Craft beer enthusiasts descended upon Waitsfield on Saturday, April 18. Over 500 people attended the Beer Lover’s Market from 1 to 5 p.m. and over 200 attended the Beer Lover’s Ball on Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. The event raised a record amount for Mad River Valley Ambulance Service and a local family fighting cancer. The event took place at the Valley Players Theater.
All ticket holders to the Beer Lover’s Market were admitted for a one-hour session and had the opportunity to purchase up to two bottles of Triple Sunshine IPA and up to one case of Sip of Sunshine IPA by the four-pack. Additional Lawson’s Finest bottle varieties were available while supplies lasted. Free tickets were made available online on Monday, April 13, at 7 a.m. and all spots for the market were quickly reserved.
Most guests arrived at the market earlier than their scheduled session. They were able to check in with Meg Schultz, owner of Meg’s Events, to get their wristbands which were color coded for each one-hour session. Guests stood in line outside of the Valley Players Theater waiting their turn to enter the building. Once inside they had the opportunity to purchase draft beer, bottles, four-packs of cans, Lawson’s merchandise, plus food and goods from local producers including Gracie’s Tamales, Pickled Plus, Mount Mansfield Creamery, Nutty Steph’s, Joe’s Soup and Screamin’ Ridge Farm, Vermont Whey Fed Pigs and Vermont Homegrown Sauce.
“Many of these people make multiple trips to Vermont annually for what is know as a ‘beer haul.’ They load the trunks of their vehicles with craft beer and they are no strangers to waiting in line to do so,” explained Lisa Davis, director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce. “No one complained about waiting in line and folks seemed really happy with the process. There is wonderful camaraderie among craft beer enthusiasts. They used their time together waiting in line to talk about the breweries they visited and what beers they scored on this haul.”
Three guys that had each made the trip alone met in line and then later gathered on the Valley Players porch to drink a beer and further solidify their new friendship. Many folks recognized each other from the Vermont Craft Beer Fans Facebook page where beer lovers from around the country share their craft beer experiences.
The sold-out Beer Lover’s Ball took place from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets included a Mad Taco dinner buffet, a Lawson’s tulip glass, a complimentary draft beer and a raffle ticket and entertainment by The Grift. Mike Jengo, owner of Alpine Limousine, provided shuttle service between the Valley Players and local lodging establishments.
