The Ballarat Beer Festival is set to attract crowds of beer-lovers to the shady grounds of Lake Wendouree on Saturday, for the event’s first year in a new location.
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The move from its previous home at City Oval hopes to reverse a falling attendance rate and work back up to the biggest crowd of 6500 at the event in 2013.
The 2017 event attracted just 3300 people, but Ballarat Beer Festival director Ric Dexter said growth in the craft beer market was still booming.
“Ballarat has been a very central part of brewing in Australia for a very long time with Federation University being largest brewing education facility in the southern hemisphere. Now we are seeing the resurgence of independently owned brewers,” Mr Dexter said.
Ballarat’s Red Duck will be among thirty four brewers serving up over 150 craft brews on the banks of the lake.
Red Duck first started brewing in Ballarat in 2005 as one of the smallest micro-breweries in the country when the craft beer movement was at its beginnings.
Craft beer has since gained traction in Ballarat with new breweries and rising popularity of the annual beer festival. Mr Dexter said the Ballarat Beer Festival was voted the third best beer festival in Australia by over 17,000 craft beer enthusiasts in a Beer and Brewer Magazine poll.
“We were the most popular regional beer festival by a long stretch,” he said.
Beer education classes, blind tastings, trivia games and a brewers sack race will celebrate the best of craft beer culture at the event.
Some visitors may be surprised by a beer and cheese matching session.
“Beer matches better with cheese than wine does – that’s not controversial, that’s fact,” Mr Dexter said.
Live music, games, food, wine stalls and activities for children will provide entertainment during the day for those not so keen on beer.
The Ballarat Beer Festival will run from 11am to 9pm at Lake Wendouree opposite the Botanical Gardens on Saturday January 20. Visit https://www.ballaratbeerfestival.com.au/ for event and ticket details.
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Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
