Buckbean Brewing Company, Nevada’s largest production microbrewery, is challenging beer snobs to think outside the bottle.

The brewery is sponsoring the first ever CANFEST – Reno International Canned Beer Festival, the first international beer judging and tasting for canned beer, to take place at the Grand Sierra Resort, Oct. 23.

Buckbean is a homegrown Northern Nevada favorite beer, and packages its beers exclusively in 16-ounce cans. It turns out microbrewers who opt for the can over the bottle is an elite fraternity, and Buckbean wants to help expose this burgeoning segment to the world, while crushing the myths about beer in a can.

Along with Buckbean Brewing Company, Big Sky Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, Ukiah Brewing Company, Maui Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, and Rochester Mills Brewing Company are a few that have confirmed they will attend the event.

The competition takes place at the Grand Sierra Theater, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Judging will take place prior to the public tasting. Celebrities from the beer world will judge the beers individually, based on categories still to be decided. Beer seminars, beer and food pairings and a forum of brewers that can beer are planned.

Ticket prices are $35 per person and room packages will be available.

via Reno – Tahoe

Photo Update:

I don’t really have a name for him yet but I ran across Akkilokipok which means soft snow. I kind of like it and was thinking of calling him loki for short. Loki is also a Frost Giant from Norse Mythology… One of Odin’s blood brothers if I am not mistaken. Pretty fitting given he already loves the snow and from his size, he is going to be huge.