Drink in the Folk Fest Spirit, Now Available in a Six Pack

Folk FestivALE by Champion Brewing Debuts in Stores September 23

There are few experiences in this world more authentic than sharing a culture’s folk traditions—but one of those experiences might be sitting down for a beer with a new friend, an old friend, or even a complete stranger.

Richmond Folk Fest fans know that the past two years’ addition of Wild Wolf’s Folktoberfest ale to the festival lineup transformed an already exciting weekend into a truly perfect experience. So this year, we decided to take the beverage aspect of the Folk Fest to a whole new level.

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Champion Brewing, which produces deliciously fresh canned beer, brewed up Folk FestivALE for the 2016 Richmond Folk Festival. It’s a highly accessible Oktoberfest–style Märzen ale that will be every bit as tasty as its predecessors, only this year, the Folk Fest brew will be the first to be available for purchase at select retailers before the festival begins.

This means that Richmond’s beer-lovers don’t have to wait until the festival begins on October 7th to get their Folk Fest on. And, because Folk FestivALE will be canned, the beer will stay fresh longer, so the spirit of the festival can be tapped into for weeks after the party ends.

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A champion for a refreshing, folksy brew

Based in Charlottesville, Champion Brewing plans to open a tasting room downtown on Grace Street as a joint effort with the folks behind Comfort and Pasture. Jason Alley and Michele Jones have long been Richmond Folk Fest supporters, having participated in the Folk Feast for 4 years. “It all kind of fell together,” says Amanda Marable of Loveland Distributing Co., who spoke with us about this iteration of folk fest beer.

“It’s in October, it’s that time of year, it’s fall, Champion wanted something that fit with the season but something that was easily approachable to other folks,” continues Amanda. “When you think about a Märzen style beer, it’s normally about 5% [APV], not something heavy-hitting. It’s a beer pretty much everybody can enjoy. You don’t have to be an IPA lover or a hops lover—it’s a very balanced and drinkable beer.”

Venture Richmond is excited about tasting what Champion can brew up, and Stephen Lecky made the trek to Champion this week to sample the goods and take some videos as the ale is canned. “We've loved partnering with Wild Wolf the last few years to produce Folktoberfest beer for sale at the Richmond Folk Festival, but we've always thought it would be cool to get the name of the festival out there on store shelves and to extend the festival brand,” says Lisa Sims, Interim Executive Director of Venture Richmond.

“This year when Champion offered to not only brew Folk FestivALE, but to can it as well, we jumped at the opportunity. And the fact that they'll be opening a brewpub in the heart of downtown, just a few blocks from the festival, makes this partnership all the sweeter.”

Now available in these fine establishments

Folk FestivALE, with a can designed by local designer Page Hayes, will be on shelves by September 23 at the following participating establishments.

Restaurants in Richmond serving Folk FestivALE:

  • Saison
  • Acacia
  • Pasture
  • Comfort

Retail outlets for Folk FestivALE: