Pepperwood Beer Festival Re-Cap

I really enjoy the Pepperwood Beer Festival's. Last years event was really well done, with a bunch of good Ontario craft beer. It may have been a little crowded but packed festivals are always a good time. Passionate beer drinkers all milling about, chatting with brewers about their beers, some trying new stuff for the first time and enthusiastically telling their friends about its qualities. This is why I enjoy the Pepperwood Festival.

It caters to drinkers of all seasons, and by seasons I mean - all varieties. You'll find the people who have been tasting and scoring beers for years with their notebooks out on the table, people there just for something to do, younger people who are there to learn about beer and taste beers that are new to them, and you'll find women. It makes for an interesting festival.

The festival at the Pepperwood Bistro and Brewpub this past Sunday was as described above. I was there selling issues and subscriptions of TAPS and had the privilege to meet a number of readers (for both the magazine and this blog). The breweries present were all pouring a variety of their brands and the atmosphere was light and relaxed.

The Pepperwood went through an expansion recently, which helped spread the festival around the bistro(last year all breweries were squeezed into the back area of the bistro). It helped to relieve traffic jams at the beer booths. Black Oak was pouring their freshly bottled Double Chocolate Cherry Stout, Beau's was offering their Bog Water Dirty Brown Ale, Premier Brands was winning people over with some Koningshoeven Quad, Grand River had there new IPA on ice and Nickel Brook was showcasing their 2008 Cuvee, Uniek Kriek and Maple Porter.

Pepperwood's resident brewer Paul Dickey pulled off a delicious oak chipped aged Innis and Gunn clone and also served up his Chipotle and Mild ales. Cameron's, Sleeman's, Great Lakes, Amsterdam, Carlsberg and Mill Street were the other breweries in attendance and many were running out of product as the winning door prize recipients were being called shortly before 5pm.

Kudo's to the Pepperwood for throwing a beer festival with class.