The inaugural Wisconsin West Coast IPA Invitational will be hosted at McFleshman’s Brewing Company in Appleton on June 20.
The event will take place from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the McFleshman’s Beer Garden, 115 S. State St., and will celebrate one of the most popular styles of craft beer: the IPA.
The Wisconsin West Coast IPA event was born out of McFleshman’s 547 Day, an annual celebration of the company’s 547 Double West Coast IPA. The name pays homage to Tornado Beer Bar in San Francisco where McFleshman’s owner and brewmaster, Bobby Fleshman, first tasted Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, falling in love with the West Coast IPA style.
Soon McFleshman’s realized the celebration was outgrowing its name and made the change to the Wisconsin West Coat IPA Invitational, celebrating more than just one bar and beer and uniting Wisconsin’s best brewers.
“547 has always been about chasing a feeling, that first sip at Toronado, when you understand exactly what the West Coast IPA style is supposed to do,” said Fleshman in a news release. “Wisconsin brewers have been chasing that same feeling, and the work they’re doing in this style is incredible. Twelve breweries pouring side by side, all clean, bitter, balanced, and built with intention. That’s a celebration worth having.”
Guests can expect pours from the following 12 breweries that will be in attendance, pouring their own take on West Coast IPA:
Every attendee will get one vote upon entrance and can cast it for any brewery they’ve sampled. The brewery with the most votes will win the Wisconsin West Coast IPA Invitational Traveling Trophy, a rotating title that stays with the winning brewery until the next event.
General admission tickets cost $42 per person and include access to the event and a commemorative tasting glass. VIP tickets cost $54.70 and include early entry at 2 p.m., a commemorative tasting glass and a three-can-cooler fanny pack.
The taproom and beer garden will remain open to the public throughout the day, but the event tasting is for ticketholders only.
When the invitational ends, McFleshman’s will keep the celebration going with an official after party including a performance from A-Town Unplugged.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit mcfleshmans.com.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: These breweries will be pouring at McFleshman’s annual IPA celebration
Reporting by Jelissa Burns, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jelissa Burns, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
