The second Caribou Highlands Hopped Up Beer Festival was a great success. Several family groups were among the approximately 500 folks who enjoyed the festivities.
Sunshine, smiles, cold beer, great food, great music and a lot of natural beauty set the stage for the second annual Hopped Up Caribou Beer Festival in Lutsen on July 13 – 14.
“Attendance this year was just about 500, up by about 75 over last year,” said event coordinator and Caribou Highlands Manager Barb Swenson.
On hand were 13 personally invited brewers.
“One of the things that sets this event apart from so many other beer festivals,” Swenson said, “is that the brewers themselves attend to pour and present their crafted brews, lagers and ales.”
While brewers poured their finest beer and the chefs cooked a great bonanza on the smoking hot grills, Cook County’s Most Wanted played a wide variety of toe tapping, sing along, dance to music. It was definitely a joyful, playful atmosphere, but wasn’t rowdy in the least.
When asked if the event was at capacity, Swenson replied, “We will continue to limit the attendance to our Friday night and Saturday morning event (150 guests of Caribou Highland). The actual Hopped Up Beer Fest has not reached full capacity; I’m sure we can accommodate up to 600 people.”
The Mattern family got in the spirit with the Hopped Up Caribou hats. (L-R) Tom Mattern, Andrea Mattern and Ed Mattern had a great time at the Caribou Highlands Hopped Up beer festival last weekend.
Not that there are 600 slots open, because many of the participants this year have already booked next year’s July 13 Hopped Up Beer Festival, Swenson said.
Swenson said guests commented on the “over the top food.” One of the brewers wrote, “This is the only beer fest where the food upstaged the beer.”
The venue, said Swenson, lends itself to staging a great event. “Outdoors, on the mountain (under two big tents) this has a particular appeal to anyone who appreciates the craft of beer. It’s a weekend event that offers a very relaxed atmosphere—perhaps drawing a more adult audience.”
And, Swenson concluded, “We bring in regional brewers. You won’t find a Budweiser or Coors on the grounds.”
Madeline Fyten of the St. Croix Brewing Company pours a sample of her company’s dark amber beer for a customer.
Adding to the festival’s ambiance was fabulous music by the popular local band Cook County’s Most Wanted.
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