The 2024 Mount Uncanoonuc Brewfest raises funds for veterans
For Brian Hansen, the organizer of the Mount Uncanoonuc Brewfest, part of what makes his annual event a party is the music.
“I’m a music snob,” he said, “a music connoisseur. The first year [of the Brewfest] we had a straight up garage rock ’n’ roll band that kicked butt…”
For this year’s Brewfest, the third annual event, the band Erin Og is slated to perform “legitimate Irish drinking tunes,” according to the website. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mountain Brew Base Brewery in Goffstown.
“Every year … we have about probably 20 local breweries,” Hansen said, “all within probably an hour of Manchester. What they do is they come in and they give you sample sizes of all different kinds of brews. So anybody can try like 50 different kinds of beers. Each brewery brings a couple different kinds so it’s many, many different flavors.”
Hansen’s goal is to raise money to support a nonprofit organization he founded, The Worker Bee Fund (workerbeefund.org). “All of the money, 100 percent of the profits that we make go to fixing up houses for disabled veterans,” he said. “We get referrals from the VA and [other veterans’ groups]. And they let us know about people who need new, you know, wheelchair-accessible ramps or wheelchair-accessible kitchens or, you know, bathtubs with handles on them or new roofs or new windows. Basically, we work … for people who really can’t afford these things themselves. And we do them 100 percent for free. We provide all the labor, we provide all the materials, I raise all the money, and part of the money is this fundraiser.”
Hansen said the Brewfest started with an entirely hypothetical conversation.
“When [Mountain Base Brewery] first opened up a few years ago, I walked in and was hanging out with Jim [Mountain Base owner James Henderson], and Jim was like, ‘Hey, I’m thinking of maybe having a brew fest,’ and we got to talking about it. And I was like, ‘Jim, be careful, man. If you put an idea in my head, I’ll actually do it’. And he was like, ‘Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.’ So here we are.”
Four hundred people came to last year’s Brewfest. This year, Hansen and co-organizer Candice Pendagast expect an even bigger crowd, with more members of the brewing community pitching in.
“I have a good list here,” Pendagast said. “We’re still confirming breweries right now, and we confirmed someone else today, a winery, Hermit Woods Winery. We’re really excited because this is the first time we’ve ever had a craft cocktail and the first time we’ve ever had a winery.”
The Festival will have several food trucks on site.
“We are bringing in Smokin’ Trolly Catering,” Pendagast said. “She has been here in the past with her food trolley. She does all kinds of great barbecue food. We’ve added Colombian food this year with Cali Arepa NH, and we also have homemade lemonade, which will be nice for our designated drivers.”
Pendagast said she expects things to run smoothly, now that she and Hansen have a couple of years’ experience under their belts. “The first year we kind of went in blind,” she remembered. “We really didn’t know how many volunteers we would need. So that first year was kind of fun because I would be pouring for one table over here and then another table on the other side and people would be like, ‘Wait a minute, weren’t you just over there?’”
Mount Uncanoonuc Brewfest
When: Saturday, Oct. 19, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Where: in the parking lot of Mountain Base Brewery, 553 Mast Road, No. 111, Goffstown, (935-7132, mountainbasebrewery.com).
Tickets: $35 in advance at workerbeefund.org/events, or $45 at the gate. All profits go to support the Worker Bee Fund, workerbeefund.org.
The Brewfest is still confirming participating brewers, but right now, they include Henniker Brewing Co., Pipe Dream Brewing, Stark Brewing Co., Feathered Friend Brewing, Hoptimistic Brewing, Liquid Therapy, Able Ebenezer Brewing Co., Spyglass Brewing Co., Concord Craft Brewing, Hobbs Brewing Co., Last Chair Brewery, Buena Gave Tequila Cocktails, and Hermit Hills Winery.
Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.