The Electric City Craft Brew Fest hits PNC Field This Saturday, April 26.
The hiss of a bottle cap releasing its blast of pent-up aroma of hops, barley and subtle notes of spices is enough to make craft beer fans excited. Multiply that and spread it through a baseball stadium on a spring weekend, and you’ve got the Electric City Craft Brew Fest. The festival enters its third year this Saturday, April 26, at PNC Field in Moosic, where visitors can sample more than 60 individual brews. Creating such a wide variety of tastes and flavors will continue to be a focus of the EC Brew Fest with open seminars from the Scranton Brewer’s Guild and Wyoming Valley Brewers, including a session for cider lovers.
This weekend’s edition of the EC Craft Brew Fest is expected to be the largest yet. “The newly renovated PNC Field offers both a great concourse that’s custom made for accommodating large crowds and spectacular views,” said Tim Holmes, organizer of the festival and marketing director for Times-Shamrock Communications. “ What better way to celebrate spring’s late arrival than enjoying some lovely craft brews at the ball field?”
Rob Crain, president and general manager for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, said the festival helps bring events to the stadium that aren’t just ball games.
“The more the merrier,” said Crain. “We have dedicated staff members on our team to solicit events that don’t revolve around a baseball game. We’ve had some early success, like last May’s Wrap Party for The Office. We look forward to growing as the years go on.”
The explosion of craft beer in the market has led to a demand for seasonal brews, and the EC Craft Brew Fest has evolved to suit the ever-growing demands of beer aficionados.
“When we hosted our original Brew Fest, we knew we had to offer multiple sessions per year if we hoped to ‘tap into’ the seasonality of the craft beer world,” said Holmes. “The offerings at the Spring/Summer session are drastically different from the Fall/Winter selections. Both are great sessions — but they’re best enjoyed in season.”
Visitors to the Brew Fest will receive a sampling glass, bottled water and receive open access to samples on the concourse of PNC Field. Guests who choose to upgrade to the limited VIP tickets also gain early admission and introduction to brewers, limited edition brews, free hors d’oeuvres and a special gift. Out-of-town visitors or those looking to stay nearby can take advantage of the “Room with a Brew” package to stay at nearby hotels featuring shuttle service.
Beer festivals around the country have plenty in common: craft beer samples, limited edition brews, and basic information sessions. The EC Craft Brew Fest has always striven to feature components to showcase the artisanal and hobby components of craft brewing. With the participation of the Scranton Brewers’ Guild and Wyoming Valley Brewers, this spring’s festival promises to bring the most high-profile education sessions to date.
Sean Wolfe of the Scranton Brewers’ Guild explained the goal is to get people thinking about all the little things that go into creating that perfect, delicious glass of beer.
“The exciting part about being involved in the festival is that EC Brewfest is trying to promote what we promote: craft brew culture,” Wolfe said. “Home brewing is one aspect of that. From our standpoint, we try to promote the things that most festivals don’t even touch on. Any festival can have a lot of beer, and a lot of good beer. Of course, people will come to drink it. Very few festivals will focus on promoting the culture around craft beer – that’s missed.”
The idea that beer should be sipped and enjoyed is integral to the craft brew community. While a growing number of people are making their own beer, learning about what goes into the process can be important even if casual enjoyment is the goal.
“The culture is about understanding the ingredients that go into beer, the time it takes to make it, and understanding the process,” said Wolfe. “A lot of times people will taste something and not understand what goes into making that. Part of what we want to do with the sessions is getting people to see the importance of what it takes to make the beer.”
EC Brew Fest attendees will also have an opportunity to experience beer-making first-hand, to get an idea of what goes into making a home-brewed beer, beginning during the 2 p.m. session from the Wyoming Valley Homebrewers. Later sessions will include focus on flavoring beer with hops and grains.
“You can see the whole process from beginning to end to see what it takes to make a beer from scratch,” said Wolfe. “We’ll have a session specifically focusing on hops and what they do in beer, and why they’re important, and learning about the different types of hops. We’ll talk about grains, what different grains do inside the beer and why a brewer might select a different grain over another. It’s a huge amount of information that I think will help people learn more about how to appreciate the beer at the festival even if they’re not ready to brew their own yet.”
