Four years ago, when this blog started, a Florida-based festival offering a decent number of craft beers to sample stood a good chance of getting coverage. There weren’t a whole lot. That’s changed.
Now it’s a matter of logistics. There are so many that this one-man operation just doesn’t have the time to cover them all. It’s a good thing in many ways, but I feel bad about not doing more to help spread the word. That’s why I encourage organizers to use the site’s interactive events calendar so that some mention is given to the event
But sometimes a festival has a story compelling enough that I want to help tell it. The Hops for Heroes Craft Beer Festival is one of those. It will take place on Saturday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 5 p.m. in front of Brewers’ Tasting Room, 11270 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg.
All proceeds from the festival will go to the nonprofit Road Warrior Foundation, whose stated mission is to provide “wounded, ill, and injured U.S. veterans memorable adventures that serve as one of the critical steps in their rehabilitative journey.”
The adventures for these real-life warriors mostly take place through a partnership with Can-Am, the maker of the motorized Spyder. You may have seen these two-wheels-in-front, one-wheel-in-the-back contraptions on the roads around the Tampa Bay area. The biggest adventure yet was a Seattle-to-Tampa ride for the veterans last June. Another ride, still in the planning stages, is to take place this summer, likely on a route down the East Coast of North America.
You can read more about Project Road Warrior by clicking here .
Here are the details on the festival:
- Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door, if any are left. Sales are limited to 400. Designated driver tickets are available for $10. Tickets are available here.
- Many of the Tampa Bay area’s breweries and homebrew will be pouring beer samples: Rapp Brewing, Croxbone , Darwin Brewing Company, Cigar City Brewing, Pair O’ Dice Brewing, Barley Mow Brewing Company, Green Bench Brewing Co., St Petersburg Brewing Company, Brewers’ Tasting Room, Three Daughters Brewing, Special Hoperations Brew Club, Phoenix Fire and more.
- Admission includes a tasting glass, unlimited tasting, barbecue, and entertainment.
- Because the Road Warrior Foundation is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, $30 of each ticket purchased is tax deductible.
- There will be an auction of bottles of rare beer, and a raffle of items donated by local businesses (I’ll be donating a signed copy of “Florida Breweries
.” I’ll also be signing copies there, so if you got one for Christmas, bring it by. If you didn’t, there will be some available for purchase.)
UPDATE: Here are the breweries as of 1/7/2015 (*confirmed):
Croxbone *
Green Bench *
Barley Mow *
Pair O Dice *
Rapp Brewing
Three Daughters *
St. Pete Brewing *
Darwin Brewing *
BTR *
Cigar City *
Tampa Bay Brewing
Big Storm
Coppertail Brewing *
3 Sons
Avid Brewing
Mad Beach Brewing *
Special Hoperations *
Pub Guild *
St. Pete Brew Club *
Phoenix Fire Brewing *
Great Bay Distributors * Truck with 8 taps of TBD brews
Anyone wishing to make a donation or offer any other form of support should contact info@roadwarrior.org.
See ya there!
