Happy Tuesday Sippers!

Hopefully this post finds everyone happy to be back to work, energized from a nice relaxing long weekend. If not, we hope you can take advantage of this post as a great excuse to procrastinate for 3-6 minutes.

Let’s get to it, shall we? We have all sorts of SIPtemberfest info to share with you so settle in and read on:

First – Save the Dates!

• SIPBeer, Saturday, September 22, 1-5pm, tickets $45-47 each, 2/purchase.
• SIPCoffee, Sunday, September 23, 11am-2pm tickets $15-20 each, no purchase limit.

Second – Ticket Info!

Online ticket sales will start Tuesday June 26 at noon. Tickets will be $47 each with a limit of 2/purchase. While you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for our SIP shuttle! And also get your tickets to SIPCoffee! If you didn’t attend last year, you really should put this on your calendar for 2018! Tickets will be available at this link:

We will have two local Pop Ups this year, one in Waitsfield and one in Waterbury. These will be cash only sales with a 2/purchase limit for SIPBeer, but there’s a little bonus that tickets will be $45! Both Pop Up sales will have around 150 SIPBeer tickets available. You can also purchase SIPCoffee tickets at the special Pop Up Sale rate of $15 each! Plus the locations of our Pop Ups are both at really awesome stores that you should regularly shop at if you don’t already!

• Waterbury Pop Up, June 14, 4:30-6pm at Craft Beer Cellar in downtown Waterbury. If this place isn’t on your radar, it really should be! Nowhere is the area can you find a broader selection of craft beers, including a huge array of Vermont beverages, as well as regional and national breweries that you have to try. They also have a growler station, (at which we will take over and sell SIP tickets,) as well as home brewing equipment, glassware, gifts and more. Time your SIP ticket purchase to coincide with stocking your beer fridge! Webpage | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Waitsfield Pop Up, June 19, 4:30-6pm at The Mad River Taste Place, in the Mad River Green. In addition to selling ONLY Vermont products, The Mad River Taste Place is the first Official Vermont Cider Tasting Center in the state, representing all 16 Cider Maker members of The Vermont Cider Makers Association. Their amazing walk-in cooler is expertly curated with Vermont ciders, beer and more, their deli is a charcuterie dream come true and their staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. When you stop in to get SIP tickets, you should also plan to stock your pantry with the best Vermont foods and beverages available. Now open seven days a week, the Mad River Taste Place is the place to go! Webpage | Facebook | Instagram

Third – New Things!

• More Beer & More Friends Due to some crafty machinery tetris by the crew at Mad River Glen, we will have a little more room this year which means we will have 2 or 3 more booths!  This small increase means we can also increase our ticket numbers just a smidge, (about 75 tickets,) so be sure to rally your posse for the best little beer fest in Vermont!
• Stark Mountain Foundation (SMF) After 10 years supporting the Mad River Path Association we are mixing things up and teaming up with the SMF and their efforts to preserve and protect the very mountain our event calls home. We think it’s only fitting that we try to give back to the place that has given us so much. They are still planning what fun activities they will have at SIP. In the meantime, learn more about the SMF and their mission Webpage | Facebook
• The Single Chair After much consideration, Mad River Glen will not be spinning the iconic Single Chair for foliage rides during SIPtemberfest this year. But it will be spinning the following two weekends so be sure to return to the mountain for the most scenic ride in the state!
• 2018 SIP Artist-in-Resident Cat Illustrates For the last few years, we’ve teamed up with local artists to bring their vision of SIPtemberfest to life. This year we are stoked to have Cathy Stevens Pratt of Cat Illustrates, bringing her edgy whimsy to the show. We cannot wait to see what she comes up with but in the meantime, you should check her out. She is a frequent at local art fests including the Waterbury Arts Fest, and you can find her online too. Webpage | Facebook | Instagram

Fourth – Who is Coming?

While we can’t tell you who’s coming yet, we can tell you we are very excited for this year’s line up! We will announce our full list of brewers, roasters, musicians and more closer to the event so stay tuned.

Thanks all for now folks! If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for Fresh SIPs and get our posts emailed directly to you!  We will be in touch again soon.

Cheers!
-Team SIP

Post-SIPtemberfest Greetings to you all!!

The crew at TeamSIP are finally resembling human form again, after one heckova fun weekend. Our 10th Anniversary was everything we could have asked for – adorable dogs, gorgeous weather, great food, amazing beer, mind-blowing coffee, a breakfast special from the Stark’s Pub that was simply next level, and most of all, getting to hang out with 1000+ of our favorite people all weekend long!

THANK YOU ALL SO DANG MUCH! The SIPFamily is a special one and we are so grateful that we get to do this year in and year out.  To all our awesome attendees and talented vendors, our tireless volunteers and our generous sponsors, and everyone involved in SIPtemberfest: From the bottom of our hearts, with full glasses in hand, THANKS AND CHEERS!