Visitors who aren’t prepared to take the plunge into full-scale home brewing will still be able to learn a thing or two about the beer they’re enjoying. Two beer information stations will be staffed by volunteers with extensive knowledge of the brewing process as well as all the samples featured at the festival.
“A lot of people are disappointed if a pourer doesn’t have a lot of beer knowledge, or they’re afraid to ask questions,” said Wolfe. “At the stations, you can walk up and ask ‘I really enjoy German wheat beers’ or ‘I’m getting this taste out of this beer, where is that flavor coming from?’ The people at those tables will be able to answer those questions.”
The fest isn’t strictly limited to beer, however. The growing popularity of hard cider has led to a heavier feature in this session of the EC Craft Brew Fest. Fans of cider or anyone simply looking to try something new will want to attend the 2:30 “As American as Baseball & Hard Apple Cider” session.
“We see a lot of the same players like Magners and Woodchuck,” said Wolfe. “We want to show what the craft industry is doing to change things, so we’re going to have a bunch of different ciders. There’s a fruit cider, a pear cider, one that’s aged in oak. It’s going to be really interesting to see where that goes.”
The EC Craft Brew Fest is about more than showing up and drinking a lot of beer — the Scranton Brewers’ Guild and Wyoming Valley Homebrewers have helped ensure this festival focuses on the ‘craft’ portion of ‘craft brewing.’
“We’re not just playing lip service; we’re actually making education a core part of the festival,” said Wolfe. “Nobody does this unique style of education like you’re going to get here. We want to get out the idea that craft brew culture isn’t just going out and drinking a bunch of beers. It’s about picking a beer that you’re really going to love, and understanding it, and learning what goes into making it.”
— tucker hottes
BEER WEEK TASTING SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 24
City Market and Café, 300 Adams Ave., Scranton. Sam Adams 4 – 6 p.m.
Kildare’s Irish Pub, 119 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Great Lakes 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Cooper’s Seafood House, 701 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Flying Fish 6 – 8 p.m.
Ale Marys, 126 Franklin Ave., Scranton.. Sam Adams 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St, Scranton. Starr Hill 7 – 9 p.m.
Andy Gavins, 1392 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Ithaca 7 – 9 p.m.
Stalter’s Cafe, 872 Providence Rd., Scranton. Starr Hill 7 – 9 p.m.
Jack’s Draft House, 802 Prescott Ave., Scranton. Weyerbacher 8 – 10 p.m.
The Keys, 244 Penn Ave., Scranton. Nimble Hill 7 – 9 p.m.
The V-Spot, 906 Providence Rd., Scranton. Long Trail 8 -10 p.m.
The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton. Shiner 9:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Friday, April 25
City Market and Café, 300 Adams Ave., Scranton. Great Lakes 4 – 6 p.m.
Cooper’s Seafood House, 701 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Weyerbacher 5 – 7 p.m.
Ale Marys, 126 Franklin Ave., Scranton. Nimble Hill 6 – 8 p.m.
Kildare’s Irish Pub, 119 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Flying Fish 6 – 8 p.m.
Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St., Scranton. Long Trail and Great Lakes 7 – 9 p.m.
Andy Gavins, 1392 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Evil Genius 7 – 9 p.m.
Jack’s Draft House, 802 Prescott Ave., Scranton. Ithaca 7 – 9 p.m.
Stalter’s Cafe, 872 Providence Rd., Scranton. Blue Mountain 7 – 9 p.m.
The V-Spot, 906 Providence Rd., Scranton Shiner 8 – 10 p.m.
The Keys, 244 Penn Ave., Scranton. Stoudts 5 – 7 p.m. Evil Genius 8 – 10 p.m.
Merts, 310 Penn Ave., Starr Hill 9:30 – 11:30 p.m.
The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton. Flying Fish 9 – 11 p.m.
Scott’s Grocery, 2603 Birney Ave.,Scranton. Blue Mountain 4 – 6 p.m.
