More than 200 people sampled a variety of craft beers at the inaugural Brew’plooza Saturday on the front lawn of Rockingham Dragway.
Several North Carolina breweries were on site including: Railhouse Brewery of Aberdeen; Aviator Brewing Company of Fuquay-Varina; Front Street Brewery of Wilmington; and NoDa Brewing Company of Charlotte.
Brewers poured from kegs of beer ranging from hoppy IPAs to fruit-flavored formulas. Festival volunteers also offered selections from cold cans.
Several breweries in the western part of the state weren’t able to make it due to the catastrophic flooding caused by heavy rains associated with Hurricane Helene.
“I felt so bad for those guys,” said organizer Richard Robinson, owner of Double Vision in Rockingham and Bent Rail Brewing.
Two of the most popular selections were on the sweet side: Blue Slushie from Massachusetts-based Downeast Cider House; and a grape soda flavor from NoDa — which ran out and won the people’s choice award.
Robinson said this was the first time Blue Slushie was introduced in Richmond County, adding that it should be available in stores soon.
The festival also included an authentic German food truck and music from the Low Down Dirty Heathens.
Brew’palooza was held in conjunction with the Super Chevy Show, with ticket holders getting free entry to the latter.
Next year’s event, which Robinson expects to draw more, will also be on the same day as the Super Chevy Show. His goal is to have a crowd of around 1,000 by the third year.
Click here to see photos from the Super Chevy Show car show.
Click here to see photos from the racing of the Super Chevy Show.
See more photos below. Additional photos from Terry Clark are available at visitrichmondcounty.com.
