at Irwin Park on Saturday as they lined up to taste
craft beers from about 25 area brewers.
(Photos by Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
The ground was soggy in places during Homewood Hop Fest on Saturday afternoon at Irwin Park. The beer-tasting festival attracted craft brewers and beer aficionados from around the area.
Flossmoor Station, hands a
glass of beer to a patron.
That was the only complaint reported by some of the beer enthusiasts at the event, and they acknowledged there wasn’t much organizers could have done about that after Homewood was hit with a deluge late Friday afternoon.
Everything else about the event got good reviews.
Cheri Pesina of Homewood said she thought the event was a good value for the admission price.
left, Curtis Tarver II, Emily
O’Keefe and Quintin Cole.
The company is in the
process of developing a
brewery in downtown
Homewood.
“I think they are giving generous portions,” she said, noting that some beer festivals provide patrons with smaller plastic cups. At Homewood Hop Fest, patrons received regular-sized beer glasses, which made room for a bigger pour than usual if brewers were so inclined.
“I think it’s good for the community,” she added. She said she saw quite a few local residents, among those from out of town. “I think when the positive word goes out, when they come back next year, it will be bigger.”
One of those vistors was Joey Chacon from Crown Point, Indiana.
“The brewers are super nice, down-to-earth people,” he said.
perspective on a beer
sample.
Tom Vander Woude, Homewood economic development director, helped out at the festival, and he said the event looked to be a success.
“We were concerned about the weather,” he said, referring to a forecast that called for afternoon thunderstorms. “But it turned out good. As far as we can see, everyone’s having a good time.”
The craft beer festival was sponsored by Southland Chamber of Commerce and operated by BrewFest Partners.
Clarification: The bold text above was added to note that, while glasses were regular size, they were not filled to capacity.