STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Anna Mathieu poured a clear liquid into a Sun Valley Brewfest mug.
But it wasn’t one of the hundred craft beers set up in Sun Valley’s Festival Meadows. It was a hard kombucha. A hard kombucha that came in passionate fruit and elderberry flavors or with a splash of pineapple and jalapeno, to be specific.
“It’s not spicy. it’s sweet,” she said.
Craft beer may have been the draw at the 8th annual Sun Valley Brewfest, which was held recently after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. And it did sport a variety of interesting beers, including A Bear for All Reasons marketed by the Mother Earth Brew Company.
But the Brewfest also sported more unusual tastes, including a sour lemonade and kombuchas made of organic green tea, sustainably sourced honey and botanicals.
The Brewfest was hosted by Valley Apothecary and organized by the Ketchum/Sun Valley Rotary with the help of 22 sponsors and local businesses. And more than a thousand people bellied up to a hundred craft beers and fermented teas from Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.
The event raised more than $30,000 to fund local scholarships an help nonprofits, said organizer Ed Sinnott.
Children took turns at corn hole and Jenga, while older adults tried their hand at throwing axes. Sun Valley Company donated a season ski pass, while Towne and Parke Jewelers donated jewelry.
Did you miss the fun? Mark June 17, 2023 on your calendar. That’s when the ninth annual Sun Valley Brewfest will be held again at Sun Valley Festival Meadows.