Jersey Shore Beer Fest Coming to Neptune

My beer buddy Chris DePeppe informs me of  another beer fest he is producing at the Jersey Shore. He allows that this particular event may well be a "moveable feast," using different venues from time to time. But this one is in Neptune--and for a good cause besides. If past is prologue, the event should be a memorable one, and the nice thing about Chris's fests is that food is included in the price. Flying Fish, Smuttynose, Cricket Hill, Starr Hill, Brooklyn, East Coast, Tuckahoe, Ithaca, Carton, Yards, Blue Point and more will be on hand. Info is below.

The organizers of several area craft beer fests have announced that they will be launching the Jersey Shore Beer Fest on May 18th and that the venue for the first year of this annual event is The Headliner in Neptune, NJ. The Headliner, ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, is undergoing extensive renovations and the interior has new bars, new flooring, and a new kitchen, and the outdoor bars and beach volleyball courts will be opening just in time for the beer fest.

The event, which will feature more than 30 craft breweries from around the region and across the country, benefits the Richard S. Bascom Scholarship Fund, a local nonprofit organization that helps Neptune kids pay for college.

The event organizers see this event as a way to showcase the variety of flavors that distinguish craft beers from the mass-produced light lagers and a chance for local beer enthusiasts to taste the fresh local products from smaller craft breweries, several of them based here in New Jersey.

“I am convinced that New Jersey is one of the next hot spots for craft beer in the US,” says Chris DePeppe, owner of TotalBru Marketing LLC, the event’s producer.

“It feels here like it did in Philly ten years back,” he added, “ with a lot of energy around the beer scene and a rapidly developing beer culture where more and more people appreciate the craft of brewing and want to experience a wider range of beer flavors.”

The Jersey Shore Beer Fest will feature breweries from the state such as Flying Fish, Carton, Cricket Hill, Tuckahoe and East Coast, as well as regional favorites like Brooklyn, Blue Point, and Yards, and award- winning American breweries like Stone, Smuttynose and Ommegang. There will also be a specialty beer bar featuring fruit beers and wheat beers and an IPA Happy Hour Bar.

Local food vendors including Fins and The Happy Clam will be present and general admission ticket includes a meal voucher that can be redeemed at any vendor.

The Jersey Shore Beer Fest (www.jerseyshorebeerfest.com) will be held on May 18, 2013 at The Headliner on Hwy 35 in Neptune from 2-6PM. Tickets are $45 until May 1 and $49 after May 1 and will include a 5 oz tasting glass and freedom to try 2 oz. samples from any exhibiting brewery AND food from local food vendors. Designated driver tickets are $15 each with meal ticket and non-alcoholic drinks included. Everyone must be 21+ with valid ID for admission.

The event is produced by TotalBru Marketing and beerheads.com (www.beerheads.com).