At the first Brew’plooza on Saturday on the front yard of Rockingham Dragway, more than 200 people tried different craft beers.
A number of North Carolina breweries were there, such as the Aviator Brewing Company from Fuquay-Varina, the Front Street Brewery from Wilmington, and the NoDa Brewing Company from Charlotte.
Brewers served a wide range of beers from kegs, including fruit-flavored and hoppy IPAs. Volunteers at the festival also let people choose from cold cans.
In the western part of the state, several brewers couldn’t make it because of the terrible flooding caused by Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains.
Richard Robinson, owner of Double Vision in Rockingham and Bent Rail Brewing, talked about the event. “I felt so bad for those guys.”
The Blue Slushie from Downeast Cider House in Massachusetts and the grape soda flavor from NoDa were the two most popular sweets. The grape soda flavor from NoDa ran out and won the people’s choice award.
Robinson said this was the first time Blue Slushie was served in Richmond County. He also said that shops should soon have it.
There was also a real German food truck and music by the Low Down Dirty Heathens at the event.
The Super Chevy Show happened at the same time as Brew’palooza, and people who bought tickets to Brew’palooza got free entry to the Super Chevy Show.
Jones thinks that more people will come to the event next year, and it will happen on the same day as the Super Chevy Show. By the third year, he wants there to be about 1,000 people there.