Bigger than ever, Coralville's BrrrFest is back with an all-Iowa brewery lineup

Coralville's Brrrfest is back and bigger than ever, celebrating Johnson County and Iowa's exploding craft beer scene.

Iowa's second-largest beer festival will serve beverages from 60 Iowa breweries, the event's largest offering in history.

The 12th annual Brrrfest will take place from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Coralville, offer guests an opportunity to sample more than 200 beers.

BrrrFest is in its 12th year and returns to Coralville on Jan .27, with guests able to sample more than 200 beers at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For Backpocket Brewing, BrrrFest is a celebration and a reminder of its legacy in the Coralville and Iowa City community.

"[BrrrFest] is for people who love beer, love craft beer, and love supporting local businesses," said Lo Janoska, social media and event coordinator at Backpocket Brewing. "[Backpocket wants to] bring awareness to the fact that craft beer is not just a summer thing. It's a winter thing as well."

Stay cozy with a well-known and well-attended tradition

Coralville's Backpocket Brewing had a significant hand in creating Iowa's premiere winter beer festival. They approached the city of Coralville more than 12 years ago, using the community's desire for a cold-weather celebration as ammunition.

They wanted to bring the passion for beer to winter's doorstep.

"When Backpocket Brewing opened here in Coralville, one of the things that they said at the time is that there are a lot of festivals in the summertime, but there's none in the wintertime that celebrate the winter beers," said Coralville City Administrator, Kelly Hayworth. "They suggested we do this, so we did, and it's grown from there."

Backpocket was Iowa City's only local craft brewery when BrrFest first started in 2012, as Big Grove Brewery and Reunion had yet to open, according to local beer expert and owner of John's Grocery, Doug Alberhasky.

The area is now loaded with breweries less than 15 years later, bolstered by Big Grove and Reunion as well as Kalona Brewing and newcomer Field Day in North Liberty. Nearby Cedar Rapids also boasts plenty of craft beer options, including Iowa Brewing, Clock House and Lion Bridge.

Brrrfest can now proudly claim it is an exclusively Iowa event.

"[All of the breweries at BrrrFest] are Iowa breweries. When we first started, there weren't enough Iowa breweries to do just that, so we had some from other states," Hayworth said. "The industry has grown that much, so now there are enough. We will have about 10 to 12 new breweries that hadn't been here before."

Craft beer's rapid growth is rather remarkable. Only 58 craft breweries varying in size and distribution dotted the Iowa landscape in 2014. There are now 126 breweries registered with the Iowa Brewers Guild just 10 years later.

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A blossoming beer festival

BrrrFest is Iowa's second-largest beer festival, runner-up only to the Iowa Craft Beer Festival, held every summer at Waterworks Park in Des Moines.

Noreen Otto, the executive director of the Iowa Brewers Guild, believes that BrrrFest demonstrates the growing craft beer industry and breaks any misconceptions people might have about beer.

"Craft brewing is really growing beyond what people would have thought of as a craft beer five and six years ago. [We are] seeing more styles, options, and creativity than ever," Otto said. "We invite everyone to come and see the huge range of products our members are putting out. You could go into a brewery and get everything from nonalcoholic beer to these delicious fruited sours.

More and more beers have low ABV, and then you have these released specialty, amazing craft barrel-aged beers for the traditionalists."

General admission tickets for BrrrFest are available for purchase and cost $50, which includes a 2024 BrrrFest commemorative glass and free beer samples throughout the duration of the event.

While BrrrFest is an opportunity for beer enthusiasts to try new beers from assorted breweries across the state, it also has an eye toward community. The North Liberty and Coralville Boy Scout troops volunteer throughout and proceeds support the local brewing industry.

"The proceeds from the festival not only stay in the Coralville community to support community events, but a portion of the proceeds also go to the guild to support the larger community around craft brewing in the state of Iowa," Otto said. "The Iowa Brewers Guild exists to unite craft brewing professionals so our businesses and our breweries can keep growing stronger and putting out even better products."

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Backpocket Brewing's lasting legacy in the craft beer scene

Backpocket Brewing holds an annual breakfast pre-party, honoring the release of Dark Day, a German Chocolate Cake BA Stout.

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From 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, beer lovers can indulge in an all-you-can-eat breakfast with an exclusive chance to try Backpocket's latest releases, including Nectaron Dry Hopped Black Hive.

New additions to the 2024 BrrrFest lineup include samples from Toppling Goliath, Gezellig Brewing Co., Field Day Brewing, Uptown Garage Brewing Co., and Bremer Brewing.

Brrrfest is a celebration of community, an annual gathering of friends, family and future business partners, uniting in a love for innovation and creativity.

"Craft beer is always evolving. There are always new things coming out in the craft beer world," Janoska said. "This time of year is a slower season for restaurants and breweries, and it's important for us to all kind of stick together and support local during this time."

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: BrrrFest is back Jan.27 with 60 Iowa breweries and more than 200 beers