Frost Fest Beer Festival to Host 40 Breweries

January 25, 2017

Courtesy Photo
Forty breweries from the mid-South region will be sampling their craft brews at Frost Fest.

In Fayetteville, even the winters have great festivals.

Frost Fest, the regional beer tasting festival from local craft brewers Fossil Cove, will return for its second year on Saturday, Feb. 4 — the day before the Super Bowl — from 3 to 7 p.m.

While Fossil Cove are playing host for Frost Fest, there are 39 other regional craft breweries from just about every major city in the Mid-South and Mid-West participating in the beer festival. Each are expected to bring two to four brews with them for unlimited 3 ounce samples.

“We really want to promote the Ozarks as a beer destination,” said Andrew Blann, a Fossil Cove manager. “People over look this region for beer, and they shouldn’t. Frost Fest helps our reputation as a great beer destination. The goal is to benefit everyone who participates and the consumers who attend to find new breweries, and for them to connect and grow our community as a whole.”

With 15 more craft breweries than last year, the beer festival is moving out to the Washington County fair ground fields off Garland Ave. to provide more space for the extra breweries and attendees. The festival site will be at 2463 N McConnell Ave. The first Frost Fest sold out at 1,400 attendees, and the new festival grounds should allow for as many as 2,500 to attend, Blann said.

Courtesy Photo

During the festival, there will be live music from Fayetteville’s stellar jazz-fusion group Crescent City Combo and popular Joplin, Mo. indie-rockers Me Like Bees. Live art installations, a photo booth, and

Breweries such as Mothers, Lost Forty, Schlafly, Lagunitas, Wichita Brewing, Wiseacre, Lazy Magnolia, and all the Northwest Arkansas favorites will be there sporting their brews. Fossil Cove will also be running their special Frost Fest barley wine beer.

One of the unique aspects of the beer festival is the opportunity as an attendee to meet with and ask the brewers who will be serving about their beers and their brewing process, Blann said.

“It’s an important aspect,” he said. “It’s great because those are the most knowledgeable people about their products who will share their advice and knowledge of what’s going on in their process, and express what their brand is all about.”

Space heaters and a 40 by 80 foot tent will be up for attendees to warm up under should the weather be uncooperative. Last year’s festival had sunny skies and slightly warm temperatures, so hopefully the trend continues.

Food trucks will be on site, too. Tyler’s Craft BBQ, Nomad’s Natural Plate, Baller, Barts Wood Fire Pizza, JJ’s Food Truck and a baked potato-themed food truck will all be in attendance offering some grub to go with the beer.

Courtesy Photo
Brewery owners and employees will be pouring unlimited 3 ounce samples of beers, which also provides the opportunity to ask about their brewing process and the flavors of their brews.

Tickets to the festival are $35 until Jan. 28, when the price will be raised to $40. Included with the price of the ticket is a souvenir five ounce sampling glass, which is good for unlimited samples. There will be water stations set up throughout the festival for cleaning and drinking, too.

As it is a beer festival, attendees must be at least 21 years old with proper ID. There is a designated driver deal for $10, which provides access to the festival’s non-drinking activities.

For the bikers, there’s a brewery crawl the day of that will begin at West Mountain Brewery in downtown Fayetteville, then goes to Columbus House on North Street, then Fossil Cove and finally Frost Fest in North Fayetteville. Phat Tire Bikes will be there giving tune ups to participants. Those interested can sign up at Fossil Cove or online at their website, http://www.fossilcovebrewing.com/frost-fest.html.

A portion of the festival’s proceeds will go to benefit Apple Seeds Inc., a local nonprofit that partners with schools and community organizations to establish activities – such as gardening clubs, healthy cooking classes, field trips to farms and farmers markets, and special presentations – that serve students and their families.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re on par with any area of the country as far as beer is concerned,” Blann said. “People keep brewing interesting and delicious beers and they’ve made it a destination.”

For more information, visit the festival’s website at http://www.fossilcovebrewing.com/frost-fest.html.