815 Ale Fest brings together breweries for a celebration of creative craft brews

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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CHERRY VALLEY — For Mike Bowman, the 45-mile drive from Polo to 815 Ale Fest wasn’t just an event to fill his Saturday afternoon: It was a scouting mission for the breweries he wants to visit in the future.

The annual celebration of the rich world of craft beer brings together more than two dozen local, regional and national breweries at the Tebala Event Center.

“Instead of me having to go to the brewery and get a flight and sample out, I can do it all here in one shot,” Bowman said. “I can go down the list and go, OK, then I do want to go to Prairie Street. I do want to go there and spend an evening.”

Photos: 815 Ale Fest draws sold out crowd to Tebala Event Center in Cherry Valley

The event, which is now in its sixth year, drew a sold out crowd of more than 500 people to sample beers ranging from hoppy IPAs to dark stouts, lagers and fruit-infused ales.

“What a great event to bring all these brewers together with all these beers and give people an opportunity to see what’s going on in 815,” Bowman said.

Bowman and Will Clark of Rockford were the first in line for VIP admission on Saturday. Clark, who said he was a fan of IPAs and hoppy beers, said its a good opportunity to sample creations from breweries across the region.

“I came here last year and had a blast. So I’m like, let’s do it again,” he said. “With them bringing in breweries from all over, it really allows you to try a whole bunch of different stuff.”

815 Ale Fest is put on by the Mid-West Family Broadcasting radio stations — B103, 95.3 The Bull, 100FM and 104.9 The X — in partnership with Anderson Toyota with Lonnie’s Carpet Max, Lonnie’s Stonecrafters, tasting glasses from Tilford’s Towing, a scavenger hunt by Rockford Liquidation Warehouse, snacks from Mrs Fisher’s Potato Chips, and a host of other sponsors.

Breweries compete for three prizes — Best Brew, Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice — but they also find camaraderie among each other.

“This industry is probably the best industry I’ve ever worked in in my life,” said Jon Lambert, head brewer of Hairy Cow Brewing Co. in Byron. “The brewers are just so easy to get along with, so helpful in sharing information, and the beers are fantastic.”

Hairy Cow, which won the People’s Choice award last year, took home the Judge’s Choice award this time.

Its butter pecan Scotch ale was a hit with guests at the fest. The wee heavy style beer is made with a touch of butter pecan flavor to add a hint of sweetness. Guests also flocked to the Mexican hot chocolate, a chocolate milk stout with ancho chilis, a touch of vanilla and cinnamon sticks add an earthy and smoky flavor.

Urban Forest Craft Brewing, 6551 E. Riverside Blvd., suite No. 112 in Rockford, has grown accustomed to taking home hardware from 815 Ale Fest. It won Best Brew for the fourth-consecutive year. This time it was for a honey brown ale, which is a standard English brown ale with a Pacific Northwest varietal of honey that’s aged on shredded raw coconut.

“So it’s like a mounds bar in a glass,” said Alex Cando, brewmaster and co-owner of Urban Forest Craft Brewing. “It was the first beer to tap out. That always says something when a beer runs out that quickly, and people are coming back and disappointed when it’s run out — you know that you’ve hit something.”

Pig Minds took home its first 815 Ale Fest win, taking home the People’s Choice award.

Pig Minds brought its Schweinegeist German pilsner, Mangonada, Kloude 8 and Vanilla bitch slap.

“We couldn’t be happier. We’re so thankful to everybody, all of our ardent fans,” said Christopher Langguth, head brewer for Pig Minds.

Langguth said it was great to see local breweries mixed in with places like California-based Firestone Walker, Big Grove Brewery of Iowa City, and the Illinois debut of Yuengling.

“But it’s still a hyper-local event and it’s just great to see so much Rockford pride,” Langguth said.

815 Ale Fest 2025 winners

• Best Brew: Urban Forest Craft Brewing, 6551 E. Riverside Blvd. suite No. 112 in Rockford
• Judge’s Choice: Hairy Cow Brewing Co., 450 E. Blackhawk Drive, Byron
• People’s Choice: Pig Minds Brewing Co., 4080 Steele Drive, Machesney Park

https://www.rockrivercurrent.com/2025/02/01/photos-815-ale-fest-draws-sold-out-crowd-to-tebala-event-center-in-cherry-valley/

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas