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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Beer enthusiasts flocked to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday afternoon to enjoy samples of more than 100 brews of all types at the inaugural NEPA Beer Festival.</p><p>About 50 vendors lined the arena floor, pouring samples and explaining the ins and out of of how each beer was made. The beer styles ranged from sweet to sour, fruity to hearty, light to dark, traditional to ground-breaking, and local to international.</p><p>&#8220;These are not your father&#8217;s beers,&#8221; said Victor Hurdle, the event&#8217;s promoter. &#8220;They are specially crafted beers.&#8221;</p><p>Hurdle, who is based in Reading, has spearheaded six similar beer festivals this year and expects to double that number next year.</p><p>&#8220;Craft beer is going crazy,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a rising market appealing to the beer culture.&#8221;</p><p>Hurdle added beer-culture people are a &#8220;very friendly demographic.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They are easy to talk to and can talk a long time about why they like different beers,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Some new brews from well-known beer-makers were available for review, such as Yuengling and Samuel Adams. The majority of samples, however, came from small family-owned breweries. They had names like Doghead Fish, Fegley&#8217;s Brewworks, and Evil Genius Brewing.</p><p>Local makers such as Susquehanna Brewing from Pittston, The Lion Brewery from Wilkes-Barre, and Three Guys and a Beer&#8217;d Brewery from Carbondale were well represented.</p><p>Lindo Sabatini, president of Sabatini&#8217;s Pizza in Exeter, extolled the quality and expertise demonstrated by the Susquehanna Brewing.</p><p>&#8220;They really care about what the customers want,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Their loyalty helps them make sure their beer shines above the rest.&#8221;</p><p>Kevin Malacuso, sales representative for Susquehanna, said the company started with just two beers but has grown to 15 as a result of open communications with the customers.</p><p>&#8220;Right now fruit beers are ahead of the curve,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Katie Tella, a representative offering samples of Jack&#8217;s Abby Craft Lagers made in Massachusetts, said what makes small brewers unique is the special attention given to making their products &#8220;crisp and drinkable.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;A small brewery can make a beer that can taste like a traditional beer but still have a little something unique,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Kieran Ingris, the craft beer representative for Luzerne County from L.T. Verrastro Distributors, said the new age beer lover looks at finding a new beer exciting.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost like finding a new technology,&#8221; Ingris said. &#8220;They enjoy being exposed to the latest types and passing their experiences on to their friends.&#8221;</p><p>Steve Poremba, director of marketing for the arena, said Northeast Pennsylvania can be a &#8220;hotbed of beer enthusiasm.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer01-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer02-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer02-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer01CMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer01CMYK-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer02CMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_craftbeer02CMYK-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Patrons of the NEPA Beer Festival fill the floor at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday to sample craft beers from breweries and distributors. </caption3><photoCredit3>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ralph Nardone</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Craft brews the toast of NEPA Beer Festival