Despite chilly temperatures and an impending snowstorm, hundreds of people came out to the Collingwood Brewery on Saturday to celebrate the brewery's last big outdoor event of the season.
The Collingwood Beer and Cider Fest saw eight local breweries and cideries take over the beer garden at the Collingwood Brewery on Nov. 12 from noon to 7 p.m.
“It’s way busier than I thought it was going to be, it’s very exciting,” said Tim Schneider, owner of Duntroon Cyder House and Farm.
Duntroon was pouring three varieties of cider for attendees, who received a branded Collingwood Brewery 8oz glass and three drink tokens as part of their admission price.
“The idea is that you can sample different beers and ciders that you might not normally try if you had to commit to a full pint,” said Scott Smith, the taproom, retail and events manager at the Collingwood Brewery.
The Collingwood Brewery, which is one of the original craft breweries to open in Collingwood and has been around for almost a decade, used to host a beer fest before COVID-19 broke in 2020. This was their first event that brought everyone together since the pandemic.
Some new faces were in attendance this year, such as Black Bellows Brewing Company, which opened January 2020 — just months before the pandemic hit.
“Getting to do this stuff is all the more important because the number of people who don’t actually know that we have a brew pub in town is insane. So it’s a great way to connect with the community that way,” said Jarrett Woodhouse, director of sales at Black Bellows.
“It’s always awesome to get out in front of our customers and connect with the community,” he said.
Other producers in attendance included Side Launch Brewing and Northwinds Brewery, Ardiel Cider House, Thornbury Craft and Duxbury Cider.
“It’s the first time we’ve been out with some of these people since the summer, so it's great to see everyone come together,” said Schneider.
And even with the first snowstorm of the year set to hit later that day, Smith said it was their most successful beer fest to date.
"Ticket sales way exceeded our expectations and we were very happy to be among our friends in the industry having a great time together," said Smith.
