Welcome Breweries!

We are so excited to have each of you join us for another great year. Stay tuned to this page for more important announcements.

Over the past 17 years this event has grown from quaint beer fest hosting about a dozen breweries and 350 people, to our biggest year of over 60 breweries and more than 3,000 people. In the past couple of years we found that between 1,500 and 2,000 patrons and about 35-45 brewers creates the best atmosphere for this event. This is where we find the perfect combination of a full and excited crowd while keeping lines down so that the brewers have time to talk to the patrons about their craft, and our patrons have more time to enjoy the festival. We believe this is the sweet spot. So bring your specialty beers and show off your talent!

PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE WITH ANY PEOPLE YOU PLAN TO SEND TO HIGH COUNTRY BEER FEST ON YOUR BREWERY’S BEHALF!

Registration

This event is a fundraiser for the Fermentation Sciences Program at ASU. We ask that you bring between 1 and 2 barrels of beer. Beer is included with the price of the ticket. We offer a $350 stipend to the breweries to help cover the expenses associated with coming. We will provide you with a space, a table, and an invite to the preparty. The preparty is the night before the event and is a time to meet your fellow brewers and share some of your beer. We will also have a few kegs on tap and a full pig on the smoker with sides. Please register below.

Save the Date:

• Date: August 24, 2024

• Time: 2pm - 8pm

• Pour Time: Stop Pouring at 7pm

• Where: High Country Fairgrounds (click for map)

Get ready for….

• Be ready to pour for over 1,800!
  That’s over 1,800 opportunities to win over a new fan with each beer you pour!

• Fresh mountain air

• 5 hours of live original music

• 35+ Breweries

• Friday night Pre-Party for the breweries

• Hospitality Tent with free food for the brewers

• Food Vendors (In a food court)

• Visit with old friends in the industry and make new ones

• Learn more about the awesome Fermentation Sciences Program we support with proceeds from this awesome event.

View/Print the Brewery Information Packet for 2024 if you haven’t already.

HCBF Brewery Assistance

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns!

• Seth Hewitt, Brewery Coordinator : 828-406-8248

• Daniel Parker, Beer Fest Coordinator: 828-406-6014

SKETCH OF FIELD:

Reduced hotel rate TBD :

• The Graystone Lodge has a block of rooms for breweries and are offering a discounted rate (199+tax/night). Click on link “hotel name” above to book a room at this rate.

• You pay and we pay you with the travel stipend (see below)

• Cozy, clean, beds with showers!

• Close to the fairgrounds

• Free breakfast
  

Camp: You can camp for free at the fairgrounds! We section off a spot for you to get some shut-eye.

• Porta-potties on site

• Free coffee and bagels on Saturday morning

• Epic Pre-Party fire to keep you warm on Friday night

• Wake up on site of the festival

• Camp Friday and Saturday if desired, but we can only guarantee coffee and bagels on Saturday, not Sunday

• Please clean up after yourself

  You DO NOT have to RSVP to camp.

We need
from you

Submit Proof Of Insurance

In order for us to get all the insurance required for this event the agent as asked us to acquire proof of insurance from each brewery that is attending.
Please Note: Ivory Tower, Inc. should be shown as additional insured for liquor liability and general liability.

Name of entity we’re submitting the COI to:  Ivory Tower Brewing Inc.
Name of contact at entity:  Brett Taubman
Address of entity: 141 Cardinal Lane Boone NC 28607
Name of event: High Country Beer Fest
Date(s) of event: August 24, 2024
Are we serving alcohol: YES

Help us promote!

Make sure your favorite fans are there! Help us promote HCBF! We have created bill inserts, table toppers, and posters that you can print to help us promote HCBF. Let us know if you need help with print costs.
Hashtags we are using include: #HighCountryBeerFest, #HCBF, #HCBF24

Our Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/hcbeerfest/

Our FB profile: https://www.facebook.com/hcbeerfest/

You need
from Us:

Our Permit!

Travel Stipend

We give each brewery a check for $350 as a travel stipend to cover the cost of travel to the Fest. This, along with a tax receipt to get a write-off for beer that will be poured at the Fest, will be included in your check-in packet. You can waive your travel stipend as an additional donation to Fermentation Sciences and receive perks of Bronze Sponsorship. Let us know now so we don’t have to write as many checks! No pressure though!

• When:
  Friday 12 pm - till 6 pm (or later) OR Saturday 10 am - 12pm.
  BBQ/Bonfire starts at 6pm at the fairgrounds on Friday night so try to get there before if possible. We can still help you check in if you get there after.

