Craft beer fans gather at the ballpark for 2nd annual Brewfest

The Winnipeg Goldeyes were on the road this weekend, but that didn’t stop hundreds of Winnipeggers from enjoying a cold beer on a hot afternoon at the ballpark.

The second annual Ballpark Brewfest took place at Shaw Park Saturday afternoon. For a $60 entry fee, attendees received a 2 oz. sampling cup and browsed booths from 24 Manitoba-based craft brewers.

Each brewer featured three or four different beers for people to try. Nonsuch Brewing Company was serving up a variation of its popular Belgian Peach ale, as well as a rice lager, a margarita lager, and a raspberry mule.

Co-founder Ty Johnston said their brewing team is always coming up with new flavours. "You basically can't stop them from making new recipes all the time, they're a very curious bunch."

The event provides a good opportunity for craft beer lovers to try new brews, and for breweries to see which ones should be put into mass production. "How did it do at the Ballpark Brewfest? We're going to just see from there," said Johnston.

He said Winnipeg's craft brewery community is very tight-knit. "Everyone knows everyone as we all came up together. It actually takes a long time to walk around because you end up stopping at every booth and having a little moment with everyone."

More than 700 people turned out Saturday afternoon to sample the many beers, alongside traditional ballpark snacks and live music.

The Goldeyes made the decision last year to only sell locally-brewed beer at baseball games. General Manager Andrew Collier said team has always been a big supporter of local businesses.

"Hosting events like this, we can showcase what great Manitoba brewers and great Manitoba businesses we have," Collier said.

Ballpark concessions are selling a selection of local canned craft beers, and every home game features four brewers pouring from their taps at "Craft Beer Corner," for a total of 15 different breweries over the summer.

Johnston said Winnipeg's craft beer community continues to grow. "I think we're really coming into a mature phase of our brewing scene, we're starting to get more national recognition. I'm just really proud of everything that’s happened here."