Brewers Festival organizers are preparing for a large turnout on Saturday

Cans of Fox’s Peach Perfect Kettle Sour Ale, a new beer that will be served Saturday at the annual Capital Brewfest at McFadden Plaza.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.

The logic behind the annual Capital Brewfest is simple.

“Everyone wins,” said Jim Gray, a local insurance agent and, as a member of the Rotary Club of Carson City, one of the organizers of this popular event.

“Everyone loves drinking beer,” said Melody Demuth, general manager of Fox Brewery and Pub, one of the mainstays and creators of the event.

Demuth and Gray spoke on the call Monday at McFadden Plaza. The weather was cool and windy, but the summer heat was expected to return Saturday when, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., McFadden Plaza and part of Curry Street would be packed with dozens of beer vendors.

Gray and Demuth said the event, entering its ninth year, has its roots in a similar event at Carson Mall, but Fox owner Jim Phalan brought it more downtown to make it what it was. it is today.

“It was a little inappropriate trying to organize it,” Demuth recalled. “We simply wanted to highlight local breweries. That’s the point. There was one of us, and back then there was Shoe Tree and there were others… It’s just a good way to get the community involved in all the local breweries.

Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 at the door. Participants receive a 5-ounce tasting cup with which they can taste more than 40 beers and ciders. There will also be four food trucks and live music from Sierra Roc.

In addition to local favorites like Shoe Tree, Great Basin and the Fox, some regional producers will be in attendance, including Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas and North Coast breweries.

“We’re excited about the North Shore,” Gray said, saying he loves the brewery’s two Belgian-style beers, Brother Thelonious and PranQster.

Gray also likes India Pale Ales (IPA).

“I love beer, but I’m not really an expert on it,” he said. “They (IPAs) are pretty darn popular. It seems like every brewer has an IPA, or at least many of them do. »

Gray was looking forward to a nice mix of IPAs and lighter beers like lagers on Saturday. Demuth said Fox will add to that mix by introducing a new beer, Peach Perfect Kettle Sour Ale, as well as the brewery’s Irish-style red ale.

Demuth said Fox saw nearly 1,000 people for the Taste of Downtown event last weekend. Events like this are huge for local businesses in the capital, she said.

“We’re very excited,” she said. “The two big community events we like to participate in are Taste of Downtown and Brewfest…And they go back to back. I have two very busy weekends.

Gray expected up to 1,200 participants this Saturday. Although the beers stole the show, he pointed out that the event was a fundraiser for the Rotary Club which supports community programs.

“Basically we focus on children, education and other community projects,” he said.

For more information or tickets, visit https://capitalcitybrewfest.com.