Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival brings sell

TOP: Taylor Ross, 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gets a sample of Synergy farmhouse ale from Chimney Rustic Ales of Hammonton. ABOVE: Scott Boyd, of Heavy Seas Beer in Baltimore, pours a sample Saturday at the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival. The first day of the two-day event drew 8,500 people to Bader Field.

Ester Talamo, 26, and Eliot Zeigler, 29, both of Pennsylvania, play oversized chess. The festival also included live entertainment, headlined by Dropkick Murphys.

Taylor Ross, 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gets a sample of Synergy farmhouse ale from Chimney Rustic Ales of Hammonton.

Jon Henderson, producer of the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival, greets the crowd Saturday before letting them in. Saturday drew a sold-out crowd of 8,500, with similar numbers expected Sunday.

Jesse Ahern, from Boston, was the first performer of the day.

Joe Havel, 70, of Atlantic City, and his daughter, Cara Havel, 46, of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, enjoy their samples from Double Nickel Brewing.

ATLANTIC CITY — Taylor Ross came prepared Saturday.

After grabbing a sample from Chimney Rustic Ales, based in Hammonton, she referred to the notes she was keeping on her phone. She already had tasted about a half-dozen beers in about 90 minutes, and she was ready to find some new favorites the rest of the day.

"This Chimney Synergy is really good!" said Ross, 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as she held up a tiny glass of the brewery's farmhouse ale.

Ross joined the sold-out crowd of 8,500 people on the first day of the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival at Bader Field.

The people were there to enjoy samples from the dozens of breweries stretched out over the 1.4-million square-foot space at the site of the former airport. They also were treated to carnival games, food, vendors and music.

The Dropkick Murphys, a Boston-based Irish-American punk rock band known for their hit "Shipping Up to Boston," performed Saturday night, serving as the headliner for several other acts that played throughout the day. Alternative punk rockers 311, who were big in the 1990s, will headline Sunday's musical lineup.

The festival, presented by Ocean Casino Resort and produced by Good Time Tricycle Productions, is in its third year at Bader Field. It began in 2006 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Beer enthusiasts were met Saturday with a cloudy and windy day, but the weather mostly cooperated. Once the beer started flowing, things warmed up. The weekend was expected to bring more than 10,000 people to the city, said Jon Henderson, owner of Good Time Tricycle.

"This is, for me, like going to the office," Henderson said. "I get to hang out with a couple thousand people, shake some babies, kiss some hands and make new friends. I like the social aspect of it."

Henderson stood atop a small platform as thousands of people waited at the entrance to be let in. He was joined by Mayor Marty Small Sr., who welcome the crowd to the festival and wished everyone a good time. In the distance, Dropkick Murphys could be heard doing a soundcheck before the people were let in.

Shortly after 2 p.m., security pulled back the barrier keeping the crowd away from their suds, and the people made their swift walks toward the beer tents.

Ross lives near Troegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her friend Laura Shields, who grew up in Pottsville, where Yuengling is based, now lives in Point Pleasant and convinced Ross to join her and a group of friends.

"It took us a long time to get in, like 45 minutes. We didn't anticipate that. But we’re happy so far," Ross said.

"Once we got the beer in our hand, we were good," Shields, 29, chimed in.

Mike Ferreira, of Swedesboro, Gloucester County, was attending his second Beer Fest. He was there Saturday mainly to watch Dropkick Murphys perform.

"It's a little chilly out, but with a couple beers you’ll warm up," Ferreira said.

Rob Rushing, founder and director of Punk Rock Saves Lives, hoped to spread a bit of kindness at the festival this weekend. He is big fan of Dropkick Murphys and a supporter of the band's charity, the Claddagh Fund, which honors the three attributes of the ring the name symbolizes: friendship, love and loyalty.

Rushing, whose foundation is from Denver, returned to the festival for a second year. They had free signup sheets for a bone marrow registry as well as Narcan and fentanyl test strips to help combat the opioid crisis in impacted areas.

