On Saturday, thousands flocked to downtown Valparaiso to sample craft beers and ciders at the 9th annual Valpo Brewfest.
The event, sponsored by many, including Indiana Beverage, brought together beer lovers across the community to join in the festivities.
“It’s one of the best beer festivals we have in the area,” said Jung Lee, Brand Manager of Indiana Beverage. “I think there are about 3,000 people here sampling hundreds of different beers. It’s a great event for the community.”
Indiana Beverage, a family-owned beer wholesaler who distributes over 1,100 brands of beer, represented many of the brands present at the Valpo Brewfest and wanted to give Valparaiso a chance to see what each brand had to offer while having fun in their community.
“We want to get our liquids to lips,” commented Liza Hilliard, a member of Indiana Beverage’s Sales Development Team. “There has been an overwhelming response. Everyone is responsibly having fun.”
Attendees flooded Central Park with their laughter and cheers as they raised their glasses to each other and enjoyed the afternoon with friends and family.
“Look at the ambiance,” said John Balog of Valparaiso. This year marked the eighth time Balog and friends had attended the event. “Today is about people who love beer getting together and having a good time and sampling the new beers the vendors have. It’s a great day.”
Shellie Marrs of Valparaiso enjoyed the day with her boyfriend of 10 years, Mike Borns.
“It’s an annual tradition,” said Marrs with a smile. “This is always a great festival that adds a sense of greatness around town.”
“We love the festivities here,” added Borns. “The vibes here are great and the beers are flowing. That’s what it’s all about.”
Beer vendors at the event worked hard as they handed out sample after sample to the crowd.
“We were slammed,” laughed Anderson York, Indiana Market Manager at Firestone Walker Brewing Company.
Firestone Walker, one of several companies represented by Indiana Beverage at this year’s Valpo Brewfest, saw the event as an opportunity to connect with the community.
“We’re new to the state,” said York. “We started distributing here in March. We picked to be at the VIP hour, so we could introduce ourselves to the people here of Valparaiso.”
Firestone Walker attributed their presence in Valpo Brewfest to Indiana Beverage, commenting that the turnout and the community’s response were outstanding.
“It’s been a really great day,” said York. “People here are really happy.”
Every year, Valpo Brewfest becomes one of the most popular events in the Region. This year’s Brewfest was no exception. Indiana Beverage utilizes the huge turnout to connect beer lovers with beer brands.
“They sell this out in an instant every year,” said Lee. “We represent most of the beer brands here for Northwest Indiana. It’s important that we are out here helping them get their brand awareness out in the market.”
Indiana Beverage recognized the enormous efforts to hold the Valpo Brewfest each year, both within their organization and with the hosts and other sponsors.
“We have a lot of good people who work really hard to set this up,” said Lee. “Partnering with Valpo Events to put this on is a really big deal for us. There’s a lot of people at Indiana Beverage who put in a lot of hours to make sure it runs smoothly.”
Complete with live music, food vendors, brand merchandise, and more, Valpo Brewfest provided attendees a fantastic afternoon of community, friendship, and great-tasting beer.