• Where: There will be a check-in booth located at the red building/hut when you drive into the fairgrounds. Please do not set up until you have stopped at the check-in table.

Tent Set Up

• Start: Festival grounds open at 10 a.m. Saturday. If you camp you can set up as soon as you like.

• NEW: Some Brewery Booth locations will be reserved for breweries who sponsor HCBF. We will also have the booth spaces clearly marked so you know where to set up.

• Deadline: We ask that your booth is set up and ready to serve no later than 1 pm on Saturday.

• NEW Painted Lines: Please stay within the lines in order to ensure that all tents are able to fit in the space allotted. If at all possible, fill in from the front of the field to the back.

ICE COLD

• Storage: We will have a refrigeration truck on site, Friday through Sunday. You can store kegs in this truck. Someone will be on hand to help you unload your kegs Friday noon-6pm and Saturday 10 am -1 pm.

• Ice: We start delivering ice around 1pm to each brewers booth so the ice doesn’t melt before our guests arrive. We have plenty of ice in the truck to ensure that your brews stay cold!

• Beer: In past years, breweries have brought 1 to 1.5 bbls (6 to 9 sixtels).

Break Down

• Please do not break down your booth until 8pm when all the guests have left.

• After the festival, we ask that you remove any leftover beer from the public space and help clean up your booth space.

• It is the brewery’s responsibility to remove all kegs on Saturday or Sunday after the fest is over. We cannot keep kegs past Sunday.

Requirements:

No entry or exit out of the Brewers Lot after 1pm

Red Band + X on hand = NO serve

No drinking behind the booth by friends or pourers. A.L.E. regulations.

Itinerary

• 9:30 AM Vendor Set Up Begins - Please be aware of the painted lines and stay within the guides

• 1 PM – Festival Access Road closes to vehicle traffic - We will not allow traffic to flow in or out of the access road that leads to the field after 1pm. Please alert your staff to be aware of this. If staff needs to switch shifts, leave or come at any point during the festival, they will need to park in the main parking area, not the side lot closest to the food court.

• 2 PM – VIPs enter - get ready to rock and roll (250+)

• 3 PM – General Admission enters - the masses arrive (750 + people)

• 7 PM – Beer service ends - the last hour is for patrons to eat and sober up.

• 8 PM – Festival ends - Break down begins

Other Info:

Breakfast: We will have some…Bagels, water, and coffee will be provided Saturday morning.

Lunch: On you or snack in the game tent No vouchers will be given this year. Please bring money if you want food from a food truck. We will have more info about lunch as the day approaches.

Weather Be prepared to serve rain or shine. We have been blessed with beautiful weather for 11 years (knock on wood).

Staff Each brewery is allowed up to 4 staff per booth. There will be a surcharge for each extra person. If additional personnel are needed or for questions or concerns regarding this rule, please contact us directly. Email: Director@hcbeerfest.com.

What to Bring

What not to Bring

WHAT TO BRING:

• Bring 2 or more varieties of brews so guests have options (VIP guests love when you bring a smaller amount of something special for the first hour of pouring)

• Serving/Pouring staff

• Tablecloths

• A tent/canopy for shade and promotion (tent placement is first come, first served).

• Containers for kegs and serving methods (we will supply ice)

• Stickers, bottle openers, and other promotional items (if desired)

HOW MUCH BEER SHOULD YOU BRING?

Please review Quick Facts about the festival to determine the correct amount of beer to bring.
In past years, breweries have brought 1 to 1.5 bbls (6 to 9 sixtels).

WHAT NOT TO BRING :

Promotional pint glasses - we supply glasses for all guests.
Canned and bottled brews (too much waste)

WE PROVIDE:

Refrigeration Friday morning through the end of the festival
Table
Dump buckets
Water
Ice

GET FIRST PICK OF FIELD LOCATION ~ BECOME A SPONSOR!

There are many perks to being a sponsor. Brewery sponsors get first pick of their place on the field and they get a special marker helping people quickly identify them as a sponsor, PLUS all the perks of sponsorship. (higher level sponsors will get priority placement over Lower level sponsors)

SPONSORSHIP

All donations are tax deductible. Click HERE for more info about High Country Beer Fest. Click HERE for info about sponsorship levels (This info is in process of being updated for the 2020 year). Naming Sponsors get creative promotion opportunities. Naming Sponsorship starts at $1200 and go up from there depending on the specific area of the event you choose to sponsor.

Become a Sponsor

Register as a High Country Beer Fest Sponsor of any level. If you wish to be a Naming Sponsor, contact Daniel Parker for more details. 828-406-6014 or Director@hcbeerfest.com