Beer Fest gives breweries chance to market drinks

Beer-drinking enthusiasts sprinted up the escalator, hurriedly grabbed their tasting cups and burst through the doors Friday night at the Bloomington Convention Center with Christmas morning-like smiles. Big Red Liquor's annual Beer Fest had begun. \n"I've wanted to come since I heard about it," said IU senior Todd Berry, one of the first tasters to run into the room. "It's the chance to try 300 beers, and I'll be damned if I pass it up."\nInside, 300 beers sat packaged in cans, kegs and bottles of every shape and size. Colors and consistencies of the drinks were as diverse as the packaging, from the bubbly orange alcoholic energy drink Sparks to the dark Pilgrim's Dole brewed by the New Holland Brewing Co. National breweries such as Budweiser and Miller -- along with smaller "craft" breweries -- were represented in force.\nEvery souvenir Big Red glass, filled with beers tasting of coffee and apricots, was topped off in the name of charity. All proceeds from the two-day event, including the $20 to $30 entrance fees and money raised through raffle tickets, will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington, said Rob Williamson, promotions director for Big Red Liquors. Beer distributors and breweries brought their wares to Bloomington for free, in the name of both charity and marketing, Williamson said.\n"That's one of the main reasons they're doing it, to market beers to graduate students and seniors," Williamson said. "We carry most of these beers at Big Red, and that's how we have the connections to bring these beers here."\nDistributors used table space to dole out promotional giveaways as well as beer. Blue Foster's T-shirts, flashing red-light Moosehead buttons and piles of key chain bottle-openers were given to eager recipients. Smaller breweries handed out paper coasters featuring names of their beers.\n"It's always a lot of fun coming here," said Ken Price, the head brewer at the Oaken Barrel Brewing Co. in Indianapolis. "It's a great marketing opportunity, a great opportunity to share our beer with responsible young beer drinkers ... It's an absolutely great event to display draft beer."\nFred Bueltmann, director of sales and marketing for the New Holland Brewing Co., said marketing was also a reason he made the trip to the festival.\n"The biggest thing about these festivals is supporting people who are bringing out good beer," Bueltmann said, while fielding requests for beer. "Meeting our drinkers face-to-face is invaluable. We can watch people's faces when they try our beer and see what they like, see what they respond to."\nThe event provided what many distributors and brewers considered an essential marketing opportunity. It was also an essential opportunity to raise money for day-to-day operations for the Boys and Girls Club, as each year the festival brings in between $10,000 to $12,000, said Lee Karras, president of the charity's board.