From press release:
MORGANTON, N.C. – Think local, drink local. That’s the motto for the State of Origin Beer Fest, which debuts Saturday, June 14, on the courthouse square in downtown Morganton.
The festival requires all 20 participating breweries to be North Carolina based, and each has to use North Carolina-sourced ingredients at some point in the brewing process.
The idea for the event came from brothers David and Mark Bennett, who recently teamed with brewer Todd Boera to open Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton.
“We not only want people drinking local beers from a local brewery, but drilling down to the next level with local ingredients in the beer,” says David Bennett. “This is something we believe in.”
Festival organizers are confident about the concept. They’re also pleased to have attracted a home-grown band as headliner.
Mipso, a progressive bluegrass band from Chapel Hill, brings instant notoriety to the event. The band’s recent album, Dark Holler Pop, climbed as high as No. 8 on the bluegrass charts.
“It’s a really cool headlining act and follows the festival concept because they’re local,” Bennett says. “All three band members are from North Carolina.”
The list of participating breweries is cool, too. It covers most of the state and ranges from small craft breweries to regional craft powerhouses, all of which use NC ingredients in some beers.
“We’re honoring those breweries who recognize what’s out there and make a conscious effort to use it,” Bennett explains. “We want people thinking local and drinking local.”
Breweries scheduled to attend include: Appalachian Mountain Brewery in Boone, Birdsong Brewery in Charlotte, Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw, Highland Brewing Co. in Asheville, NoDa Brewing Co. in Charlotte, Pisgah Brewing Co. in Black Mountain, and Triple C Brewing Co. in Charlotte.
Meanwhile, host brewery Fonta Flora will offer beers from such locally-sourced products as dandelions, grits, and fresh kiwis grown in Ashe County.
Tickets for the State of Origin Beer Fest are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP. Hours for VIP ticketholders are 1:30-7:30 p.m. and general admission hours are 3:00-7:30 p.m.
There’s also an after party at Fonta Flora Brewery.
For details and tickets, call (828) 238-6229 or go to: www.fontaflora.com/festival
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.