Drink Craft Beer will host its third annual Boston Beer and Cheese Fest on March 9, featuring a dozen cheese connoisseur and 25 breweries from all over the east coast.
One ticket will get you an endless-bottom cup that you can take to any vendor. Don’t forget to stop by Exhibit ‘A’ Brewery Co. to use their old-timey fountain that shoots up water to rinse out your cup before you grab another sample. Guests will also receive an unlimited amount of fancy cheese and charcuterie, including tastes of Narragansett Creamery’s grilling cheese.
Jeff Wharton and Devon Regan, founders of Drink Craft Beer, organize the company’s events in their free time while continuing their day jobs. At this event, cheesemakers meet hops-experts and collaborate on wash-rind cheeses. Vendors swap stories, tips and praise for each other’s taprooms.
“There’s probably a literal ton of cheese, there’s tons of charcuteries,” Wharton says. “You can’t really go wrong.”
With new venues opening up and many moving on, the lineup always seems to be changing each year. Here are a few breweries you should check out at this weekend’s fest.
Shacksbury
Shacksbury is known for their one-time-only cider creations. During last year’s NYC Cider Week, they teamed up with the Momofuku Ssäm Bar, an East Village speciality restaurant that serves Korean-style a la carte meals with slow-roasted meats wrapped in lettuce leaves. At the festival, they’ll bring their cider-throwing barrel, which shoots the drink 3-4 feet before landing in your cup to properly aerate the apple flavor. shacksbury.com
Far From the Tree
Cider-makers Alex and Denise bought an apple orchard last summer in Acton that helped to save over 240 acres of land from commercial development. They will be bringing their Ciderac, a sazerac-inspired drink with rye whiskey, absinthe and bitters. farfromthetreecider.com
Riverwalk Brewing Co.
Riverwalk opened their taproom in Newburyport last fall, with plans to add an outdoor biergarten in the summer. Since, they’ve been hosting live music events, exhibits from local artists and movie marathons. They’ll be debuting the latest edition of their High Water American Pale Ale series, High Waters #5. riverwalkbrewing.com
Shaidzon
After Proclamation Ale Company left their facility in West Kingston, this brewery from Rhode Island moved right in and started fermenting. In case you were wondering, “shaidzon” is a made-up word meaning “shades on,” coined by co-owner Chip Samson. Sample their also oddly-named Buffalo Czech, a pilsner, or the Big Crüe, a saison recommended by Samson. shaidzonbeer.com
Sixpoint
Beer aficionados are familiar with waiting in lines for hours for a brewery’s new releases, but Sixpoint founder Shane Welch’s initiative will change that all; his app lets fans purchase cans ahead of time instead of walking up to the location. No need to use that for the Festival, however, as they’ll be sharing High Res, their triple IPA, and Sweet Action, a hoppy golden ale. sixpoint.com
If you go:
March 9-10, The Cyclorama, 539 Tremont St., Boston, $60, drinkcraftbeer.com
