Hershey, PA | May 20, 2021, | With 2020 in the rearview mirror and Covid restrictions about to expire, the AACA Museum, Inc. is excited to announce the return of Autos & Ales, one of the area’s oldest and most enduring craft beer festivals. Friday, November 5th, from 6 to 10 pm, the event returns with live music, food, and dozens of breweries, all within the galleries of our award-winning Smithsonian Affiliate transportation museum.
The annual festival features an ever-changing line-up of craft breweries. Local and traditional participants will be joined by some of the area’s newer breweries. In addition, some more distant brewers plan to make the journey to Hershey for this not-to-be-missed evening.
Like most service-oriented businesses, the Museum was deeply affected by the pandemic. That’s why the Museum’s Executive Director and craft beer enthusiast, Jeffrey Bliemeister, is happy to have Autos and Ales back on the Museum’s calendar. “This is one of our largest and most important annual fundraising events. It is also the most fun, attracting Museum guests that otherwise may not visit.” As a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, the Museum relies on events to support and fulfill its educational mission.
Even with his busy schedule guiding the Museum through a challenging year, Bliemeister has visited breweries to promote the event and extend a personal invitation to participate. He said, “We welcome all breweries in Pennsylvania and adjoining states to participate. This is a great way to reach a large and invested audience.” The Museum provides multiple incentives to breweries to join in the fun, including complimentary overnight lodging for those who travel more than 60 miles to Hershey.
Highlights for this year’s event include live music from local favorite, Smooth LIke Clyde, food from C&J Catering, and a VIP hour from 6 to 7 pm. The VIP hour features the debut of our 2021 event’s signature beer brewed by Snitz Creek Brewery of Lebanon, PA. Not yet named, the folks at Snitz Creek have promised a delicious sour inspired by our collection of famous Tucker ’48 automobiles. We’re thinking “Tucker Pucker,” but we’ll have to wait and see!
Tickets for Autos and Ales 2021 will go on sale, Tuesday, June 1st. Pricing will remain the same as it was in 2019. As a courtesy to guests who purchased tickets for the canceled 2020 Autos and Ales event, the Museum will honor tickets for attendance in 2021.
If your craft brewery is interested in joining us, please contact Jeffrey Bliemeister by phone (717-566-7100 ext. 102) or email. A limited number of vendor booths are also available for beer-themed merchandise or services. Inquiries are welcome. For a fantastic overview of the festival, please check out this video of our feature in Poured in Pa. Our segment begins at the 10:45 mark of the program.
We’re thrilled to welcome back Autos and Ales and encourage you to join us this Fall. Our thanks to our primary event sponsor, Winters Automotive and Trailers of East Prospect, PA, for helping make the return of Autos and Ales possible.