Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Palouse Brewfest
A sold-out crowd gathers inside the cold Palouse Community Center Feb. 7 for the indoor-outdoor Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest.
The first-place plaque went to “Waitsburg Winter Warmer,” from Laht Neppur Brewing in Waitsburg, but the winner was the Palouse Community Center, beneficiary of another sellout crowd for the third annual Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest Saturday at the center.
The event is put on by a group of 10 volunteers with others helping.
This year 390 tickets sold before the festival. It was an increase of 20 tickets over last year, with organizers adding a few more as space allowed.
Patrons gathered around outside fire pits and tables inside the community center with the heat turned off and doors open.
“It’s outdoors and it's February, and that’s part of the fun,” said Bruce Baldwin, one of the 10-volunteer Brew Crew. “We just encourage people to dress warm.”
With final numbers not in yet, projections are higher than the $4,700 brought in from 2014.
“It keeps growing every year,” said Janet Barstow, another crew member.
On Saturday in 50-degree weather, a total of 367 people showed up from the 390 tickets for four-ounce tastes from seven breweries in the inland northwest, including Pullman, Moscow, Clarkston, Spokane, Fairfield and Waitsburg.
“Anytime I have any doubts about this, I tell myself the beer sells itself,” said Baldwin.
To go with the beverages, the Palouse Lions Club supplied bratwurst, sauerkraut and pretzel necklaces. The bratwurst was boiled in beer.
The Cabin Fever Brewfest originally began with a group of local beer connoisseurs who informally got together on their own.
“I think it’s fair to say we’re about better life through better beer,” Baldwin said.
For the festival, the group commits to buying a certain amount from participating brewers at their wholesale rate.
The day of the event, the brewers tap kegs and background music plays.
“Primarily blues,” said Baldwin.
Tickets are sold through word of mouth at locations in Palouse as well as through the breweries, of which Moscow Brewing Company sold the most this year.
“Probably our biggest ticket sales location is the Green Frog,” said Baldwin, regarding the café on Main Street in Palouse.
The $15 entry fee gave each patron six taste tickets, which could be used for the four-ounce pours of beer or items of food.
“All told about 30 people were involved in putting on the Brew Fest on some level,” said Baldwin, who worked the front door.
Three years ago, the event began after some time for discussion.
“We talked about it for a few years,” Baldwin said. “Just good friends getting together to enjoy good beer. We were determined to do the event, then decided the best thing would be to do it at the Community Center and make it a fund-raiser.”
This year, the group bought five fire pits and 14 bistro boards. They had rented them before.
“There’s always a line at 3,” said Barstow of the crowd again this year. “It was great fun. We really enjoyed putting it on.”
The calculation for how many tickets they allow for sale is related to the event’s commemorative glasses coming 24 to a case.
“That leaves 18 extras,” Barstow said. “We always have more glasses than tickets, just in case.”
The beers on hand range from porters and lagers to ales and “Eggnog Stout” from Budge Brothers in Spokane.
“We’re quality, not quantity,” Barstow said. “But we’ve got beer for everyone’s taste. There’s some people that are Keystone Light drinkers. But they come for the fun social event and find out they too like craft beer.”
The night’s prize was given for the most votes received by a certain beverage. The results were somewhat arbitrary.
“You can’t sample all 21 beers there,” Barstow said.
Brewers were set up in stations inside as well as outside the Community Center under canopies provided by the Palouse Chamber of Commerce.
“See ya next year,” said Barstow.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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