SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Beer enthusiasts gathered at the Holiday Inn & Suites Friday night for Fest of Ale to sample craft beer and enjoy food and a comedy show.
A $35 ticket included food, beer and entertainment for the event. Melissa Stricker, Director of Marketing and Revenue Management at Holiday Inn & Suites explained the format.
“We have 12 beers and with all 12 beers two beers are paired with one food item,” she said. “They’re gonna try six different foods with 12 different beers, and four stations will have a wine selection.”
Stricker previewed the next event, promising more West Virginia beers at next spring’s Fest of Ale.
“The next Fest of Ale we talked about doing exclusively West Virginia beers,” she said. “I spoke this week with the folks from the West Virginia Craft Beer Week. We didn’t know it was Craft Beer Week because we planned so far ahead. Next time we’re going to have more West Virginia beers available.”
Terrapin Brewery out of Athens, Ga. was the featured brewey at Friday’s event as well as Traveler Beer Co. out of Burlington, Vt.
“Our spring is usually a little larger than our fall. We usually do the fall in September but with football schedules we arranged to do it in August this year,” Stricker said.
Live entertainment for the event was provided by the Comedy Zone Charleston and featured comedians Big Ed Caylor and Dusty Slay.