Can you feel it? Fall is finally in the air, and that, surely, is cause to celebrate. A break in humidity and cooler temps beckon us outdoors, and the Cornelius PARC Department offers the perfect place to go. Next Saturday, Oct. 15, OTCers and their friends, neighbors, and nearby neighbors will gather at Bailey Road Park from 4-9 p.m. for Laketoberfest, a beer and music festival featuring N.C. breweries, top local bands, food trucks and a kid zone.
While the kids enjoy some arts and crafts, the grown folks can enjoy some crafts too–craft beers, that is–from 11 N.C. breweries. Here’s a sneak peek at the lineup.
Birdsong Brewing Company: Founded in NoDa in 2011 by Chris and Tara Goulet, Birdsong brews all kinds of fresh, unfiltered American-style ales, as well as seasonal specialties, barrel-aged brews and limited releases. Learn more.
Skull Camp Brewing: With 5 years of brewing under its belt, Skull Camp Brewing, out of Elkin, N.C., now self-distributes to 65 locations from Asheville to Greensboro, and from Boone to Charlotte. It will be sharing the following brews with us: Red Ale, Stout, Hefeweizen, White IPA, and Amarillo IPA. Skull Camp’s owners, home-based in Cornelius, are thrilled to be participating in such a worthy cause for our area. Learn more.
Ghostface Brewing: Located in Mooresville, Ghostface features 20 “scary good” beers, all brewed with traditional processes. They rotate offerings, but always aim to have light, dark, malty, and hoppy options. Learn more.
D9 Brewing Company: Just what is a “fanatical” ale? Find out at this Cornelius microbrewery, offering international IPAs, sour ales, dark ales, and various imperial and oak-aged beers. Learn more.
Bayne Brewing Company: This family-owned Cornelius nano beer brewery uses a two-barrel system to make small batch beers that range from traditional to unique. The tap offerings change regularly, with many seasonal flavors. Learn more.
Primal Brewery: Primal is a Huntersville hang out, started in 2014 by entrepreneurial home-brewers David Hoy and Ray Steimel. On any given day, there are six beers on tap, selected from more than a dozen recipes for ales, stouts, kolsch, and more. Learn more.
Ass Clown Brewing Company: Founded by Matt Glidden in 2011, this Cornelius brewery has 31 taps and features new brews almost daily, each of them unique and flavorful. Learn more.
High Branch Brewing Co.: Opened last year by TJ and Maureen Creighton, this Concord brewery focuses on Belgian-inspired and hop-forward ales, with an emphasis on fermentation profiles. Perfect for Laketoberfest, they’ll be bringing their imperial pumpkin beer, made with real pumpkin. Learn more.
The Unknown Brewing Co.: Intentionally mysterious with a “seize the day” mentality, beer is the one thing the Unknown crew takes seriously. Owner Brad Shell has vast experience in craft brewing and brings a fearless and fantastic spin to the scene. Unknown will be pouring its Brown Ryed Girl for the festivities, along with their core, Ginger Wheat. Learn more.
Blue Blaze Brewing Co: The first tenant of Charlotte’s renovated Savona Mill in West End, Blue Blaze brews unique interpretations of classic American, English, and German beers. It has five flagship beers and a unique rotating selection of specialty and seasonal beers. Learn more.
Red Clay Ciderworks: Charlotte’s first cidery, Red Clay brings a naturally gluten-free option to the craft drink scene, with dry ciders made from N.C. apples. Learn more.
Parking and admission to Laketoberfest are free and all other proceeds benefit the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists (LNWC). The event is hosted by Town of Cornelius PARC, LNWC and Bella Love Entertainment.
Limited parking is available at Bailey Middle School and at Hough High School with shuttle bus service running from the high school to the event. Due to Town policy, smoking and pets are prohibited on the fields at Bailey Rd Park. Visit LaketoberfestNC.com for more event details.
Check out the video highlights from Laketoberfest 2015 courtesy of My Creative Team:
Christina Ritchie Rogers
Christina is a local multimedia content producer and digital strategist. Formerly the editor of CorneliusNews.net, she is thrilled to work with the OTC team to once again help tell the ever-evolving Cornelius story. She lives nearby with her husband, Nate, and a small menagerie of 2- and 4-legged beasties.
