Celebrate this plentiful time of year at the 1st Annual Hop Harvest Festival by River Saint Joe in Buchanan, this Sunday, September 18th, 2022. Find fun in yard games, face painting, live music, and delicious food at 15475 Walton Road, as Flatwater Farms reaps the rewards of our prolific growing season.
From 12 p.m – 9 p.m, enjoy the first pours of their Oktoberfest beer: Fresh-Hopped Harvest Ale, which pairs perfectly with foods fresh off of the smoker. A BBQ’d feast of either chicken, sausage, brisket, or veg, accompanied by bread and sides, is included with your ticket purchase, as well as a commemorative drinking glass that will yearn to be filled.
“River Saint Joe is a farmstead brewery on the 180-acre Flatwater Farms that grows the hops for the beer we brew on the farm, and fruit and vegetables that supply the taproom restaurant,” says Brian Dougherty, one of the founders of River St. Joe. “We’re located in the shadow of 5.25 acres of hops, which is a production-size hop yard. A hop harvest festival makes sense to celebrate and share the fruits of the harvest.”
This is their seventh hop harvest in seven years, but the first time they are able to celebrate the harvest and its beer in the way they think it should be. “The hops were harvested a month ago, and we started brewing with them immediately, using fresh, whole cone wet hops. We don’t know of a brewery where the hops go from the bine to brewhouse to beer so quickly,” he adds.
River Saint Joe is truly a destination. The certified organic farm grows many varieties of crops, wisely rotating them each season to ensure they are giving back to the soil as much as they can. The beverages they brew, including wine, ciders, and non-alcoholic drinks, use local ingredients and are crafted with the utmost care.
The 1st Annual Hop Harvest Festival will surely become a huge event for years to come, and you don’t want to miss its inauguration. There are three tiers of ticket pricing, from $10 for a children’s ticket to $25 for the ‘Prost!’ admission.
Broken Wanderer, a sibling-powered folk/pop band, will start the live music on Sunday at 1 p.m, and Calvin Conway brings soulful harmonica to the farm beginning at 4 p.m. A good amount of tickets have already been purchased, but due to the expansive area of the outdoor space, there are still plenty available. At-the-door ticket sales will be welcomed on the 18th, but purchasing in advance ensures you’ll receive a commemorative glass. A la carte item purchases will also be possible, so stop by for a pint!
Please visit the River Saint Joe website to purchase your tickets, and be sure to peruse the daily menu, and the brewery’s origin story. “The beers closest to our heart are those that embrace farmhouse brewing tradition and express the uniqueness of our beautiful little corner of planet Earth. When you keep it local, the land and the community benefit, and it tastes better,” –River Saint Joe.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
