Panama City Beach Beer Festival on tap at Fishale

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Craft beer will be flowing inside and out at Fishale Taphouse and Grill on Saturday, when the fourth annual Panama City Beach Beer Festival returns.

"The event is growing every year," said Chris Pfahl with Legistix Solutions, who is organizing the event with Fishale owners Selma and Leo Hill. "Avian has been with us since the start. ... A lot of Navy people from around the world are able to sample craft beer from home."

Avian LLC is a title sponsor, and Marine Max, which will have two boats on display during the festival, came on board this year.

The Hills, who also own Nivol Brewery, have plenty to toast while lovin' life. Fishale, 7715 Front Beach Road, features 65 taps of craft beer in its upscale gastro pub, including selections from Nivol Brewery, 483 Richard Jackson Blvd., the area's first distribution brewery — named for "lovin'" spelled backwards.

On Saturday, 60 breweries are will showcase selections from their portfolios, bringing in more than 200 craft brews, ciders and meads.

"We've asked them to bring from their core portfolios and seasonal or limited selections," Pfahl added.

The diverse line-up of breweries includes Nivol, Proof, Sixpoint, Lefthand, Original Sin, Central 28, M.I.A., Uinta, Back Forty, Blue Point, Samuel Smith, Funky Buddah, Miami, Big Top, Rogue, 3rd Planet, Tomoka, Southern Tier, DogFish Head, NOLA, Red Hare, Sweetwater, Samuel Adams, Duck Rabbit, Tin Roof, Straight to Ale, Sierra Nevada, Good People, Cigar City, Idyll Hounds, Bells, Oskar Blues, Destin, Trim Tab, Lazy Magnolia, Stone, Echo, Lexington, Maui, Lost Coast, Evil Twin, Ballast Point, StillWater, Founders, Terrapin, Crabbie, Shiner, Green Man, Highland, 21st Amendment, Lagunitas, Abita, New Belgium, Oyster City, Pensacola, Fairhope, Shipyard, Grayton, Props, and Gulf Coast.

Fishale is hosting a preview party on Friday night with even more selections, which is included for the 150 guests who purchased VIP tickets before they sold out. But there are plenty of general admission tickets left for Saturday's festival.

"We should be OK," Pfahl said. "I think we can accommodate up to 1,500."

Last year brought out a crowd estimated between 800 and 900.

"When you're drinking craft beer, you're not ready to sit down — stand up and meet new people," Leo said in November when Nivol began wholesale distribution of their craft beer by Goldring. Nivol Brewing has three core craft beers — 98 Roadside Blonde, Donkey D Amber (Selma's favorite), Scuba IPA, plus seasonal selections.

"We press the wheat and grain in," said Mike Delf, who operates the brewing equipment with fellow brewmaster Doug Whitt. "The grains come in whole. We don't crush them, just cracking them. They sit in water 30 to 45 minutes, depending on recipe, to get all the sugars off. I had a blonde recipe I liked and Doug had some hops, so we used my grains and his hops to come up with 98 Roadside Blonde."

Selma explained the longer the recipe, the higher the IBUs (International Bittering Units), a higher bitterness and alcohol content. Blonde takes about 11 days, and Scuba takes 14 to 16 days till it's ready to drink.

"It goes to 68 degrees to ferment and then put the yeast on top," said Selma, whose favorite is the Amber. "The beer we distribute in Bay County is only 12 days old. With fresh beer, you get all grain notes, all the hop notes and aroma."

Tickets to Saturday's festival will give guests admission for unlimited craft beer sampling from all of the distributors as well as a souvenir glass. The admission price also includes free parking and a shuttle service. Park at Lindsey's Suite Deals, 7125 W. U.S. 98, and a shuttle service will be provided to Fishale.

(Fishale also will be open to the public Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. for those who aren't attending the festival.)

The annual Beer Festival, sponsored by Avian LLC and Marine Max, raises money for local families in need during the holidays.

"The focus from the first and in the fourth year has always been the Toys for Kids," Pfahl said.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Toys for Kids Foundation, a local 501(c)3. 

"In total, we've raised around $20,000 (from this event) over the past three years," said Chris Moates, president and CEO of Toys for Kids. "Everything we do, in general, goes for the shopping spree we do the first Sunday in December. It's not only toys, but primarily preteens seem to be left out. At the Christmas Ball in December, we get a lot of children's toys, but preteens ages 14 to 17 seem to be left out. We also shop for clothes, shoes, essentials, to girls needing hair care products and personal items."

The community's need continues to grow. The foundation's first shopping spree in the '90s after the inaugural golf tournament was for 50 children.

"Now we are shopping for 200 to 250 children depending on what the agencies give us," he said. "For Claire's House, we buy them gift certificates because they tend to be a little older. We do our best to cover the essentials first and then a toy or game."

The items are then given to the agencies, such as Family Services, which disperses them where they are needed.

"The child never knows where it comes from, think it's Santa or from their parents — and that's how we like it," Moates said. "As long as Christmas morning comes and happy smiles are on faces, we've done our job."

Moates and his wife, Alethea, will be at Saturday's event with a slew of volunteers. 

"It takes me recruiting around 90 to 95 volunteers — a pretty big undertaking compared to the other events we do," he said. "I start recruiting in the middle of January."

Volunteers are not just from the foundation but all over Bay County — Tyndall Air Force Base, the Navy base and Moates' friends and "loyal volunteers."

"It's been a wonderful event to kick off the fundraising for the year," Moates said. "Leo and Selma Hill are just like angels. They decided to do this event and wanted a local charity; everything stays in Bay County. Without people like the Hills, Toys for Kids couldn't exist and I'm thankful."

What: Fourth annual festival with local and national craft brewers to benefit Toys for Kids Foundation

When: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 1; rain or shine

Where: Fishale Taphouse and Grill, 7715 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach

General Admission: $30 advance or $40 at the event (VIP sold out)

Parking: Free; shuttle service provided from Lindsey's Suite Deals Furniture, 7125 W. U.S. 98, Panama City Beach, to Fishale

Details and advance tickets: PCBBeerFestival.com or call 850-338-4578

Panama City Beach Beer Festival