"I love the fact that the Atlantic City Beer Fest has a bit of a punk rock feeling. It always has," Rushing said. "They’re so great at bringing in great punk rock bands every year."

Joe Havel, a part of the Atlantic City Beard and Mustache Club, has been to quite a few beer festivals. The 70-year-old city resident said it was fortunate it wasn't raining out.

"I try the local stuff, but I’m always open to new things," said Havel, who was there with his daughter Cara, who drove in from Hamilton Township, Mercer County.

Havel took a sip from his glass with a beer from Double Nickel Brewing Company out of Pennsauken Township, Camden County.

"I like it!" he said. "I know they make good beer. I’ve had them every year I’ve come here."

Tom Biggins, of Ventnor, attended his first beer festival despite having grown up in Brigantine and working as a teacher in Atlantic City.

"The whole vibe seems pretty cool, everybody seems nice out. It's been good so far," Biggins, 33, said. "This is my first time at beer fest and probably not my last time."

Emmy Seybold, 39, of Galloway Township, has been going to Beer Fest for a long time. She looks forward to just getting together with friends, calling it an annual tradition.

"It's more just about always running into people you see, all the different activities," Seybold said, adding Dropkick Murphys performing was the main reason she and her friends attended this year.

A benefit to having an outdoor event is that newer vendors could show off their products in ways they couldn't inside the Convention Center. Somers Point Cigar Lounge and Tennessee Avenue Tobacco Company were set up next to each other, selling cigars and offering people an opportunity to light one up.

Tennessee Avenue owner Coby Frier, a lit cigar in hand, praised the atmosphere. He said cigars pair well with food, wine and whiskey just as well as they do with certain beers.

"We talked about (the advantages of being outside)," Frier said. "I love it at Bader Field. I think it was a great move. I loved the Convention Center, but I think Bader Field is more open, not claustrophobic. I think it's great here."

NOTE: Parking was on-site, and $5 shuttles were offered to and from Atlantic City's train station. Tickets for Sunday, when the festival will run from noon to 4 p.m., are available starting at $62 at acbeerfest.com. ... Registration for the Hops Trot 5K ends at 10:53 a.m. Sunday. There is a $120 package for the race and festival, plus a $55 add-on for those who already have festival tickets and want to participate.

Flying Fish Brewing Co. The first day of the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival was held Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Bader Field. JOHN RUSSO / Staff Writer)

Jon Henderson, producer of the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival, greets the crowd Saturday before letting them in. Saturday drew a sold-out crowd of 8,500, with similar numbers expected Sunday.

Jon Henderson, producer of Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival, and Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.

Mike Ferreira, from Swedesboro, was excited to get in and drink some beers Saturday. It was the second time he went to Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival.

Coby Frier, owner of Tennessee Avenue Tobacco Company, puffs on a cigar Saturday. He said having the festival outdoors was advantageous for his business. "I loved the Convention Center, but I think Bader Field is more open," he said.

Joe Havel, 70, of Atlantic City, and his daughter, Cara Havel, 46, of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, enjoy their samples from Double Nickel Brewing.

Marcus Ybarra, of Keansburg, Monmouth County, holds up a sign to draw people in to check out Punk Rock Saves Lives, which set up a booth to get people to sign up for bone marrow donations, drug-use prevention and more.

Tom Biggins, 33, of Ventnor, attended his first Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival on Saturday.

Jesse Ahern, from Boston, was the first performer of the day.

Taylor Ross, 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gets a sample of Synergy farmhouse ale from Chimney Rustic Ales of Hammonton.

Taylor Rosse, 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, second from left, and Laura Shields, 29, of Point Pleasant, third from left, came to Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival with a group of friends Saturday.

Emmy Seybold, 39, of Galloway Township, gets her sample from Blue Point Brewing Company on Saturday.

Ester Talamo, 26, and Eliot Zeigler, 29, both of Pennsylvania, play oversized chess. The festival also included live entertainment, headlined by Dropkick Murphys.