The Suwanee Beer Fest returns on Saturday to Town Center Park for a day of unlimited craft beer samples.
Jaya Lord, the event’s social media coordinator, says that there will be 350 craft beers to sample this year. There are also eight new breweries that are participating this year.
“It's gonna give them a great exposure,” Lord said. “It's gonna be a great welcome for them to our Suwanee Beer Fest community.”
This will be Suwanee Beer Fest’s 11th year, after the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Lord, attendees can expect festival-type games, like corn hole and a giant beer pong table, in addition to a wide variety of drinks. There will also be several live music performances, like the Journey cover band Departure.
One of Suwanee Beer Fest’s biggest pulls is its Homebrew Beer Battle, where local brewers compete for the title of best homebrew.
“We give prizes like gift cards and medals if you win that title, but the really the biggest prize is to win bragging rights around the beer community,” Lord said.
Suwanee Beer Fest also shines a spotlight on Georgia breweries with its Georgia Beer Garden.
“With this festival being in Georgia, we want to make sure that our state beer is just being showcased,” Lord said. “So we have a big section in the middle of the park, which is only Georgia beer.”
Lord said that the festival will have its largest Georgia Beer Garden this year with 67 Georgia-based breweries. Additionally, some breweries are getting creative with their setup.
“Akademia Brewing, which is located in Athens, will be pouring out of a school bus they call the EREBUS,” Lord said. “You'll be able to actually go inside the bus. And then Apparition Brewing is actually serving out of their hearse, and it's really cool. Its name is Elvira.”
Suwanee Beer Fest has built up a buzz. It was voted as one of the top 10 beer festivals in 2020 by USA Today.
Additionally, this festival gives back to local charities. Suwanee Beer Fest has raised over $149,000 for charities since 2011. This year, proceeds will benefit Cooper’s Crew.
“It's a really great Suwanee-based organization that was created in honor of Cooper O'Brien, who unfortunately lost his battle to a rare form of cancer called clear cell carcinoma at the very young age of 14,” Lord said. “Cooper is described as a very inspirational, courageous, generous, kind boy. And what Cooper's Crew does is provide funding for research and development to find a cure for childhood cancer.”
Tickets can be purchased for $65 dollars at the event. Lord says that everybody can find something to love about Suwanee Beer Fest.
“It's just a really good time to spend with either friends or families,” Lord said. “Our crowd is super awesome in the sense that it's for everybody. So anyone from the ages of 21 to 70. We're all just hanging out together and just having a great time.”
