Joseph James Fox Tail gluten-free beer. Photo provided by Fox Brews.

Reno’s canned beer festival joins forces with Las Vegas-based Joseph James Brewing Company and the Reno Bike Project for an epic community beer event

Editor’s note: This story is sponsored and paid for by The Abbi Agency. Drinkable Reno’s sponsored content follows the same journalism standards as all other content. See our About page for more information about sponsored stories.

For the sixth year, the largest canned beer festival in the country will hit Reno next month. After several years without a Nevada beer partner, CANFEST and Joseph James Brewing Company of Las Vegas will join forces to bring local, national and international canned beers to town. Joseph James will present five of their beers at the event, including the only gluten-free beer canned in the United States.

CANFEST celebrates breweries that use aluminum packaging to shed light on the quality and selection of craft beers in cans. CANFEST will be held August 23, 2014 at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino’s Tuscany Ballroom. The event opens at 5 p.m. for VIP ticket holders, 6 p.m. for general admission attendees and this year is extended until 11 p.m. VIP tickets include a full buffet dinner. CANFEST offers more than 100 different canned beers for unlimited tastings to all ticket holders.

“The one thing CANFEST needed was an injection of Battle Born love for canned beer,” said event co-producer Ty Whitaker in a press release. “Joseph James’s notoriety is skyrocketing. They give canned beer a great name. We are really excited to join forces with such talented brewers.”

Joseph James Brewing Company opened in 2008 and bought their canning line in 2011.

“As soon as we got it we were like, ‘let’s rock ‘n’ roll and started using it right away!” said Kayla Callahan, operations assistant and sales manager for the Las Vegas brewery.

Joseph James will bring five out of their six year-round beers to the event:

• American Lager
• Citra Rye Pale Ale — First time available in Reno at CANFEST
• Fox Tail Gluten-Free Ale
• Hop Box Imperial IPA
• Weize Guy Hefeweizen — First time available in Reno at CANFEST

Joseph James Hop Box ale. Photo provided by Fox Brews.

In April this year Joseph James snuck a few of their beers into Reno at Ben’s Liquor, Total Wine & More and Whole Foods, spreading the craft beer love to Northern Nevada.

“Joseph James Brewing Co. is excited to partner with The Abbi Agency to present CANFEST,” said brand manager Andrea Allison in a press release. “We realize this is an opportunity to showcase our growing collection of canned beers and promote the Nevada craft beer community.”

Kayla, born and raised in Las Vegas, said the Vegas craft beer community took a while to grow and only recently started to gain momentum. But Northern Nevada’s craft beer community is “kicking ass” and growing fast.

Their Fox Tail Gluten-Free Ale is in demand because of the recent gluten-free diet trend and now anyone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can enjoy CANFEST this year too.

CANFEST will also hold a Beer Judge Certificate Program (BJCP) sanctioned beer competition for the first time. A sanctioned competition means the judges will not know the brand or beer name and they will award medals and best of show during the event based on the updated BJCP judging criteria and style guides. Matt Johnson, owner of IMBĪB Custom Brews, will coordinate and lead the effort with local and regional judges.

“This is really nerdy but we’re hoping to have a BJCP Grandmaster II, which is really rare, there’s only maybe a few of them in the world,” Matt said. “She signed up but not positive she can make it.”

Matt is coordinating 30 judges and expects about 75 entries. The group will judge Friday night before the event and announce the winners Saturday. Matt may still need stewards to help coordinate the judging, so use the email address below to find out more about volunteering.

In addition to a plethora of canned beers to sample, festivalgoers can enjoy live music from Los Angeles-based folk rock band Rose’s Pawn Shop, a silent disco dance party and bicycle-related activities provided by non-profit partner The Reno Bike Project.

CANFEST Bike Drive: trade in a bike for free tickets to the event

With more than 250 bikes collected throughout previous years, the annual CANFEST Bike Drive presents beer lovers with a chance to receive free entry to the canned beer festival and simultaneously support The Reno Bike Project.

The CANFEST Bike Drive rewards every bike donated to The Reno Bike Project with a free ticket to the event on August 23, 2014. The CANFEST Bike Drive launches July 8 and continues through August 22. Donators need to be of legal drinking age and must request the ticket upon donation to qualify.

“The CANFEST Bike Drive shows what’s at the heart of the event,” said Constance Aguilar, CANFEST co-producer in a press release. “CANFEST is all about bringing the community together to celebrate two things that we love and pair perfectly, beer and bikes. The CANFEST Bike Drive is a great way to start the rally.”

Every bike donated to The Reno Bike Project is recycled or repurposed and put back on the road. A portion of proceeds from CANFEST goes to The Reno Bike project to support their advocacy and outreach efforts.

“We look forward to CANFEST all year. We love it,” said Reno Bike Project Executive Director Noah Silverman in a press release. “It’s a great opportunity for the community to give back and have fun as a result. And we get to use the donated bikes to help kids, veterans and anyone else that needs or wants to get around on two wheels.”

CANFEST details and tickets

Where: Peppermill Tuscany Ballroom, 2707 South Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89502
When: August 23, 2014, 5 p.m. for VIP; 6 p.m. for general admission
Tickets: Tickets are on sale now at Craft Wine & Beer, BrewChatter and online via the Peppermill box office.
Advance tickets are $35 for general admission and $60 for VIP.
Students can buy a discounted $25 general admission ticket only at Midtown’s Craft Wine & Beer.
Information: For more information visit www.canfestbeer.com or email info@canfestbeer.com.

CANFEST Bike Drive

One bike donation receives one free general admission ticket.

Address: 541 E 4th St.
Phone: 775-323-4488
Online: visit www.renobikeproject.com

CANFEST is produced by The Abbi Agency, a Reno-based digital communications firm behind the event since its start, and presented by Joseph James Brewing Company.

Partners for 2014 include Craft Wine & Beer, Tahoe Mountain Sports, The Can Van, Plato’s Closet Reno, 104.1 KRZQ, BrewChatter, and more. A portion of the event benefits the Reno Bike Project, a non-profit bicycle shop and advocacy group committed to creating a nationally recognized, cycling-friendly community through advocacy, education, and cooperation in the Truckee Meadows.