Fiesta del Sol Craft Beer Festival Coming Soon in Hannibal [Interview]

The Fiesta del Sol Craft Beer Festival in Hannibal's Central Park is coming up on June 27. Organizer Jason Gregory fills us in on the details of this unique and fun event, that serves as a fundraiser for the Hannibal Rotary Club. 

What makes Fiesta del Sol such a unique and fun event?

Fiesta del Sol celebrates all of the excitement that is happening right now in the craft beer industry. Food, music, and art are also a part of the attraction.

Included in the price of admission, attendees get to sample various styles of beer from regional home brewers and then vote for their favorite beer. While sampling, there is education offered explaining the ingredients and brewing processes used to achieve certain flavors and styles.

Our brewer guest is Mike Barrow from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California. There will be 10 Sierra Nevada beers on tap at this festival; Summerfest Lager, Nooner Pilsner, Kellerweis, Porter, Pale Ale, Torpedo IPA, Hop Hunter IPA, Farmhouse Ale, Hoptimum, and Bigfoot barrel-aged Barleywine. Many of those have never been available on tap before in this area.

Our music line-up includes various genres from rock/blues, to folk/Americana, and this year, we have a german polka band that is taking polka to a level never achieved before in Central Park! You do not want to miss the Bolzen Beer Band performing from 1pm-4pm. Each of our performers offer an experience that you do not get to see every other weekend.

Chef Bill Moore (Spring Lake Country Club) and his team will be serving gourmet chicken, beef, and pork tacos with an extensive salsa bar, and The Smokin Crew will be serving a large variety of their signature smoked Bar-B-Que items.

What types of things will this years speaker be talking about?

We are very fortunate to have brewer Mike Barrow attending the festival this year from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California. Sierra Nevada is one of the most recognizable and respected craft breweries in the United States, known for their commitment to quality and environmental responsibility. Sierra Nevada is ranked as the #3 craft brewers according to the Brewers Association, and Sierra Nevada has the #1 selling Pale Ale and the #1 selling IPA in the United States. Mike will be discussing Sierra Nevada history, philosophies, and continued innovations in the craft beer industry and field questions from guests.

How much does it cost to get in and what are the hours?

The doors open at 11am with the home brewing competition open to public sampling from 12pm-2pm. The live music line-up is as follows: Mike Moore 12pm, Bolzen Beer Band 1pm-4pm, Mercer and Johnson 4pm-5:30pm, Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle 5:30pm-7pm, and then local group, The Flood Brothers closing out the festival from 7pm-9pm. Pre-sale tickets are available online, or you can purchase tickets at County Market locations in Hannibal, Quincy, Canton, and Palmyra. Pre-sale tickets are available for just $10 until June 24th, then they are $15 at the gate.