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Health & Fitness

Rising Pint Brewfest Rocks Rentschler Field

The idea is to help grow Connecticut's craft beer scene, and further develop the community of beer fans.

 

The second annual Rising Pint Brewfest at Rentschler Field in East Hartford featured more than 70 breweries including Connecticut's Relic Brewing, Williantic Brewery, Tullycross Tavern, Olde Burnside, City Steam, Thomas Hooker Brewery, Calvary Brewing, The Hartford Better Beer Company, Cottrell, Beaver Beer, and New England Brewery.

The weather was perfect, with large crowds filing into the outer rim of the arena, and the beer flowing free.

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It was a well-organized event and the crowds were exceptionally friendly. This was probably due in part to tons of beer, perfect weather, and a moderate state trooper presence (as Rentschler Field is state property, troopers have to be present at such events).

All of the booths were set up in a gigantic horseshoe, running behind the stands overlooking the field. The setup made for great shade, and plenty of room for the voluminous crowd to move around.

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There were just under 1,100 attendees — a vast increase from last year, when only 300 to 400 stopped by. Proceeds from this year's fest went to the Arthritis Foundation New England and Folds of Honor. Live bands made sure that there was music going for the entire day, and Firebox, Plan B, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Beachland Tavern, Baronet Coffee, and several other restaurants and eateries made sure that no one went hungry.

Creator Heather Schold agreed that the day went off spectacularly. She said there was a drastic increase in interest between last year and this year, with greater attendance and more vendors making this a stellar event. Schold really focused on the craft beer community as a whole, not just showcasing the distributors she typically is involved with.

For instance, she got involved with Brett Hollander, the Hartford Distributors Inc. craft beer manager, to further connect with the greater craft beer community even though HDI isn't directly represented by her.

With this involvement, Hollander became a staunch partner in the event and co-produced it. Says Schold, "Brett was the driving force of this event!"

The end goal, says Schold, was to have an event that helps grow Connecticut's craft beer scene, and further develop the community of beer fans. Building this up will increase the number of people visiting Connecticut to explore its local breweries, and increase the traffic of residents into their local beer stores to try the new craft brews.

Building this influx is a goal for Schold. Connecticut has a good beer scene, according to Schold, but it just needs expansion and awareness. Events like the Rising Pint Brewfest is one way that other state beer fans meet, experience new beer, and organically build a strong culture.

Schold is already planning next year's Brewfest. She wants to have Yellow Cab on call for the fest, so when someone needs a ride, all they have to do is walk out to the curb. Other ideas include a barbecue and homebrew beer competition. Schold is also searching for more ways to make next year's Rising Pint Brewfest bigger, better, and more connected to the greater Connecticut community.

To read my experiences working the fest and pictures, go to the full post on my blog: Malted Musings. For even more pictures of the event, check out Jere Adametz's Flickr page. Also follow me on Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter and I will keep you up-to-date to events happening in CT, and events that I will be pouring. Finally, I highly recommend checking out CT Beer Trail to keep current with any beerfests coming up.

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