I’ve been remiss in posting this press release, and I promised I would (I got sidetracked with Theme Week). St. Louis’ second annual Heritage Festival is coming up May 8 through 10, and Anheuser-Busch and their "Here’s to Beer" campaign is a big proponent of it. In fact, A-B even offered to pay my way if I wanted to go—though I couldn’t make it.

There are even some photos of last year’s event after the jump.

If you missed last year’s inaugural St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival held in the city’s historic Forest Park, then picture great beer and delicious food from some of the area’s finest restaurants, and 15,000 adults underneath blue skies enjoying various beer styles and toasting with friends. The festival proved to be one of the most popular new events in 2007 for both beer aficionados and those new to the beer scene, and should be on every St. Louisan’s “must attend” list this year.

Building on the excitement of last year, the festival has added several new elements to make this year’s to-do bigger and better:

• An extra Friday afternoon session and a third beer tent allow for more attendees to sample an expanded offering of beer styles,
• A local homebrewer develops a special beer recipe just for festival-goers to enjoy,
• Brewmasters will walk the festival grounds meeting with beer drinkers.

“We certainly owe the incredible success of the festival to the people of St. Louis who welcomed us with open arms last year and came out to enjoy the great beer and food available,” said Bob Lachky, executive vice president of Global Industry and Creative Development, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “This festival is about appreciating beer and honoring all it represents.”

The festival’s introductory year was successful with the support of seven local breweries, including Alandale Brewery, Anheuser-Busch, Augusta Brewery, Morgan Street Brewery, O’Fallon Brewery, Schlafly Beer and Square One Brewery. This year, Griesedieck Bros. Brewing Corporation will join the group with a Bavarian-style wheat beer brewed at Augusta Brewery.

“It’s been a great experience to have local brewers work together toward a common goal,” said Dan Kopman, co-founder, Schlafly Beer. “We’re able to show all the styles of beer St. Louis has to offer and let beer drinkers try something they may not have had before.”

Arranged by style, adults 21 and older will be able to sample beers underneath three tents housing ales, lagers and specialty beers, the latter of which will include each brewer’s version of the official festival brew – the St. Louis Dark Lager, hybrid styles and even several homebrews.

After his imperial stout won for “local best of show” at the St. Louis Brews’ 2007 Happy Holiday Homebrew Competition, local homebrewer and St. Louis Brews member August Altenbaumer was selected to develop a recipe for a beer style of his choice – a Rye American Pale Ale – to be brewed by one of the festival brewers and showcased at the festival. Dedicated to the brewing, evaluation and responsible consumption of homebrewed beers, the St. Louis Brews are a local club with nearly 150 members. Twenty of the members will also be on-hand at the general sessions conducting brewing demonstrations and serving samples to festival-goers.

To complement the more than 70 styles of beer brewmasters will craft for the occasion, several notable restaurants from the St. Louis Originals – a group of independently owned and operated restaurants committed to uniting local restaurants and celebrating the food indigenous to St. Louis – will serve a variety of culinary delights. Participating restaurants include Companion Bakery, Harvest, LoRusso’s Cucina, SqWires and Vin de Set.

The “Here’s To Beer” campaign focuses on elevating and enhancing the image of beer, as well as driving adults to choose beer over wine and hard liquor for more occasions. Through the festival, local brewers will be able to share their passion for brewing with each other, honor beer’s place in history and in St. Louis and educate the local and regional community on beer, the alcohol beverage of moderation.

Adults enjoying the festival’s beer samples, live music and delicious cuisine will be happy to know that proceeds from the event benefit the local charity, Lift for Life. This non-profit organization, which relies on private donations to keep its doors open, is dedicated to helping children who live in the city of St. Louis. The money brought in by the festival helps to maintain their after-school programs that give kids a safe, nurturing home away from home.

The weekend festivities include:

VIP EVENT – THURSDAY, MAY 8

Time: 7 – 10 p.m. (dinner served at 7:30 p.m.)

Cost: $100 (includes five-course meal paired with beer samples)

Details: The weekend will kick-off with an exclusive VIP event held on festival grounds. The five-course beer pairing dinner will be co-hosted by celebrity chef Dave Lieberman of The Food Network and festival brewmasters. Lieberman, host of “Here’s To Beer’s” The Beer Connoisseur program, will discuss how each course pairs with various beer styles. Tickets must be purchased in advance of the event.

BUSINESS DAY SPECIAL – FRIDAY, MAY 9

Time: Noon – 4 p.m.

Cost: $50 (includes food)

Details: Beginning Friday afternoon, the grounds will open to adults for a Business Day Special session, designed with St. Louis companies in mind as a way to entertain clients and reward employees.

GENERAL SESSIONS – FRIDAY, MAY 9 & SATURDAY, MAY 10

Time: 6 – 10 p.m. (Friday and Saturday), noon – 4 p.m. (Saturday)

Cost: $30 in advance, $35 day of session

Details: The grounds will re-open for three general sampling sessions. Adults can enjoy any of the more than 70 beer styles, receive a commemorative beer glass and enjoy live music and food.

The taps will flow rain or shine and tickets are currently available online at www.stlbrewfest.com, by calling 1-888-792-2424 and in person at the Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery Tour Center, the Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks. Only adults, ages 21 or older, are allowed to purchase tickets and attend the festival.

For more information on the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival, visit www.stlbrewfest.com or email contact@stlbrewfest.com. For background on Anheuser-Busch’s “Here’s To Beer” industry campaign, visit www.herestobeer.com.