Virtual Beer Festivals Have Arrived
By Tony Forder, tony@alestreetnews.com
Two months of lockdown, zoom fatigue, the weather’s getting nicer (finally) – people are getting antsy.
In a probably risky but psychologically and economically necessary move Gov. Phil Murphy opened the Jersey Shore to non-essential businesses for Memorial Weekend, but only for curbside pickup. Same for five of New York State’s regions.
Group gatherings, as we know, will be the last to come back from Covid 19 restrictions.
So what is happening to the myriad of beer festivals that were scheduled throughout the summer. Well, the Mondial de la Biere Festival of which I have been a part for many years will be holding its virtual festival on its original scheduled dates May 21-24. They’ve been inviting various brewers and presenters (including myself) to send in video clips of beer and other accouterments such as haiku and flute. They will be featuring the clips on their facebook page next week. Grab a beer and follow along. There’s also an interactive competition. As of now, the actual festival has been rescheduled for October.
Back in the US, Untappd has teamed up with Half Time Beverage in NY to host a virtual beer fest in June. For $90 you can buy the Drinking Socially Package for which you will receive 11 beers and the opportunity to interact with the brewers from around the country in the 2-day live-streamed event June 13-14. For the $15 Stay at Home ticket, you can access the event, but bring your own beer.
Tickets are on sale May 13-25. More info here.
Untappd will donate a portion of the proceeds from the virtual festival to benefit the Restaurant Strong Fund, a fund created in partnership between Samuel Adams and the Greg Hill Foundation, which aims to aid restaurant workers impacted by the Covid-19 closures.
Meanwhile the New York State Craft Brewers Guild is hosting a Virtual Tasting Experience May 23 featuring sessions with four different breweries via zoom. Ticket holders receive 2 X 32 oz of beer which will be shipped next week. If you order today you still might be eligible.
