A fabulous new festival for Fredericksburg! Rotary’s June event will showcase local hospitality, Texas craft beers.

Mark your calendars and get ready to wet your whistle on June 10-11 for the first Fredericksburg Craft Beer Festival. This event is sure to become another of this town’s incredible attractions for fans of the suds.

Fredericksburg’s history with beer goes way back, with a brewery being established way back in the early days of the Nimitz Hotel. Others remember sidling up to the bar at the old White Elephant Saloon and ordering beers.

In the days before Prohibition, beer was produced locally (and likely in the days during). The prevalent German culture has always had sips of suds as part of the Gemütlichkeit, or friendliness, it extends to locals and visitors alike.

And, of course, we have two indus­try bookends here in town, as well. Fredericksburg Brewing Company on East Main Street was at the forefront of the craft beer revolution. And the newest addition, Altstadt Brewery, is as amazing a facility as one will ever see in the craft beer industry and one of our lead sponsors.

So, the Rotary Club of Fredericksburg is creating an event that will bring visitors, highlight our brewing past and help the club fund its charitable giving. The main bene­ficiary for the inaugural 2022 festival is The Grace Center, which is con­structing a domestic violence shelter here in Gillespie County.

 

The event will begin with a craft beer competition awards dinner at Altstadt on Friday, June 10. Those attending can also get a tour of that astounding operation.

The festival itself will be held all day Saturday, June 11, at Marktplatz, the site of many a good times in Fredericksburg. There, craft beer fans can get tastes from many Texas craft brewers, take part in a stein hoist, enjoy some fine food concessions and food-pairing demonstrations, and great musical entertainment. (And, yes, there will also be some wine available for non-beer drinkers.)

For craft beer fans, there will be representatives from producers large and small to visit with and learn some tricks of the trade. There will also be a home brew section for those who like to cauldron their own con­coctions.

Rotary Club has contracted with the organizer of Oktoberfest and Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest to make sure this event is as good as can be.

Sponsorships are still available at a variety of levels. Get ready to sip in the sun in Fredericksburg on June 10-11 at the newest attraction for town. (Disclosure: Fredericksburg Publishing Company is a sponsor.)

For more and to reserve tickets, visit www.fbgcraftbeerfestival.com.