The Madison County Historical Society’s 26th Annual Madison County Hop Fest is Saturday, September 17. This year’s Hop Fest will feature a hop exhibit, a hop shop, vendors selling hop-related merchandise, raffles, food trucks, music from The Guy Young Band (2:00 pm- 5:30 pm) and of course sampling of a variety of craft beer (2:00- 5:30 pm). Participating breweries so far- Foothill Hops Farm Brewery, Allagash, Athletic Brewing, Bells, Brewdog, Brooklyn, Cigar City Brewing, Common Roots, Down East Cider, Firestone Walker Brewing, Lexington Brewing and Distilling, Lagunitas, Middle Ages, Sierra Nevada, Six Point, Steuben Brewing, Smuttynose, Southern Tier, Two Robbers, Citizen Cider, Ellicottville, Empire, Faith American, Founders, Frog Alley, Genesee, Great Lakes, Northway, Singlecut, Sweetwater, Switchback.
This is a 21 year of age event. Proper ID is required. Tickets are required for the Craft Beer Sampling-$30 advance/$35 at the door. The Craft Beer Sampling is from 2:00 – 5:30 pm. Attendees receive a complimentary 5 oz. souvenir glass. Tickets can be purchased at www.madisoncountyhopfest.org, at the Madison County Historical Society, and at Kraig's Kegs in Sherrill.
Join us earlier in the day on September 17 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm on the Madison County Historical Society’s grounds for a hop heritage program led by Al Bullard, who will take his post in the Carriage Barn at the Bittersweet: Hop Culture in Central New York exhibit. Bullard, the author of The Hop Farmer’s Year: The Seasons, Tools & Methods of Hop Growers in New York State’s Golden Age of Hops, will identify tools and equipment from specific manufacturing locations in Madison, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie counties. Bullard earned his B.S. in history from Lebanon Valley College and his M.A. in Folklife Studies and Museum Management from the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York at Oneonta. His interest in hops began in graduate school and since then he has collected the stories, tools, and artifacts of New York’s hop heritage. He has written extensively on the subject, given lectures, and participated in seminars and Hop Fests. Bullard is a retired teacher from Cooperstown Central School. Bullard was crowned Madison County Hop King in 2002. Copies of his book will be available for sale.
The tradition of promoting the art of craft brewing and the influence of the hop industry on New York State continues at the Madison County Hop Fest. Proceeds from the Hop Fest support the educational programming at the Madison County Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that operates both a museum and the Mary King Research Library whose mission is to preserve, collect, promote, and exhibit the history of Madison County and its fifteen towns and one city through the development of programs that enhance Madison County’s heritage. The Historical Society’s headquarters are housed in an 1849 Gothic Revival Villa that is listed on the State and National Registry of Historic Places. The Madison County Hop Fest is made possible by the most generous support from the Gorman Foundation, Liberty Tabletop, and Oneida Dental Group. If you would like to help support the Historical Society by becoming a sponsor, please contact Sydney at sydney@mchs1900.org. For more information and to purchase tickets online visit www.madisoncountyhopfest.org or call the Madison County Historical Society at 315-363-4136. The Craft Beer tickets are also available at Kraig's Kegs in Sherrill.
The 26th Annual Madison County Hop Fest is September 17.
