Greenville Craft Beer Festival

The Greenville Craft Beer Festival (GCBF) at Fluor Field has taken its place as one of the premiere Craft Beer Festivals in Greenville year after year. 

Exclusive Photography: FishEye Studios, Greenville, SC

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At the Greenville Craft Beer Festival, each brewery is carefully selected to ensure that there is something for every craft beer enthusiast at the Festival. The Festival also places importance on education, holding “Beer College” classes and requiring a representative from each brewery to be at the Festival to answer any questions curious drinkers have about the beer and the breweries. Although the classes were not held due to the ongoing construction at Fluor Field, the Festival says they will be back in 2017.

With over 1300 tickets sold for the event, the GCBF remains popular with locals and out of towners alike.  The GCBF also supports the Palmetto Children’s Charity through donations and raising awareness of the charity. As the craft beer scene in Greenville and South Carolina grows, the importance of festivals like these will only help to spur on that growth and the love of craft beer.

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Joe Wilson, of Greenville Sports League and also the driving force behind the Festival, scans the tickets of Festival entrants who hope to get in and taste their favorite beers before the taps run dry.

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Randy Hollister, founder of Growler Chill, came from Myrtle Beach to promote his refrigerated home growler tap system.

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The Growler Chill keeps your growlers refrigerated, maintains CO2 pressure, keeps your beer fresh for weeks, and connects to your smart phone or tablet.

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Tyler Hatley & The Little Mountain Band kept the festival lively with their music and harmonies.

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Both drought and bottled beer was available for tasting from breweries, like this selection from Abita out of Louisiana.

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Pretzel necklaces were very popular at the festival. They're good for a snack, as well as cleansing your palate between beers.

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Craft beer enthusiasts were confined to the outfield-warning track as construction continues on Fluor Field. With improvements underway and baseball season set to begin again in April, the field must be kept in pristine condition.

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Each participant was given a tasting glass that's a miniature version of an IPA glass that was designed by Spiegelau in collaboration with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada. The ridges at the bottom are designed to aerate the beer as you drink.

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 Shelby and KA kept the beer flowing for Brewery 85.

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Brewery swag and apparel, such as these Brewery 85 hats, are very popular with craft beer fans who choose to show of their favorite breweries.

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Ridgeland's River Dog Brewing Co. served up several styles of beers to thirsty participants.

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Many groups of friends come to the festival together to enjoy their shared passion of craft beer.

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Quest Brewing, along with many of the other breweries, brought special release or limited batch beers to the festival.  For many festivalgoers, this will be their only opportunity to be able to try these beers.

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The craft beer scene in Greenville has grown swiftly, making beer festivals like this one an extremely popular event in town.

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Thirty-five plus craft breweries from all over the country attended the festival with a special emphasis on local beer.  Since 1998, Thomas Creek has been pleasing craft beer drinkers far and wide with its palatable brews.

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The Crowler, a large can of beer originated by Oskar Blues Brewing, is becoming a popular alternative to the traditional glass growler.

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Montford Misfits sold their 3D craft beer maps, featuring breweries located in each state.

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Even dogs know that you need to take a rest and pace yourself at a beer festival.

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iOnGreenville is the best way to keep informed about anything and everything going on in Greenville, right from your mobile device. Make sure you check out Off the Grid Greenville’s button on the app! 

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Holy City Brewing has become a local, state, and national favorite since opening in Charleston in 2011.

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North Charleston's Freehouse Brewery is the only South Carolina brewery that uses only organic ingredients to create their unique beers.

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The good times shouldn't stop at the end of the Festival.  Do some good. LIKE the Greenville Craft Beer Festival and support the Palmetto Children's Charity and your local craft beer purveyors.

Writer: Russell Sanford

Jackie Brooker