Brimfield Brewfest 2025

First Time Brimfield Brewfest

It was on April 12th that Big Time Bill Events and Promotions ran their annual Brimfield Brewfest. We at Bucha Bros LLC (Ryan, Eddie, and Emma in the picture above) had the pleasure of participating in such an event, despite having non-alcoholic kombucha to sell rather than anything boozy. We figured it’d give customers an alternative to drink, so we happily applied. It would be the biggest event we’d been a part of so far.

We were nervous, but so excited. We had done one other event before this that was very small. We’d been in business for 6 months and Spring was going to be the biggest season for us so far. It was the time for events like this and farmer’s markets to make a comeback.

April Fools

It was a cold and snowy day. Very much the opposite of what we were anticipating. I woke up and couldn’t help but laugh. It was April and we had multiple inches of snow on the ground. Eddie and I had needed to get to the Worcester Regional Food Hub to freshly filter our bottles for the event. We couldn’t have felt like bigger fools. For when we tried driving out in the bitter cold, our cars could hardly handle the roads. We had to turn around.

We lost a bit of money from that, but we couldn’t stay discouraged. After a few hours, we decided to try the roads again. We may have missed the opportunity to filter, but we still needed products to bring. We were also fortunate to have already filtered bottles at our homes the night before, so we had coolers of product already ready to go.

I made it to the kitchen and grabbed what I could, meeting my partners and passing off what readied coolers I had for them. I made it to the event a little while before it started.

The Brimfield Brewfest

We found ourselves in the corner of the third Pavillion, a big open space sheltering us from the cold rain outside. We set up our table and tapistry with our logo, bottles and sample cups. We had 6 seasonal flavors to offer that we were proud to call our own; Cran Apple Punch, Merry Minty-mas, Candied Orange Vanilla, Honey Chamomile, Cardamom Pear, and Blueberry Lemon kombucha.

For each customer, I would greet them and give a rundown of our product. Our kombucha is different from most store-bought in that it’s unpasteurized and doesn’t include any preservatives that kill or inhibit the natural probiotic yeast that makes kombucha a health beverage. We also don’t force carbonation or add ingredients that heighten the bite or acidity most booch is known to have. And of course, we’re local. For Brewfest, however, we wanted to emphasize that our kombucha was a nonalcoholic option (even having less than 0.5% alcohol by volume) for those wishing to participate but remain sober. At the same time, our booch makes a fine mixer!

Big Name Vendors

We found ourselves among the likes of Crust & Confections Pizza Co (who’s homemade pizza gave off a lovely scent beside us and desserts were delectable), Cookies by Ray (who had the biggest and tastiest cookies ever known to man, at least Ryan thinks so!), Sturbridge Coffee House (who brews some of the freshest coffee), B.T. Smokehouse (who has the mightiest beef brisket and pulled pork sandwiches ever in the Northeast), Pig Candy (who had some delicious candied bacon), Brew Biscuits (dog treats anyone?), a few other food vendors, and of course a whole galore of breweries.

Have I emphasized just how many breweries were involved in Brimfield Brewfest? Two entire pavilions full of beer. From American Pale Ales (IPAs), stouts, porters, sours, ciders, and so on. From bitter like pine to sweet and citrusy, there was a lot to go around. Eddie’s lovely life Emma was our runner, grabbing us several tasty samples that just added to the fun overall. Big and local names like Rapscallion, Counter Wright, Jack’s Abby, Big Bee, Oakholm, Spyglassy Artifact, Narragansett, Lord Hobo, Paradox, and many more had some tasty offerings to sample.

Turnout

Despite the snow, there was still a big turnout of people. And we found success! In the first 5 minutes of opening, a woman was delighted by the taste of our Honey Chamomile and even gave me a high five. It was a wonderful feeling, and it didn’t stop there. Many individuals and couples came and tried samples of our kombucha and gave nothing but praise for them. It reassured us that we had a product that was both high quality and accessible for all; easy to drink and satisfying for adults, kids, and elderly.

We were pleasantly surprised to meet people who’ve liked and followed our business Facebook page. It means a lot to us to talk with people who believe in what we do, and encourages us to keep delivering the best possible booch.

With how well we performed at the Brimfield Brewfest, could we have done better? We think so. It was a rather dreary and cold day, and so the foot-traffic was certainly lower than it would be on a nice sunny day. Most attendants were also at the Brimfield Brewfest to drink alcohol. And while the cost for a “sober driver” admission ticket was a fraction of the cost to be able to sample alcohol, many individuals had never heard of kombucha or appeared to be looking for a non-alcoholic option there.

Takeaway

The Brimfield Brewfest was Bucha Bros first time partaking in such an event, and despite the setbacks with the weather, we’re still glad we could be a vendor there. The energy that people brought to our table made each encounter exciting, and we’re so happy so many people were willing to give our kombucha a try through sampling our six flavors. If we were invited to be a part of this event again, we certainly think we would!

Interested in trying samples of our kombucha? Join us Saturdays at the Brimfield Farmers Market from 9-1pm during the Spring months, and the Sturbridge Farmers Market Sundays during the Summer 2025! Can’t wait and interested in checking us out? Check our website! We also partner with Farmer at the Door’s subscription delivery service. We look forward to meeting you!