Take German and craft beers, add food from around the world, accent with live bands and top it off with a mild, partly sunny Saturday and you have the perfect way to spend a day. Hats off to the first King of Prussia Beerfest Royale.
The brainchild of the King of Prussia Business Improvement District (KOP-BID), this outdoor extravaganza was pulled off in style by Rolling Barrel Events. In addition to the early session on Saturday, which I attended, there was a second Saturday session and a Friday night VIP Preview Party. All told, more than 2,300 tickets were sold.
“The KOP-BID board decided it was high time there was an Oktoberfest in this area, and we are delighted we were selected to run it,” said Corey Krejcik, Rolling Barrel’s founder, president & CEO. “And while we have the big five from Munich here, we made it a point to focus on locally sourced products, and local/regional breweries and restaurants.”
Breaking the event into two Saturday sessions was not only a good idea but supremely effective. I arrived around 12:45 p.m. for the session that started at 12:30 p.m., and it took me less than 5 minutes in the queue. Staffers were carding everyone in line (“Really, do I look under 21?!?”) and that green bracelet plus your ticket got you right into the action.
The Beerfest Royale was a sight to behold. Two tents housed the main event – brewskis – and a food court was nestled between. Taste testers in both tents were treated to live music. I enjoyed the blues-rock sounds of 61 North in the Craft Beer Tent, and tapped my toes to The Media German Oompah Band in the German Beer Tent. Other acts included The Hoppin’ John Orchestra during the Preview Party, and The Byways and the Lukens German Band during Saturday’s session 2.
“Our aim was to make the King of Prussia Beerfest Royale a destination for fans of live music,” Corey added. “There’s a great mix of traditional German music and current tunes.”
My task? Oh, what a burden: to recap Saturday’s festivities. I first wandered to the German Beer Tent and saw an amazing array of beers you’d expect at an Oktoberfest-style celebration. They were very traditional, frequently light, always refreshing, and often with — and I seriously mean this in a good way — the “swampy” finish you might expect. For many, that’s what a beerfest in October is all about.
What this curious quaffer wanted to learn was how our craft beer friends would put the “beer” in beerfest. I was not disappointed. There were a number of Oktoberfest offerings, but there also was some out-of-the-keg thinking. To my delight, there were dark beers a-plenty, dark beers galore. For me, these were the kings of the King of Prussia Beerfest Royale:
A hometown favorite, Victory Brewing Company’s Festbier, which goes with positively everything, showed off German malts and whole flower European hops. I don’t always drink lager, but when I do, it’s a Fest.
Weyerbacker checked in with its own twist on Oktoberfest with AutumnFest, showcasing Vienna and Munich malts. A very approachable, clean, early fall drink.
Another local gem was Boxcar Brewing Company. The Beeron Von Stuben Reserve was released during the VIP Party, and got a thumbs-up from our own Jim Breslin. So I gave the Mango Ginger IPA a sip and said goodbye to summer. What a nice pale ale: kissed by fresh fruit and spice.
Still more fruit to start: Lancaster Brewing Company’s Strawberry Wheat was slightly sweet and very crisp, bringing a mix of malts and hops to the party. The good news: it’s available year-round in cases, kegs and variety packs.
But, be still my heart! Helping me transition to fall was the Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Joe Coffee Porter. Locally-roasted, fair-trade coffee, and dark Munich and chocolate malts imparted this porter with a hefty deep taste and aroma. Outstanding.
But wait, there’s more. Dock Street’s Satellite Espresso Stout was just a few booths down. It too had a strong coffee flavor and nose thanks to the fair trade beans, but was different enough to make me want more of both libations. Dock Street adds coffee three times: in the mash, in the fermenter and during dry-hopping. Wowza.
Well, it is October, so adding pumpkin just made sense at Evil Genius. Witness the Trick or Treat, a chocolate pumpkin porter. I’m in dark beer heaven, and I never want to leave! This fall-flavored beer isn’t spiced, but made with homemade chocolate syrup that does something special to the roasted malt and pumpkin. A very smooth operator.
Allagash Black! I’ve downed my share of the White, so I was delighted to sample this Belgian style stout made unique with roasted and chocolate malt plus a heapin’ helpin’ of dark caramelized candi sugar. It had a big roasty taste with chocolate and coffee at the finish. I hope to see this on local taps soon.
After all those big beers, I returned to something lighter to pair with my Mesa Fresh Mexican Grille’s food truck bean and cheese tacos. Hello quirky Stoudt’s Heifer-in-Wheat. It’s a thirst quenching Bavarian-style unfiltered wheat beer boasting a signature blend of German yeast strains. A bit of banana? Some clove? Something special.
Were that I had the constitution to sip from every brewery and nosh from every restaurant. It brings a tear to my eye when I reminisce and … well … don’t get me started. That’s why I hope there’s a second annual King of Prussia Beerfest Royale. Prost!
View more scenes from from the first-ever King of Prussia Beerfest Royale by clicking HERE.
Photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography.
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