LEWISTON — A pile of cardboard boxes and bulging manila envelopes spread across the office floor at Baxter Brewing Co, has Baxter Outdoors President Adam Platz busy but unperturbed.
On the eve of the eve of the day he hopes will become as synonymous with the Twin Cities as The Dempsey Challenge, Platz stooped to pick up a nameless plastic tag reading “brewery representative,” one of hundreds he’ll fill in during a red-eye shift as the hours dwindle to the event the rest of us simply know as the Great Falls BrewFest.
Platz, who’s organizing the beer festival for its third year, was “tightening logistics” — answering a lot of emails from brewers and quickly relaying them to distributors while keeping the names of 60 volunteers and 200 vendors straight.
Behind him, a woman ducked into an office, consulted with marketing Director Adrienne Nichols, and returned to her desk to stare at a computer screen.
The office above the brewery’s taproom looked like a campaign headquarters, minus the pizza boxes.
“Organizing the festival — it’s like a puzzle you stare at for three months and you’ve only got seven days to assemble,” he said.
The pieces from this year’s festival, to be held Saturday, June 25, at the Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston, have mulitplied. There will be 40 brewers (up from about 30 last year), and more people to drink all of that beer. Last year’s event attracted 1,100. This year, the event has already sold 1,400 tickets and sold out in advance for the first time.
About 50 general admission tickets will be offered at the door starting at 11 a.m. VIP tickets are no longer available.
Then there are the puppies.
There will be what Baxter is calling a “puppy tent,” an enclosure of wagging tongues and soft fur where festival-goers can swoon over 10 two-month-old Labrador retriever mixes the Androscoggin Human Society has rescued from Mississippi.
Patting and playing? Encouraged. Adopting then and there? No.
“Everyone loves puppies, whether they’ve had a beer or not,” shelter supervisor Stevanie Roy said.
Into the mix of activities and entertainment are disc golf, a tent showcasing the work of local artists and a music stage; roots-rockers Girls, Guns and Glory and brass-ensemble Sammy D and The Late Risers are up from Boston.
Sprinters can try a timed trial run along the Lewiston-Auburn River Trails anytime between 9 and 10 a.m. Participants will receive $5 off their ticket. The Androscoggin Land Trust is holding a kayak race between Auburn and Durham; participants can get 15 percent off the entry ticket.
Also new this year is a competition for best beer using Maine malt. Joel Alex, the founder of Lisbon Fall’s Blue Ox Malthouse, challenged breweries to make a unique, one-off brew for the festival using 80 percent of their floor malted barley. Six breweries are taking part: Allagash Brewing Co., Atlantic Brewing Co., Austin Street Brewery, Barreled Souls Brewing Co., Bare Bones Brewery and Urban Farm Fermentory/Gruit. (Locavores note that Baxter, Grittys and Bare Bones have made a separate collaboration brew.)
Driving? A $15 ticket will gain designated drivers entrance to a tent serving sodas and ciders from local companies. Patrons migrating to food will be greeted with a diverse lineup, including burritos and tacos, wood-fired pizza and barbecue.
Per the breweries’ sustainability ethos, all of the plates, napkins, paper and other trash will be recyclable. Power was purchased from a green energy source.
“All of these things embody what we stand for,” Platz said. “It’s all about benefiting local business owners from the community. Each year, we get closer and closer to what the fest is all about.”
What’s on tap
Noon – 1pm – VIP Session Ticket SOLD OUT
1pm – 5pm – General Admission $45 available at the door. There are only about 50 remaining. A ticket includes a four-ounce tasting glass.
Brewery lineup
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