First-Ever
International Beer Festival
To Be Held on Long Island
UNIONDALE,
NY. October 15, 2008 - The biggest names in international
brewing will gather at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
in Uniondale, NY on November 22, 2008 for the first-ever
international beer festival on Long Island. This international
beer tasting extravaganza will showcase more than 50 breweries
from across the globe, each providing samples of their
country's proudest brewing achievement. Shoulder to shoulder
with some of America's best breweries will be amazing
beer from Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Belgium,
Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Thailand, Poland, New Zealand,
China, and others.
"The
U.S. beer industry may be undergoing uncertain times,
but the American consumer's love affair with imported
beer continues," said Jack Robertiello, in his March
2008 article for Beverage Dynamics . According to the
Beverage Dynamics report, "the news in the imported
category is generally good; total imported beer volume
grew a healthy 3.6% last year," the equivalent of
14 million cases. This 3.6% increase for 2007, follows
the much more impressive growth rate of 12% shown in 2006.
As
the U.S. beer industry continues to battle for highly
coveted market share with the wines and spirits category,
the range of styles and flavors offered by the imports
are attracting new fans and enthusiasts. "We want
to help introduce Long Islanders to some great imports.
Beer lovers here on Long Island are educated about beer
and have sophisticated tastes. I think they are ready
to do some global exploring," said event producer
Andy Calimano of Starfish Junction.
The
International Great Beer Expo ( www.GreatBeerExpo.com)
will have two sessions: 12-4pm and 5:30-9:30 pm. A limited
number of tickets will be sold. Once the event sells out,
no additional tickets will be available for purchase.
Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased at the even
website www.GreatBeerExpo.com or at the Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum box office. Tickets include admission
to the expo, participation in special programming, a souvenir
tasting glass, and the freedom to enjoy a 2 oz. sample
of any of the beers present at the expo. Designated driver
tickets are also available for $10 each. No one, including
designated drivers, under 21 will be admitted and photo
ID is required for entry.
The
event is sponsored by WBAB 102.3 FM. This event will raise
funds for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Terry
Farrell Firefighters Fund. The event is produced by Starfish
Junction, winner of two prestigious awards honoring events
produced for the beer industry: The 2008 Philly Craft
Beer Fest ( www.PhillyCraftBeerFest.com)
was named one of the "Top 10 Beer Festivals in America"
by Forbes Traveler and The 2007 North Fork Craft Beer,
BBQ & Wine Festival (www.NorthForkCraftBeerFestival.com
) was awarded the North Fork "Event of the Year"
honor from Dan's Papers.
