Irvington Prepares for Inaugural Brewery Festival

A small eastside community is getting people ready to experience an event for craft beer lovers of all types, from the pale ales lovers to the stout connoisseurs.

The Irvington Community Council (ICC) is hosting its first Beastside Brewfest on Saturday, April 28 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes School, located at 5333 E. Washington Street in Indianapolis.

“The inspiration for the event came from a desire to do a spring event to come together, get people excited for the festival, as well as raise money for our Legacy Project,” Irvington Council Member Charles Miller said. “Celebrating all the great breweries opening up in our historic neighborhoods was a nice bonus.”

So how does it work?

The event will feature nine different breweries, such as Black Acre, Taxman, Flat 12 Bierwerks and Sun King, each giving out different samples of their crafted beers for attendees to taste and enjoy.

"I'm excited about going to the Beastside Brewfest," Irvington resident Victoria Fuller said. "I'm most looking forward to trying some more local breweries. I am familiar with some of the local breweries like Centerpoint and Black Acre."

The breweries will also be fighting for votes from the attendees and others to be the winner of the event.

“This is a judged event, and certified beer judges will be tasting the beers and picking their favorite, which will be awarded the Beastside Trophy,” Miller said. “I know some breweries are planning on bringing newer beers or ones they have created for the event.”

Sampling at the event is unlimited, which gives guest a chance to try everything that each brewery has to offer (until they run out.) Once guests have narrowed down their favorite brews, they can fill up their 16 ounce “beast buckets” with the drink of choice for $5. The pint-sized buckets will feature the event mascot  “Beast” on them.

“Beastside is a play on Eastside, and the fact that we would make a great mascot with a name like that sealed the deal,” said Miller.  “Daric Kindle drew up the Beast, and everyone who saw it knew right away that was our mascot!” Miller said.

Aside from sampling tasty craft beverages, the brewfest will also feature food and entertainment.

“We will have a food truck provided by Irvington's own Beach Bum BBQ, and entertainment from the stage by the rockabilly band Bigger than Elvis,” Miller said.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the historic Benton House in Irvington.

The Benton House is a home built in 1873 that is preserved and maintained by Irvington Landmarks,” Miller said. “It is the former home of a Butler President, and is an excellent example of Second Empire architecture.  It is currently used for meetings, weddings, and other events, and is open to the public for tours.”

Like most historic houses, The Benton House is in need of some renovations.

The house is preserved with period furnishings. It is an Irvington treasure, and as you can imagine from its age, in need of some repairs,” said Miller. “Every year, the Halloween Festival picks an Irvington treasure to benefit from a significant portion of the proceeds of the Halloween Festival and its related event (Beastside Brewfest), and this year we choose the Benton House.”

Tickets for the Beastside Brewfest are available on the event website. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Guests must be 21 or older to attend.

“Beastside Brewfest starts off our Summer Music Series,” said Miller.  “That will take us through the summer into the fall, when our neighborhood becomes all about Halloween!”

For more information about the Irvington Community Council and other events in Irvington, visit their website.

“Seeing small craft brewing becoming big is something that I am personally into," Fuller said. "I hope that the Eastside Brewfest will return next year and that this year's turnout will make it even better in the years to come."