The annual Gulf Brew beer festival is returning to the Blackham Coliseum this weekend to celebrate its 10th anniversary. A fundraiser for the Acadiana Center for the Arts conceived in 2007, Gulf Brew now not only has extended hours to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, but also features 200 beers (100 more than last year) and three live bands.
Michot’s Melody Makers and Tonomono will be the musical guests for the evening, as beers from all over the world will be available for tasting.
The center of the Coliseum will be home to Beer Alley, where attendees can taste beers and learn about the subtleties and flavors of each brew from a multitude of different vendors.
This year the event has been extended to include a V.I.P. Tasting Hour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and event hours of 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to give people more time to come out and enjoy all the festival has to offer.
This event is perfect for new beer drinkers to decide what they like, since admission includes unlimited tastes from the various booths.
Beverage sales will be available at the event, so those who find something they like will be able to purchase full bottles of the new brews they discover.
*Kelsey May – Acadiana Center for the Arts
“It’s a good opportunity because you don’t have to stick with the same brew the whole night,” says ACA Marketing Director Kelsey May. “You can pay a flat fee and taste what you want.”
Though events of the ACA center around fostering arts and culture in Acadiana, the response to Gulf Brew has been strong since its inception in 2007.
“We’re in the business of fostering arts and culture, but in Louisiana there is such a culture for beer drinking, eating and gathering together,” says May. “The event provides people with a cultural, festival style feel.”
Special brews from Parish Brewing Company, Bayou Teche Brewing, Abita and Lagunitas will be present at the event, but one Lafayette group will be displaying their own unique blend.
The Dead Yeast Society is a homebrewing group based out of Lafayette that plans to offer demos and free samples at this year's festival.
“With homebrewing, we can do whatever we want because we’re making smaller batches,” says Dead Yeast Society member, 31-year-old Tim Bernard.
*Brian Butcher of the Bearded Pelican
The Dead Yeast Society has been in the area for the past 25 years and Bernard joined after achieving some success with his own brews.
“I had always been interested in it because there’s actually a lot of chemistry involved, but a buddy and I actually started doing it around seven years ago,” says Bernard. “We started small, bought a kit from Marcello’s and it turned into our friends saying you need to make a lot more of this.”
Although he will be representing the Dead Yeast Society on Saturday, Bernard’s hopes to leverage the efforts of his own brewing pursuits, The Bearded Pelican, into opening a brew pub in Lafayette in the future.
Bernard hopes to use the event to educate the public about the homebrewing process.
“I’m looking forward to people coming out to talk to us,” says Bernard. “We are a nonprofit organization so we’re all about teaching. We love to get the word out so people will get more interested in homebrewing.”
*Brian Butcher of the Bearded Pelican
The event serves as the biggest fundraiser of the year for the ACA and all proceeds will go towards the efforts of the center.
“All the proceeds go towards everything we do, from bringing in new gallery spaces, to helping with education funding, to bringing in new shows,” says May.
Tickets that are pre-purchased for the event are $35 and $45 at the door, and VIP tickets are $80.
For more information or to order tickets visit dothebrew.org.
Upcoming Events
- Burris, Psychedelic Salamanders: Live at the Wurst, Sat., July 22, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Lafayette
Get ready for a night of music, dance, and all things creative. Come out to The Wurst Biergarten on July 22, as Lafayette's premier jam band, The Psychedelic Salamanders, and Burris combine forces to produce the biggest local show Lafayette has seen in years.
The night will be filled with magical moments, amazing music and incredible visual displays. Purchase pre-sale tickets today for 20 percent off and a guaranteed good spot.
- Mid City Studios Fundraiser and Beer Tasting, Wed., July 26, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Baton Rouge
Come out to the Radio Bar to help Mid City Studios launch their major fund raising effort to begin to build their own office space.
Come for a Free Tin Roof Brewing Co tasting and stay to help support this amazing non-profit, committed to making Mid City Baton Rouge a wonderful place to live.
Show your love for Mid City by supporting the important programs and projects Mid City Studio works hard to bring to this community.
For a $10 donation you'll receive an IAMMIDCITY pint glass, i love mid city sticker, and an official #iammidcity sign.
- GrassRoots Summer Fest, Thurs., July 27, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Lafayette
This summer Moncus Park will be hosting one big GrassRoots on Thursday, July 27. Starting 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., you can catch live performances by various artists. You won't want to miss this free event. Bring your friends, family and pets, and join us. Come out and get some fresh air with the rest of our community!
Featuring the sounds of Swamp Brew, The Shake Backs, Brother Jac, Maintenance, Social Circle
Lost Bayou Ramblers and Dj Digital.
- SYSE Presents: As You Like It, Thurs., July 27, 7 p.m., Lafayette
15th Anniversary of Acting Up (in Acadiana)'s Summer Youth Shakespeare Ensemble presents: As YOU LIKE IT.
Acting Up (in Acadiana) announces The Summer Youth Shakespeare Ensemble's 15th Anniversary production of AS YOU LIKE.
The 16-day intensive performing arts camp culminates with performances on July 27, 28, 29 and 30 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. On July 27-29 doors open at 7:00pm and show starts at 7:30pm. On July 30 doors open at 1:30pm and show starts at 2:00pm.
