Golden Nugget amped up what had been a smaller event on The Deck and turned it into two-day extravaganza akin to one at its sister property in Las Vegas. The Craft Beer Festival takes place Sept. 17 & 18.
ATLANTIC CITY — America’s most popular summer adult beverage seems to have developed a more polished reputation in recent years, probably due to the renaissance of so many craft beers and brewpubs.
Today’s variety is astounding, with seasonal and specialty beers coming on the market that can be paired with gourmet foods and enjoyed the same way aficionados enjoy fine wines.
Those seeking to expand their beer horizons, or hone a Frasier Crane-esque beer palate, should check out this weekend’s inaugural Golden Nugget Craft Beer Festival Sept. 17-18.
The festival is in two parts, the first being indoors at Golden Nugget’s Grand Ballroom on Saturday (7-10pm) and featuring gourmet appetizers and craft beers for a fixed $49-per-person fee. The second is an expanded version of the late-summer Oktoberfest-style affair that’s taken place on The Deck the last couple of years, which will be on Sunday from noon-6pm and feature an a-la-carte menu of food and beers.
READ: Interview with Golden Nugget owner Tilman Feritta.
“We’ll have over 40 breweries from around the United States — from Maine to Florida to Texas, California, Washington, and of course the great states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania will be represented,” says Scott Tarwater, corporate director of wine and special events for Landry’s Restaurants (parent company of Golden Nugget).
“We’ll have over 200 craft beers and they’ll be accompanied by live entertainment. Our chef has put together a wonderful menu — very high-end, very upscale beer friendly food but gourmet in style, not your typical fare like hot dogs and hamburgers.
“The second day’s going to be more of an international Oktoberfest style with sexy beer maidens out here serving up over 240 beers from around the world,” says Tarwater. “There will be traditional [Oktoberfest] fare like bratwurst and German kielbasa along with the great American foods we all know and love. We’ll have some oom-pah, polka music and other live entertainment.”
Some of the microbreweries participating include Magic Hat of Vermont, Leinenkugel of Wisconsin, Anchor Steam of San Francisco, Smutty Nose of New Hampshire, Grolsch of the Netherlands, Tsingtao of China, Spaten of Germany, Dogfish Head of Maryland, Weyerbacher of Easton, Pa., Ommegang of Cooperstown, N.Y., Flying Fish of Cherry Hill, N.J., and over two dozen other breweries.
“We’ve had success with a similar beer fest at our Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, so we wanted to bring it out here,” says Standford Le, vice president of advertising and marketing for Golden Nugget Atlantic City. “We wanted to take advantage of the nice weather by having the second day outside on the Deck — there won’t be a better place to be in September.
“For food, we’ll have a nice assortment of heavy hors d’oeuvres in the Grand for the indoor event such as short ribs, skewers, strudel, meats and cheeses, and on Sunday we’ll have a German Oktoberfest-inspired menu including turkey legs, bratwurst, frankfurters and soups.”
On Saturday the eight-piece horn-driven band Big City (featuring vocalists Andrea Mychaels and Herb Stewart) will play from 7-10pm. On Sunday DJ Michael James will spin from noon-3pm followed by the Exceptions, a 10-person band that’s been around since the early ’80s and fronted by vocalists Gary Briglio, Billy Trimble and Jennifer Burton. The festival ends 6pm Sunday but the Exceptions will continue performing until 7:30pm on The Deck.
Patrons must be at least 21 years of age to attend the craft beer fest.
Inaugural Craft Beer Festival
Where: Golden Nugget Atlantic City
When: Saturday, Sept. 17, from 7-10pm in the Grand Ballroom and Sunday, Sept. 18, from noon-6pm at The Deck.
How much: Saturday is $49 and all-inclusive with select appetizers and live entertainment. Sunday is free admission and pay-as-you-go brew samplings (3 ounces and 12 ounces), Oktoberfest fare, and live entertainment.
Tickets: For advanced tickets to Saturday, go to goldennugget.com/atlanticcity or call 866-746-5336.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, Trump Marina brought back its Craft Beer Fest that was debuted last fall at The Deck, and with it some time-tested favorite lagers, ciders, ales and stouts along with some new seasonal samplings. Three local distributors — Harrison Beverage, Kramer Beverage and Warren Distributing South — provided about 30 types in all, and Trump Marina prepared some tasty, beer-apropos fare like short ribs, sausage, kielbasa and sauerkraut.
This year’s event runs in conjunction with the inaugural “Lightning on the Water” powerboat racing competition co-sponsored by Geico and Trump Entertainment Resorts, which will have a preview of the boats and racers at Trump Marina on Saturday from 10am-5pm.
A brewhouse in Philadelphia became known not just for the finest beer in the city -- a reputation gained by being built over and utilizing an underground artesian well -- but also for having been the...
"Can I pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?" "It's a little early isn't it, Woody?" "For a beer?" "No, for stupid questions." -- Cheers An understandable yet somewhat unfortunate facet of a depressed eco...
THIS WEEKEND BRINGS A BIT OF A CHANGE of pace for the Atlantic City Convention Center. Very often the center is filled with conventioneers wearing suits and shaking hands as they try to network and b...
Article:
First Bartender Awards
Nominees Announced!
Article:
Banding Together for Autism
Article:
Stir It Up at Sammy’s
Beach Bar
Article:
Boogie Nights Grand Opening at Tropicana Atlantic City
Article:
Boogie Nights: May the 4th Be With You
Article:
Devil in the Dark Hits NJ Motorsports Park
Article:
Angelic Ascent
at Ego
Share this Story: