchase samples. Each token was worth a 4-ounce sample, while 16 ounces cost four tokens. Additional tokens cost $1 each.

"We just had so many breweries interested this year," Angie McVey said.

The Ninkasi Brewing Company was another Brewfest newcomer Saturday. The Eugene, Ore., brewery offered Believer Double Red and Total Domination. Spent tokens were aplenty for brewery representative Brian Rogers.

"Total Domination is our flagship beer," Rogers said. "It's our meat and potatoes. Total Domination is definitely a floral hop. Sweet beers, I can't stand to drink more than one of them. Total Domination, I can drink all day long."

Nathan Cenell, a self-described "hop-head," and his wife, Kristina, agreed.

"We came from Boise to Lewiston just for this," Kristina Cenell said.

"Basically all the IPAs (India pale ale) I've had were really good," Nathan Cenell said. "They're good sample sizes, which is good. I really like the Total Domination."

Scott Wise, of Genesee, said he enjoyed a lot of the beers on tap at Brewfest, but was more happy to see what the market is like in the Northwest.

"It's good to see there's a lot of beer breweries around," he said. "The regional beers are all good."

Several patrons said they liked the new beers floating around the pavilion Saturday, but reserved a special place in their livers for Clarkston's Riverport Brewing Co.

"Riverport doesn't make bad beer," said Brian Snyder. He added he would be able to hold his own at Brewfest. "If nothing else, I can walk if I don't feel like riding a death wagon."

Angie McVey said his was the normal reaction to the news that Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston was sponsoring free rides home for patrons who became overwhelmed with Brewfest spirits. But that only meant the funeral home was paying the cost of having a bus take attendees to their homes in Lewiston and Clarkston for free, she said.

"We get phone calls (asking), 'Are they going to have a hearse there?' " Angie McVey said. "People think it's a great tie-in. It gets their name out in a positive way."

The next Northwest Best Brewfest is slated for Aug. 28.