Fredericton Craft Beer Festival draws visitors from across North America

Long lines and thirsty leers were everywhere at this weekend’s seventh annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival.

The event is meant to emphasize local businesses as much as the brews and it’s starting to draw the attention of people beyond New Brunswick’s borders.

“I think it’s great for the city of Fredericton. It brings a lot of people together,” said Rod Clark, a festival attendee on Saturday. “I know my family has been coming for last five or six years. It’s a chance to get together with friends and family and have a few beers.”

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Inside the Fredericton Convention Centre, the festival featured 13 beer brands with over 40 different brews.

It’s a good slate of craft beer, which is one of the fastest growing trends in the beverage industry.

“Today there’s going to be 2,000 people that are going to be sampling our product,” said Robert Kitchen, owner of Big Axe Brewery in Nakawic, N.B., on Saturday. “Those people, they aren’t just from Fredericton, from around the province there is even folks I’ve met already from the states.

“When they go back to their communities, they’re asking for our beer.”

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If you’re not looking for a buzz with your buds, Heights Cold Brew is a non-alcoholic option. Something that the owner, Promise Mwenga, wants to find a partner for.

“We are actually offering nitro brew coffee, which is a nitrogen infused cold coffee, and we’re here today just to experience the sights and get in touch with some of the microbreweries as they are one of our best customers for our product,” she said.

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Networking is one of the things that the festival does best, allowing competitors and fellow brewers to interact and share tips.

Since launching in 2013, the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival has become one of the fastest growing festivals in the province