And now that the dust has settled, all our fencing is rolled up, our sunburns and blisters and bruises are healing and we’ve caught up on sleep, we are already looking forward to next year.

SIPtemberfest 2018 will be at the same Bat-time, same Bat-place: September 22 & 23, at Mad River Glen. And though we know little more than that at this time, we can tell you that SIPBeer might see a teeny increase in the number of brewers we have in attendance, and that SIPCoffee is not an event you should miss next year – it will revolutionize the way you caffeinate!

Also – stay tuned for more info including some exclusive perks for SIP ticket holders at MRG and possibly more.

Thanks again and we can’t wait to see you next year,

-TeamSIP

Who likes sunshine, raise your hand!

We cannot believe what a stunner this weekend is supposed to be! Ordinarily around this time we are reminding you all to be mindful of the always changing Vermont weather and dress accordingly. But with a forecast like this, things you should bring would include sunglasses, SPF 30 and a water bottle!

So it’s a good thing we just paired up with Clearwater Filtration! They are bringing their awesome Watermark water station to SIP so you can fill up your water bottle during the day and stay hydrated! And if you forget your water bottle, head over to the MRG tent or the MRG retail shop and get a new one or just fill up your SIP glass! We are excited at this chance to reduce waste and stay hydrated at the same time – it just makes the beer taste that much better, amiright?! (Please note – we reserve the right to have you open filled water bottles etc upon entry. No outside alcohol permitted. Thanks!)

Also, please remember that PARKING IS WICKED LIMITED! Carpool with 3 or more people if you haven’t signed up for a shuttle! Thanks in advance for being respectful of our parking attendants and shuttle drivers and following their directions!

Pro Tip: Arrive early for SIPtemberfest and show the lift attendant your SIP ticket for a SIPtemberfest Foliage Ride Special! Present your SIPtemberfest ticket between 10am and noon on September 23^rd and get a Half Price Foliage Ride on America’s Favorite Chairlift, the Mad River Glen Single Chair (only $5). The ride up is a beautiful trip through what’s shaping up to be a beautiful rainbow of foliage. You can take the chair down or walk but either way, it will take some time so the earlier you go, the less SIPping time you’ll miss, if any!

Some other important housekeeping:

LAST CALL FOR ONLINE TICKETS! All online ticket sales close Thursday Night! 

• SIPDinner, FRIDAY, September 22, Doors at 6pm, dinner starts *promptly* at 7 – Grab the last of the tickets before sales close, Thursday, 11pm! This ticket includes a four course meal with multiple beers paired to each, a tasting glass and a raffle ticket. River Roost Brewery and Lost Nation Brewing will be this year’s hosts along with Craft Beer Cellar. Mark Babson, Allen Van Anda and Mark Drutman will be on hand to field questions about the beers served and more. There are a few tickets still available!
• SIPCoffee, Sunday September 24, Gates 11am-2pm – Online tickets $20, at the gate $25! Ticket includes a tasting mug and 12 tasting tickets so you can try multiple samples from our 7 Vermont roasters. There will be live music as well as food available for purchase. Coffee beers will be available in the Pub too! Just picture it: You can round off your weekend testing your coffee-knowledge and kicking that hangover at the same time, all on relaxing and gorgeous Sunday morning on the side of a mountain!!

Those buying/selling tickets may try our Facebook Invite or other forums. Bad beer karma for anyone trying to sell for more than face value of the tickets. The original buyer can edit the name on the ticket by logging on to Eventbrite, selecting My Tickets and editing the ticket info. You can manage financial exchanges directly. If you are arriving together, you do not need to change the names on the tickets. Please note: we do not issue refunds or sell tickets for you at the gate.

SATURDAY DETAILS:

• SIPBeer, SATURDAY, September 23 – Check-in will start at 12:30. Gate opens at 1pm. Last call is at 4:40pm. Ticket includes Saturday entry, 10 tastings and a souvenir glass. There will be food from the Micheal’s Good To Go and Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen. This event is sold out.  If you signed up for a shuttle, be on the look out for an email with details! We are still looking for a shuttle check-in person on one of the buses too!
• EVERY TICKET HOLDER MUST HAVE THEIR ID AND TICKET FOR CHECK IN. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Designated Drivers and underagers are allowed in at no change HOWEVER: please arrive if possible after 2pm, allowing us time to efficiently check in ticket holders.
• The forecast is looking amazing but as always, come prepared for anything – and we highly recommend sturdy footwear! Heels and wedges are going to skunk your day.
• Don’t forget to stop into the HopShop for your SIPtemberfest merchan

That’s all for now! We look forward to seeing you this weekend!