The Beer Fest Celebrates 12 Years and New Beginnings!

Aug 21st, 2009

The 12th Annual Dauphin Street Beer Festival returns Saturday, August 29th from 6 until 9 p.m. in the LoDa Entertainment District. This year, many changes accompany the annual fest which kicks off the ensuing festival and football seasons. First, the name change: we have taken out “international” from the title to be more inclusive of the influx of domestically brewed craft beers that have come on the market recently due, in part, to the free the hops movement. We also have increased not only our number of beers, but our participating venues. This year, we have 31 LoDa restaurants and taverns offering samples of over 90 beers. To make things easier on the both bars and the festival goers, we have streamlined the temporary membership card application and made it, according to ABC standards, available online. This feature will be made easier for ticket holders if they get their tickets in advance. They are currently on sale for $17 until the 22nd of August, at which time they bump up to $20 per. For those who buy tickets the evening of, they will need to register in person at Cathedral Square to receive their confirmation code which will validate their temp member cards for entry into 14 of the 31 venues.

One of the best conveniences during this year’s festivities is the addition of room specials offered by downtown hoteliers. In an effort to make vacationing in our own backyard even sweeter, the Radisson, Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn and The Battle House Hotel are offering specials ranging from $89-$159 and includes breakfast at the latter two locations. For a complete list of hotel specials and participating venues where tickets can be purchased, please visit www.ncsmobile.org.