City of Palouse hosts 11th annual Brewfest

PALOUSE - The City of Palouse held its 11th year of Cabin Fever Brewfest, with a packed crowd enjoying brews from several different brewing companies on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Palouse Community Center.

Brew Crew Volunteer Andi Edwards said this year's event had a big turnout, with somewhere between approximately 650 people to 660, including the breweries and volunteers.

"It was close to the same as last year," Edwards said, noting that they always have people buy tickets who aren't able to show up. "It's hard to tell what it's going to be like until the day of," she said.

Edwards said that this year, their most significant change was how people voted for their favorite brewery, with a centralized table in the center for people to cast their votes.

Edwards said the new voting system was a big success, with many more people participating than usual and seeing where the voting center was, which was more fun for the brewers. "It was a lot more fun, I think, this year," she said.

This year's winner for both the Best Cure and Best Brewery was Laht Nettur Brewing Company, of Waitsburg. Edwards said that a beer will often win, but a different brewery will win.

Edwards said Laht Nettur won with their Peaches and Cream brew.

This year was the first time Cabin Fever Brew Fest brew crew volunteers used Eventbrite to sell tickets, Edwards explained, adding that they could make the ticket-selling process a lot easier. "It went really well," Edwards said.

"We're just so thankful that in our 11th year, our brew crew volunteers are there and still helping," Edwards said, noting that they are also so thankful for all the people who attend the event with people showing up who have collected the Brew Fest glass every year.

"We're so thankful that people keep coming," Edwards said, noting that while it's fun and everyone enjoys a cold brew, attendees are also contributing to many local programs like the community center. "It's always fun, it's a great time, and it's a great fundraiser," Edwards said.