The State of Origin Beer Festival in Morganton expands its reach this June while remaining true to its “drink local” philosophy.
The sixth annual event takes place Saturday, June 8, on the square in downtown Morganton. In its first five years, the festival focused on breweries making beer from local ingredients. That scope has expanded to include distilleries, wineries and cideries this year, while remaining true to its “drink local” mission.
“The goal is to show people that local is not a trend, but rather a sustainable way to do business,” says festival co-founder Todd Boera, head brewer at Fonta Flora in Morganton. “For too long, the importance of ingredients was simply left out of the beer brewing community. Beer is an agricultural entity more than anything, and we hope to show people the importance of crafting beverages with a sense of place and agricultural purpose.”
A total of 32 craft producers will pour samples, including Morganton’s three breweries – Fonta Flora, Catawba Brewing and Sidetracked Brewery – along with several top breweries from North Carolina and beyond.
NC breweries participating for the first time are Zillicoah Beer Co. of Woodfin and Botanist and Barrel of Cedar Grove.
A sampling of non-beer producers making their debuts includes: Jones von Drehle Winery of Thurmond, McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks of Thurmond and Oak and Grist Distilling of Black Mountain.
Craft producers from as far away as Maine, Texas, Colorado and California will also be on hand. Several participating breweries have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
This year’s musical line features Invisible Low End Power and Kitty Tsunami, while a variety of culinary offerings will be served up.
A change that was popular last year returns. The festival will once again take place from 5pm to 9pm, avoiding the warmest part of the day.
For tickets or event details, visit www.FontaFlora.com.