We’re less than a month away from the inaugural Rollin’ on the River Craft Beer Festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 8 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. entry for VIP ticket holders) at the Howard Steamboat Museum at 1101 East Market in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
A portion of the fest’s proceeds will benefit the museum, which is a fascinating repository of memorabilia pertaining to local steamboat history, as displayed in a building dating to 1890 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home’s original occupants were the Howard family, founders and owners of Howard Shipyard from 1834 to 1942, when it was purchased by the government for wartime use (and became Jeff Boat). The Howards built more than 3,000 river-going vessels during their tenure.
As an aside, I’ve been to my share of fundraisers and events over the years at the Howard Steamboat Museum, and it’s a great place for a party, especially when you’re not troubled by the presence of mass market beer. That’s an absolutely priceless bonus.
Rollin’ on the River is being produced by Antz Marching LLC and Pearl Street Taphouse; ticket prices are $55 general admission, $65 VIP; purchase at the fest website and Pearl Street Taphouse. Information and updates can be found at the fest’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
As savvy readers will have noted, Antz Marching is LLC is the corporate identity of Todd Antz, legendary former owner of Keg Liquors in Clarksville and New Albany, who announced preparations for the beer festival last October.
As many of you know, after I sold my stores, I also sold the rights to the Fest of Ale and could not continue that event. After some time off, I’ve been brought out of Beer Fest retirement and am proud to announce that in partnership with the Pearl Street Taphouse, we’re launching the inaugural Rollin’ on the River Craft Beer Festival on June 8th, 2024.
Hosted on the majestic grounds of the Howard Steamboat Museum, we’ll be bringing back some of that Fest of Ale magic, with some new ideas as well. We’re in the early days of planning, but we’d appreciate it if you’d check out the Facebook page we’ve put together, that way you can keep up to date with information as we continue to build this new event.
If you’re also thinking “What about New Albany?” I’ve also got some plans for an event in the fall of 2024 that I hope to announce in the near future as well. Stay tuned!
In a recent installment of The Pubcast, the commentariat and I welcomed Todd as our guest, spending most of the episode discussing Rollin’ On The River’s outlook and the local beer scene in general.
Give the podcast a listen here:
And, for the benefit of those who might as yet be unaware, Pearl Street Taphouse opened at December of 2016 in an historic 126-year-old house in Jeffersonville that had been relocated by the city from the Big Four Station Park work site to 407 Pearl Street. Overnight it became a must-visit for beer lovers finding themselves thirsty, hungry or both while visiting downtown Jeffersonville.
Food offerings are uniformly excellent, and include sandwiches, soups, salads, pizza and desserts. Draft lines number two dozen and are thoughtfully chosen; you’ll find no crap on tap here (R.I.P. to the great Falling Rock in Denver), although it merits notice that the owners favor selections with higher than usual alcohol contents by volume. It’s like NABC’s Gravity Head, but year-round.
Now back to the prospectus for the new festival.
Presumably you’ll be there primarily for the beer, and at least 65 breweries will be represented (view the list here). Wine, cocktails and a complimentary Jefferson’s Bourbon Tasting also are on the docket.
There’ll be food trucks: Tender Bender from Fireside Bar & Grill, the Dock Seafood, Riquisimo (Mexican) Food Truck and Pearl Street Taphouse’s catering.
VIP ticket holders (limited to 200) will be able to enter the fest at 2:00 p.m., an hour ahead of general admission, and receive access to the Carriage House for indoor plumbing, air conditioning, dedicated indoor tables and chairs, and direct access to the Pearl Street Taphouse Food Service.
The band Runaway Souls will perform, and games and activities from Union Restaurant & Gameyard in Jeffersonville will be available on the grounds.
What could be even better than all this, you’re undoubtedly asking? Well, I’ll be there, too, in spite of having vowed long ago never to attend another beer festival until a Fest of Ale facsimile returns to New Albany’s riverfront, thus enabling me to walk back and forth from my house.
In fact, I’m so enthused about Rollin’ on the River that I volunteered to work the Session Beer Is Best tent, featuring only classic beer styles (Mild, Ordinary Bitter, Cream Ale) below 5% abv.
Okay, so I haven’t heard back from anyone yet, but there’s still time. For a deeper dive into my complicated relationship with summertime outdoor beer fests, read this:
Hip Hops: It’s the time of the season for al fresco beer festivals
And, recalling last week at “Hip Hops”:
Hip Hops: Hometown Brewing, Craft House Pizza, and a KY Craft Bash update
Roger Baylor is an entrepreneur, educator, and innovator with 
