Athens can once again revel in collective beer belches as the sixth annual Ohio Brew Week returns this weekend in all of its barley and glory. And better yet, the week of local brew-centric activities will be extended by three days.
The weeklong brew festival has been credited in recent years for making Athens a summertime beer destination. Locals of course purport the week’s reputation, but this year brew week also received some media attention when it was named of the top 10 summer beer festivals by the online travel magazine RoadTripsForBeer.com for keying into Ohio’s “booming craft beer scene.”
Melody Sands, Ohio Brew Week marketing director, said the idea for the brew week came from late Athens bar and restaurant owner Jon Sparhawk, who saw the potential for the event to bolster the slow summer economy.
“We saw that it had great potential for our community,” said Sands. “The idea for this is to do things that bring people back to Athens. There isn’t a person in town who could tell you it doesn’t do good for their business.”
Dan Gates, Ohio Brew Week’s executive director, agreed.
“What better way to have an economic engine than to have a nine-day party?” Gates said.
Francis McFadden, the founding president of the Ohio Brew Week board said the festival is about more just as much about beer as it is about community building. With non-profit status approved by the IRS, McFadden said that the organizers have “identified a lot of people to give money back to.”
The Brew Week started this past Friday with a happy hour reception at the Dairy Barn and a concert at Casa Cantina and picked up again Saturday with keynote speaker Lew Bryson, a beer and whiskey freelance reviewer.
“It’s a temperate drink if you don’t get crazy with it and if you want to get crazy with it, you can,” said Bryson, who has written for the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In addition to showcasing local breweries and beers, Ohio Brew Week will give Athens visitors and locals the chance to enjoy the pub scene. Pigskin general manager Chris Roach said his bar will host a pool tournament and a hog roast next week, as well as offer food based around the beer flavors. For instance, Roach said the peanut butter cup beer pairs well with dessert.
“We’re trying to create an atmosphere in here where people can come in, enjoy some good food and not just our normal food, but food based around the beer,” said Roach, who added that Pigskin will have 7 beers on tap in honor of Athens Brew Week.
No matter the reason Athens Brew Week visitors attend the event, organizers have created a schedule that will please all tastes.
“That’s what it’s become…a gathering place for families,” Gates said.
gr341107@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCulture
