Editor’s Note: Fueled By Hops has decided to postpone (not cancel) their FueledFest beer festival, which was previously scheduled for Saturday, March 14. All ticket holders will be notified via email of a new date per approval from the festival, the organizers, the breweries and the venue. Facebook group members can follow along for live updates.
https://www.facebook.com/VeryLocalPGH/posts/2536311416593729
An upcoming, community-driven beer festival will debut this March in Pittsburgh.
FueledFest412 – a beer festival that has spawned out of an online gathering of beer enthusiasts – will take place on Saturday, March 14 at Spirit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7mz3g6pbAc/
ABV, volume LIII
Your Chance to Try some Rad Beers that are Otherwise Unavailable in Pittsburgh
There are a number of unique things FueledFest412 brings to the Pittsburgh craft beer scene.
To start with, the beer itself is special. Festival attendees will have access to unlimited pours from 20 breweries.
Of those 20 breweries, eight are coming from out-of-state to share their beer and connect with beer fans here in Pittsburgh.
Per the FueledFest organizers: “We’ve recruited a great lineup of breweries to pour at the festival – but what’s especially exciting is that some of these non-Pennsylvania based breweries have literally never been to Pittsburgh before.”
Some of the (non-PA) breweries to keep an eye on:
Strangeways Brewing (Richmond, VA)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzlXCL1FR3b/
Maltese Brewing Company (Fredericksburg, VA)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B50dZZlgZfN/
Odd Breed Wild Ales (Pompano Beach, FL)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7bU2Xyp_GU/
Fun Fact: Because Odd Breed Wild Ales specializes in sours / wild ales, their process is SUPER detail oriented. Many of their beers take 7-8 months to create and their bottle releases have a very strong fanbase in their native Florida.
Collective Arts Brewing (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8H6DCGASaj/
Bringing the Digital Community Together for an IRL Experience
Fueled by Hops is a community of beer fans. It exists primarily through social media and has a very active Facebook group where members discuss all things beer. This is Fueled By Hops’ first beer festival.
According to founder Ryan Galiotto, the FueledFest concept is a real world extension of their day-to-day social media conversations about their love and passion for craft beer.
“We consider ourselves a community of beer nerds with a deep focus on positivity in craft beer,” Galiotto explains. “We are honing our efforts around being inclusive – that means engaging with more women, more people of color and more people in the LGBT community. It’s one thing to chat back and forth on Facebook; what excites me is to bring our community together for a real life festival.”
Know Before You Go: FueledFest412
Tickets: Per Galiotto, FueledFest412 is expected to sell out. As of publication, the VIP tier is already sold out. There are some Early Entry tier tickets left and plenty of General Admission tickets available. Attendees are required to have their tickets ahead of time; there will be no walk-up tickets sold on the day of the event.
Food: FueledFest412 is partnering with Marilyn’s On Main as their main food vendor. A selection of menu items will be available for purchase on-site at the festival.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7uMk_rlg5G/
Merch: all Fueled By Hops merchandise will be available for purchase on-site as well.
Parking: it is highly recommended that folks rideshare to Spirit for the beer festival. Both, from a safety and responsibility perspective, but also from a parking perspective. Spirit’s lot has VERY limited space for personal vehicles.
Pro Tip: attendees are asked to arrive about 20 minutes ahead of the start of the festival. This allows organizers to more efficiently check IDs and scan tickets so folks can head right into the venue when doors open.
Any One-Off Collaboration Beers?
Yes. FueledFest412 will have two special collaboration beers available at the festival. Both will be announced and revealed on the day of the event.
Anything else the FueledFest team is excited about?
Having both Pennsylvania and non-Pennsylvania breweries mingling together brings a unique vibe to the gathering.
“It’s a mix of Pennsylvania (beer), Pittsburgh (beer) and out-of-state,” Galiotto says. “Richmond (Virginia) has an amazing craft beer culture – it’s great to have that area represented at FueledFest. And Collective Arts (Toronto, Canada) is actually sending their head brewer down to Pittsburgh for the event.”
If you’ve been dying to chat with the head brewer at a non-US based brewery, well…this is your chance.
Pre-Festival Party at Lincoln Avenue Brewery
Looking for a lowkey way to pregame with Fueled By Hops?
Head to Lincoln Avenue Brewery (in Bellevue) on Friday, March 13. Per the organizers, many of the brewers and friends of the beer community plan to have a chill, pay-as-you-go get together beginning at 7 pm, the night before the festival.
Non-Profit Partner: The Laundry Project
In collaboration with Hop Culture magazine, the Fueled By Hops team will have special, take-home glassware available for purchase at the festival. The 16-oz “beer can glass” is separate from the taster size glassware all attendees receive upon entry.
Proceeds from glassware sales benefit The Laundry Project: a non-profit whose mission is to assist low-income families with meeting a basic need – washing clothes and linens, by turning laundromats into community centers of hope.
Per the Laundry Project website: Laundry fees are paid for while volunteers assist with laundry services, entertain children, and create a caring space at laundromats.
Tying it all back to the 412, Pittsburgh-native Billy Mays III – who represents The Laundry Project and is the son of television spokesperson Billy Mays – will perform live music at FueledFest412. Fine artists will also be live painting at the event; their completed works will be available for purchase at the end of the festival as well.
The Deets: FueledFest412
Date / Time: Saturday, Mar 14 // GA: 5pm to 8pm // Early Entry: 4pm to 8pm // VIP: sold out
Location: Spirit Lodge // 242 51st St // Pittsburgh, PA 15021
Price: $55 for General Admission, which includes a taster glass and unlimited pours
Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fueledbyhops/324770#
“We started the Fueled By Hops” community one year ago. This festival coincides with our anniversary so don’t be surprised if there’s a little birthday shoutout to our community at FueledFest412.”
Photos and Social Media Efforts courtesy of Reanna Roberts
