News

Organizers cancel Brew Fest

By Bill Moss, Published: August 18, 2015

Frustrated by what they described as confusing and vague state alcohol control regulations, organizers on Tuesday called off Saturday's Mountain Brew Fest.

"Essentially it's come down to ALE and the brewers," said Mark Stierwalt, Southern Regional director of Mountain True, the sponsor of what would have been Hendersonville's first outdoor craft beer festival. In a statement, organizers blamed confusing regulations and a slow bureaucratic response in permitting for the cancellation. Risking hefty penalties, more than half the craft brewers who had committed to the Locust Street event off Seventh Avenue pulled out, Stierwalt said.

"Despite being in constant communication with ALE and ABC since early June, we were unable to get the answers we needed to proceed. In the final weeks leading up to the festival, continued ambiguity on the parts of ALE and ABC, as well as the prospect of disciplinary action, led several brewers to decline participation, diminishing the event’s core attraction," the nonprofit agency said.

"Our hope was that this festival would be an opportunity to build community, support local brewers and help display MountainTrue’s presence as an advocate for a healthy environment in Henderson County and the region as a whole," Mountain True (formerly ECO) said. "Unfortunately, due to our and others inability to get clear and consistent answers regarding event requirements from the Alcohol Beverage Control and Alcohol Law Enforcement agencies, we determined that it was impossible to ensure the kind of high-quality event our community deserves.

"Craft brewing is a major economic driver in our area, and we want to maintain constructive relationships with our wonderful brewing community. In this case, that meant not moving forward with an event in which they were at risk of being penalized by agencies who provided unclear and even conflicting information."

Stacy Cox, special agent in charge of the Asheville office of the state Alcohol Law Enforcement, said in an interview Tuesday morning that she had been working with Mountain True since July. She looked up records showing that the state ABC board had issued a special event permit.

"It seemed like out of the brewers that she sent in that were interested in coming, there were not that many that needed the forms," Cox said. "They were out-of-state brewers. They just needed to go ahead and get their permits."

Stierwalt, in an interview, said the regulatory landscape has become confusing and risky ground for brewers who are suddenly confronting rules that they did not know about or had never been enforced.

"Increased enforcement of previously unregulated permitting hurdles has created an environment of uncertainty for the future of beer festivals, which often provide financial support for non-profits like MountainTrue," the organization's statement said. "Indeed, MountainTrue is also a beneficiary of both the Winter Warmer Beer Festival and the Oskar Blues Burning Can festival in Brevard.

"In July, such enforcement resulted in the loss of fundraising revenue from the Burning Can Festival. Amazingly, brewers and attendees have responded to that setback with donations of their own. Both before and since that event, MountainTrue and brewers have worked diligently to avoid repeating that situation, only to be met with delays and lack of clarity.

"This kind of uncertainty in the face of harsh penalties has an unfortunate chilling effect in an area where craft beer has built such an impressive reputation. MountainTrue would welcome the opportunity to be part of the conversation with ABC and ALE, brewers and others, on how to overcome these issues, and we hope to be able to revive Mountain Brew Fest in 2016.

"We would like to thank all of the brewers, sponsors, volunteers, musical acts and food vendors who made their commitment to MountainTrue and Mountain Brew Fest, as well as the City of Hendersonville.

"All ticket holders will receive a full refund. MountainTrue appreciates everyone who wanted to make this a great community event."