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OPPrairiedaily.com life & Arts
the orland park prairie | October 3, 2019 | 17
Village’s first Brewfest an overflowing success
Amanda Del Buono
Freelance Reporter
9
Three generations of Rogers — (left to right) Tom,
Jason and Zach — take in Brewfest.
From lagers to ales, craft
brewing has opened up the
industry’s wide range of
styles to beer-lovers everywhere.
Luckily for Orland
Park’s enthusiasts, the
Village of Orland Park
hosted its first beer festival
the evening of Sept. 21 at
Crescent Park.
The inaugural Orland
Park Brewfest sold out just
weeks after tickets went on
sale and brought together
the community’s beerlovers
to sample beers,
ciders and liquors from
craft brewers and distillers
throughout the Chicago
area.
The 21-and-over event
included tastings of dozens
of beer varieties from
16 breweries and two distilleries.
Guests also were
able to cast their votes
for the Drinkers’ Choice,
which included Best Logo
and Favorite Beer, among
others honors. They also
enjoyed an all-you-careto-eat
meal from City Barbeque.
Live entertainment was
provided to go along with
the food and drink. CK
and the Gray, and Fletcher
Rockwell, played a variety
of hits.
Marty Nachel — a certified
beer judge, author
and educator from Orland
Park — conducted beer
trivia.
“Last year, we did a
Harvest Hoedown ... and
we had samples of beers
there, but this is our firstever
beer fest,” said Doreen
Biela, special events
manager for the Village.
“We’re always looking
for ways to appeal to the
community, and we wanted
to do something where
you get a full dinner, great
beer samples and music,
and all right here in Orland
Park. ... You don’t
have to go to Chicago to
get that.”
As parents of a 4-monthold
and a 5-year-old, Oak
Forest’s Amy and Brian
Mitchell said they appreciated
that the event was
nearby, giving them an opportunity
for an adult night
out close to home.
“In the city, they have
all kinds of beer fests,
but not by us, so it’s nice
to get a $10 Uber for the
night out,” Amy said.
Orland Park’s Sue and
Kurt Poppenhouse are
craft beverage enthusiasts,
and said they frequent local
breweries and pubs to
try new beers. Although
they have not been to
many beer fests, they said
they were quite pleased
with Saturday’s event.
“I like the two bands;
they’re both really good,”
Kurt said. “For a sold-out
event, it’s not like we’re
packed in here. We’ve
been at other events, and
you go and it’s sold out
and the lines are long and
it’s busy — or by the time
it’s your turn, they’re out
of beer.”
The Village began planning
for the event in January.
The Village focused
on recruiting breweries
and distilleries within
traveling distance of Orland
Park. But when it
came to the beers the
breweries offered, Biela
said variety was key.
“We worked hard with
the brewers in order to
vary what they’re offering,”
she said. “We have
dozens of styles of beer
here tonight.”
Serving Chip Monk
and Blind Squirrel, New
Lenox-based Hickory
Creek Brewing Company’s
owner Gary Meyer
said that he frequents beer
festivals to get the word
out about his business. He
particularly liked that Saturday’s
event was near the
brewery.
“Nobody talks about
our beer better than I do,”
Meyer said. “So, I like to
be here personally. I’ve
done some in the city,
and I spend half the time
explaining where New
Lenox is, so this is great.”
On the flip side, Chicago’s
Revolution Brewing
Marty Nachel, of Orland Park, leads beer trivia on Sept. 21 during the Village of
Orland Park’s first Brewfest. Photos by Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media
Brian Elslager, of Revolution Brewing, talking to Art Collia during Brewfest.
was present serving its Oktoberfest
lager and Freedom
of Press, a lightly tart
ale. Orland Park’s Brian
Elslager, an area sales representative
for Revolution
Brewing, said that Orland
Park’s festival was a great
way to bring the brewery
to the community.
“We want to give back
to the community that has
done so much for us,” he
said.
Although no plans are
set, Biela said she hopes
the event will continue to
grow over the years.
“My fingers are crossed
for bigger and better next
year,” she said.