Beer on the Boards

Beer on the Boards

The inaugural Beers On The Boards festival makes it debut on the Point Pleasant Boardwalk on Saturday, March 24^th.

The organizers are the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce, Martell’s Tiki Bar and TotalBruMarketing/Beerheads.com and the event is billed as a showcase of the quality of our local and regional microbreweries and a craft beer celebration.

“Microbrewery is not really the right word for many of these guys anymore,” says organizer Chris DePeppe, owner of TotalBru Marketing and beerheads.com (and a Wall H.S. graduate).

“There has been such amazing growth in the world of craft brewing in the US that a lot of the breweries that started in a garage are now regional or national brands, so it’s hard to call them ‘micro’ anymore. But they are still making quality beer with quality ingredients and are not some mass-produced, flavorless commodity, so it makes sense to refer to them as ‘craft breweries’ now.”

The growth of brands like Brooklyn and Sierra Nevada, DePeppe explains, are indicative of the industry’s remarkable success.

“Ken Grossman was selling cases out of his trunk in 1980 and maybe doing 2000 barrels a year in the mid 80s, and they brew over 700,000 barrels a year now,” DePeppe says, referring to the founder and CEO of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

On a more local level, breweries like Kane, Carton and East Coast are attempting to replicate on a smaller scale just what Grossman did 20 years ago.

“I love what these guys are doing and I think that the best advice for anyone who loves good beer is to support your local breweries,” DePeppe emphasizes. “You always have to respect that the very best beer flavor will always be derived from a fresh product and that the freshest beers should always be the local ones, so if you love great fresh beer, you should demand it from your local pub or retail store. Or make your own.”

The event at Martell’s Tiki Bar is the first ever on the Point Pleasant boardwalk and will feature over 20 craft breweries, an all-day gourmet buffet, live music, and some boardwalk games and prizes. There are two sessions, in the afternoon from 12:30 to 4:00 PM and in the evening from 6:00 to 9:30 PM. Tickets are limited and are likely to sell out. For online ticket information, go to www.beerheads.com.

Call Carol Vaccaro at the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce for more information or to be part of the event as an exhibitor or sponsor.

This event will be a true craft beer tasting and a celebration of the unlimited flavors of beer. You will get to talk to the brewmasters, owners and brewery reps and see what is behind the rapid growth of craft brewing in New Jersey.

The beers will not be the standard flagship flavors from each brewery. We will be featuring one specialty beer from each brewery and we have added two additional tasting areas that will feature Belgian and German beers as well as some crazy super-hoppy beers.

The buffet will feature beer-inspired classics, like brats cooked in brown ale, beer-battered fish and chips, and more, each prepared with a beer from one of our participating breweries (see menu page for an updated menu).

Buy Tickets Early for this one though because we have VERY limited space and will not oversell this event and expect to sell out both sessions.

The value of this event compared to other beer fests:

BEER AND FOOD ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET!

SO GET TO TASTE:

EVERY BEER INCLUDING THE BELGIAN AND GERMAN BEER BARS AND THE BEERHEADS BOTTLE SHOP

AND

THE COMPLETE ALL-DAY GOURMET BUFFET WITH CHEF TOM PREPARING

UNIQUE MENU ITEMS WITH GREAT BEER.

Buy Tickets Before February 21^st and get $5 off.

Enter the discount code SEAGULL.

Sounds like The PubScout's kind of event!

Cheers!