Education, conversation and beer will be the focus of the second annual Betty’s Beer Fest, Saturday, June 4, at the Big Picture in Waitsfield. The event will combine a beer tasting with informal educational and Q&A sessions showcasing women in all aspects of the craft beer industry, as well as the new Betty’s Scholarship program.
Betty’s Beer Fest aims to even out the typically male-dominated presence seen across the craft beer industry by featuring a tasting from breweries with women all over their ranks. Attending breweries include 14th Star Brewing, Citizen Cider, Simple Roots Brewing, Switchback Brewing Company and more. The Betty’s House Bar will feature beer from Fiddlehead, Frost, Zero Gravity and others.
In addition to the beer, Betty’s Beer Fest will also host interactive educational and Q&A sessions with a number of women from the craft beer industry such as Anne Duany, owner of Vermont Homebrew Supply in Winooski; Kristen Sykes, president and founder of the Boston Area Beer Enthusiasts Society (BABES) and instructor at the University of Vermont’s Business of Craft Beer program; Liz L’toile, director of sales and marketing for Form Star Farms Inc., a sustainable farm in western Massachusetts providing locally grown hops, grains and more; and Brucie Donahue, the director of the Vermont Chapter of the Pink Boots Society. Mark Drutman of Craft Beer Cellar in Waterbury will help lead the educational sessions, and Brittney Hibbs of Local 22 and Local 44’s What’s On Tap TV series will lead the Q&A session.
New this year, Betty’s Beer Fest is excited to partner with UVM to create the Betty’s Scholarship that will help one woman through the school’s Business of Craft Beer program. All women applying for the program are eligible for the scholarship. Applications are due Friday, July 15, 2016. Direct contributions to the scholarship are welcome. Contact Betty’s Beer Fest for details.
Tickets for Betty’s Beer Fest include 10 tastes, a raffle ticket and a souvenir glass. Betty’s Beer Fest will be open to everyone interested in attending.
“We invite all beer enthusiasts – women and men – to join us at the Big Picture Theater & Cafe, Saturday, June 4, from 1 to 6 p.m., to taste, learn, talk about and tap into their love for craft beer,” said festival founder Meg Schultz.
For ticket information and more details about Betty’s Beer Fest check out bettysbeerfest.com.
