Beer is revered at first Celebration of the Suds
MUG SHOT: Sip some suds this weekend at the Convention Center.
House of Brews
Beer is revered at first Celebration of the Suds
By Ray Schweibert
CAP: MUG SHOT: Sip some suds this weekend at the Convention Center. -->
"What would you say to a nice cold beer, Mr. Peterson?"
"Going down?" — Cheers
BEER, BREWERIES AND BREW MASTERS, those venerated bastions of Americana, will be the focus of a two-day event at the Atlantic City Convention Center that has been heralded as the first of its kind in New Jersey.
The Celebration of the Suds, appropriately taking place over St. Patrick's Day weekend, will include more than 125 beers and ales from 36 breweries, and a variety of beer and brewing-related vendors within a 33,000-square-foot space. Event times will be Saturday, March 18, from noon-9pm, and Sunday, March 19, from noon-6pm. Only patrons ages 21 and older will be admitted.
"A lot of small local brew pubs do special events, but they're restricted in size and can't bring in large-scale quantities of beer," says event producer Jon Henderson. "We're going in the other direction with this, and making this the biggest beer festival in the state of New Jersey."
As president of Unsuited Entertainment, the company that brought Atlantic City the Drawin' the Wildcard Tattoo Extravaganza (slated for its third year this June at the Convention Center), Henderson says he hopes to make the Celebration of the Suds an annual gala and one of the biggest beer festivals on the East Coast.
"My partners and I did our research, and it took us about a year-and-a-half to put this together," says Henderson. "And like any show I'm involved with, there'll be plenty of music, hot rods and choppers. If I did a Girl Scouts event, you'd see hot rods and choppers."
The band Toonz will perform live music along with Celtic rock group Birnam Wood and the South Jersey Pipes and Drums. Between live sets, DJ Neil will be spinning a mix of new and classic tunes.
Also on the entertainment agenda are twin sisters and Playboy Playmates of Millennium Darlene and Carol Bernaola. The show will also feature the crowning of the Queen of the Festival.
Large breweries like Guinness, Sam Adams and Yuengling, and craft beers such as those produced by Atlantic City's Tun Tavern and Lambertville's River Horse brewery, will offer samplings of their wares. Sampling times Saturday will be from 2-6pm and include pale, amber and brown ales, porters and stouts. Sunday samplings will run from 1-5pm and include light, amber and dark lagers, wheat and strong beers.
Henderson says that the show's proximity to the train station and other alternatives to driving, and hundreds of hotel rooms within walking distance, was part of its appeal.
"We're taking a very active role in safety and responsible drinking," he says. "The Hero Campaign and the Pepsi Safe Driver Program will be part of the show, and will help to make it a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone."
General admission is $25, but designated drivers get in for just $5. All festival workers will be certified in the TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers) safe alcohol serving techniques.
Some of the world's foremost beer authorities, including authors Michael Jackson and Sam Calgione of Dogfish Brewery (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) and Gary Monterosso and Alan Newman of Magic Hat (Burlington, Vt.), will be available for question-and-answer sessions related to beer and brewing.
Plenty of food will also be "on tap," as many area dining establishments, among them Hooters and the House of Blues, will be showcasing their specialties.
Additionally, Sam Adams and the Boston Beer Company will be giving away a trip for two to Boston, which will include airfare, a one-night stay at a Boston hotel, and a tour of the Boston Beer-Sam Adams Brewery.
One of southern New Jersey’s ... heck, one of the East Coast’s foremost authorities on all things beer, Gary Monterosso, was joined by a packed house of local and national brewing and culinary personalities Tuesday night, Nov. 29, at House of Blues’ Foundation Room.
“Coming off last year’s success, we have no doubts that this year’s Horsepower Rally will be bigger, badder, and louder.”
Let’s take this in simple steps. First step, pizza and beer go together. Got it. Second step, the Atlantic City Convention Center is the site of the sixth annual Atlantic City Beer Festival, better known as “The Celebration of the Suds.” More than 75 different breweries will showcase their products. But also among the exhibitors will be several food vendors including Tony Boloney’s, one of the city’s premiere pizza restaurants. So beer vendors and pizza vendors also go together. Well, at festivals anyway. Got it. So what then is the next step? Well obviously, it’s Tony Boloney’s pizza infused with beer. And we’re not talking about the infusion that happens in your mouth when you bite a slice and swig your beer. We’re talking totally infused. “Basically, we’re cooking the beer...
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