By their nature, beer festivals are intended to be social events where people can come together and share in the experience of discovering new beers and comparing favorites. Gathering under a tent and sampling sips from multiple breweries while learning about the beers from the people who made them can be a revelatory event, and nobody throws a local festival better than Rhizome Productions.
Unfortunately, beer festivals don’t translate to the world of online interaction as well as some other events. Without access to keg after keg to sample from where you can just pitch the last sip in the grass if it doesn’t float your boat, you’d have to buy entire beers (probably a sixer) and either get plastered tasting through a dozen of them or waste a whole lot of really good beer trying to replicate the experience on a Zoom call.
So the folks at Rhizome have decided to come at the idea from an oblique angle with their upcoming Rhiz(H)ome Virtual Beer Experience taking place on Saturday, June 13, 2 to 4 p.m. This novel event is meant to be enjoyed by two people, so hopefully you’ve either been sheltering in place with someone you love or you at least have someone in your Coronapod whom you trust and who likes beer. I’m sure volunteers won’t be hard to find.
This experience will be limited to just 24 packages so participants will actually be able to interact with the brewery representatives on the Zoom conference without it devolving into a free-for-all. According to Rhizome, here’s how it will work:
-Fill out this FORM, we will accept on a first come, first served basis-Once confirmed you will receive a link to pay for your package, $99 plus tax
-Pick up from Woodland Wine Merchant June 10-12 during regular business hours, contactless service
-Block your calendar for Saturday, June 13, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, we will host a live interactive Zoom that will feature Matt and Kendall from Rhizome Productions, representatives from each brewery, plus an intermission concert at 3:00 pm. If you are unable to make the live call, we will provide you with a link to download the video.
The list of participating breweries and the beers that they’ll be providing for tasting is quite impressive:
Yazoo Brewing Company: Calla IPA (New England IPA) and Never Say Never Again (American wild ale)
Terrapin Beer Company: Los Bravos (Mexican lager) and High & Hazy (hazy IPA)
Oskar Blues: All Monde (barrel-aged imperial stout) and Double Can-O-Bliss (double IPA)
Cigar City: Margarita Gose and Spanish Cedar Jai Lai (IPA)
Sierra Nevada: 2020 Bigfoot (barleywine) and Strainge Beast-Ginger Lemon Hibiscus (hard kombucha)
Hi-Wire Brewing: Dry Hopped Vienna Lager and Sour Smoothie: Pineapple, Orange Coconut
Some of these beers and other beverages are, shall we say, a little challenging, so it’s great that participants will be able to try something new and different without having to pony up for a whole six-pack to find out if they like them. And as Ron Popeil used to promise in his Ronco commercials, “But wait! There’s more!” You’re not just going to be sitting around staring at a screen and getting sloshed on a Saturday afternoon.
In addition to the beers and the intermission concert, the package you pick up at Woodland Wine Merchant will also contain a selections of cheeses curated by Kathleen Cotter, everyone’s favorite cheesemonger from The Bloomy Rind, some charcuterie items from Spotted Trotter in Atlanta, plus chocolates from Olive and Sinclair to enjoy along with the tastings. Here’s the list of comestibles:
Cheese & Charcuterie curated by The Bloomy Rind
Walden by Sequatchie Cove Creamery, Tenn.
A brand new cheese from Sequatchie, you're among the first in Nashville to have it! You'll find it is grassy, slightly funky, with rich aromas and a luscious texture.
Pasteurized cows milk
Cave Aged Cheddar/Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont
Cabot Creamery is one of the oldest family farm cooperatives in New England, primarily known for their world-class line of cheddars. Jasper Hill works with Cabot graders to hand-select vats of young cheese that are suited to graceful cave-ripening. The sweet-savory balance of the cheese makes it an excellent match with charcuterie, apple preserves or rich chestnut honey.
Pasteurized cows milk
Pecorino Wiscono/Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative
The Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative sources milk from area farms and produces an assortment of cheeses. This take on a pecorino is their longest-aged cheese, typically arriving with three years on it. This cheese brings nutty and caramel notes to the mix and pairs well with everything.
Pasteurized sheep's milk
Chocolate by Olive & Sinclair
67% Cacao Classic Chocolate
90% Madagascar Cacao With Dried Pineapple and Black Hawaiian Sea Salt
So to sum it all up, that’s 12 unique 12- to 16-ounce beers to split between two people, some amazing food, a “live” concert and expert analysis from a host of beer experts to lead you along as you taste through this cornucopia of goodness for less than $50/person. I don’t know what you’re planning on doing on June 13, but I doubt it’ll be any more fun than this! Hopefully, this will turn out to be the first in a series of these “Rhiz(H)ome” events, because with such an intentionally limited number of participants, I reckon it will sell out fast! Hold your spot right away.