Mrs. D’s, 915 S. Washington Ave, Scranton. Stoudts 7:30 – 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Kildare’s Irish Pub, 119 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Victory pre-fest beer breakfast 9 – 11 a.m.
Electric City Craft Brew Fest PNC Park 12 – 5 p.m.
City Market and Café, 300 Adams Ave., Scranton. Starr Hill 3 – 5 p.m.
Cooper’s Seafood House, 701 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Stoudts 7 – 9 p.m.
Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St., Scranton. Shiner 7 – 9 p.m.
Ale Marys, 126 Franklin Ave., Scranton. Great Lakes 7 – 9 p.m.
Andy Gavins, 1392 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Victory 7 – 9 p.m.
Stalter’s Cafe, 872 Providence Rd., Scranton. Manayunk 7 – 9 p.m.
Jacks Draft House, 802 Prescott Ave., Scranton. Great lakes 8 – 10 p.m.
The Keys, 244 Penn Ave., Scranton. Weyerbacher 9 – 11 p.m.
The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton. Victory 9:30 – 11:30 p.m.
The V-Spot, 906 Providence Rd., Scranton. Fest after party Starr Hill 9:30-11:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 27
Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St., Scranton. Sam Adams Beer Brunch 12 – 2 p.m.
Ale Marys, 126 Franklin Ave., Scranton. Victory 3 – 5 p.m.
Cooper’s Seafood House, 701 N Washington Ave., Scranton. Great Lakes 5 – 7 p.m.
Kildare’s Irish Pub, 119 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Starr Hill 8 – 10 p.m.
The V-Spot, 906 Providence Rd., Scranton. Magic hat 8 – 10 p.m.
Electric City Brew Fest Information
GA Session $29
1:30 — 5 p.m. General Admission Includes: Admission, EC Brew Fest Sampling Glass, Bottled water and choose from more than 60 Craft Brew Samples. Save money with advance tickets PLUS there is NO guarantee on collectible sampling glasses for those who pay at the door.
GA Session (April 26) $40
VIP Session
12:30 -1:30 p.m. (less than 50 VIP tix left) Includes: Everything in the GA Session plus: Exclusive pre-event intro to the Brewers inside the Mohegan Sun Club located in the Suite Level- featuring special limited Release· Brew Samples, Free Hors D’oeuvres & a special gift.
VIP Session (April 26) $60
Room with a Brew
Special room packages starting at $99 at selected Montage Mountain hotels will include free shuttle service to PNC Field from noon till 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. Rooms are still available. Tickets to the BrewFest sold separately.
Comfort Suites, Scranton — (570) 347-1551
Courtyard by Marriott — (570) 969-2100
TownePlace Suites — (570) 207-8500
SpringHill Suites by Marriott — (570) 207-1212
Beer School & Homebrewing Sessions throughout the day:
n Beer School Classes by Scranton Brewer’s Guild.
2:30 — 3:30 p.m.
As American as Baseball & Hard Apple Cider
Hard Ciders have been in this country since its early history, and the craft industry is giving them new life. Join us and taste what Fruit, Oak & Hops bring to hard ciders.
3:30 — 4:30 p.m.
If You’ve Big, I’ve Got Bigger: Amp’ed Up Craft Brews
Always trying to out do the next guy, Craft Brewers are in a constant race to find that new & exciting brewing trend to set themselves apart from the rest. Join us and see what the industry is doing with two already big styles, Stouts and Barley-Wines to make them even bigger!
n Homebrewing Sessions by Wyoming Valley Homebrewers.
2 — 2:15 p.m. Homebrewing 101 w/brewing demo
Will make a small batch extract beer – boil, chill (ice bath) and pitch yeast in 2 hours.
3 — 3:15 p.m. What’s in my beer kit: Hops!
Short overview of how ingredients are used in homebrewing and sampling some hop teas.
4 — 4:15 p.m. What’s in my beer kit: Grains!
Short overview of how ingredient used in homebrewing and sampling some malt teas.
Buy tickets at swbrailriders.com or call 570-969-2255 or drop by the RaiiRiders box office at PNC Field.
You MUST be 21 years old to enter this event.