Live music, lights, craft beers and home-brew tastings are all on tap for the third annual Ramcat Rhythm & Brews.
The event will be held Aug. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. in Greenwood’s historic Ramcat Alley.
On the bricks of Ramcat, those attending will be able to sample craft beers from Capital City Beverages and home-brewed beers from throughout Mississippi and the Southeast.
“It’s a fun end-of-summer event before people start getting back to their normal routines — a last hurrah before it’s back to business and fall schedules begin to kick in,” said Brantley Snipes, executive director of Main Street Greenwood.
Some of the samples will include craft beers from Lucky Town Brewing Company of Jackson, Lazy Magnolia Brewery of Kiln and Yalobusha Brewing Company of Water Valley.
Capital City will also offer beers such as Miller Lite for those feeling a little less adventurous.
Howard Smith of Greenwood will kick off the evening with live entertainment, and Hogwash of Oxford will follow.
The event will also feature food vendors, including Small Time Hot Dogs.
The Mississippi Brewers Guild will attend Ramcat Rhythm & Brews to promote its smartphone app, which provides information about craft breweries throughout Mississippi.
“The idea behind Ramcat is to showcase the craft beer industry as a part of Mississippi’s creative economy and that Greenwood would make a good location for a craft brewery,” said Snipes. “At this event, people are sampling new craft beers and expanding their taste buds for a new industry and welcoming it to the Delta and to downtown Greenwood.”
Brew master Mason Meeks of Winona is working to bring a brewery to downtown Greenwood.
Meeks said, “Events such as Ramcat Rhythm & Brews will help introduce the Greenwood community to the growing craft beer industry.”
Meeks, who previously opened Oxford Brewing Company, is looking at housing the brewery in the former Western Auto store building on Carrollton Avenue. This would be Greenwood’s first brewery and the only craft brewery in the Delta.
“I plan on starting out with four constant recipes and go from there,” he said.
Meeks said he got into the craft beer industry when he began home brewing about 10 years ago.
After winning several home-brew competitions, he set out to mass produce his craft beer recipes through Oxford Brewing Company. With a contract with Lucky Town, Meeks made his beer at the Jackson-based brewery while searching for a physical location for his own brewing company in Oxford.
Meeks attended previous Ramcat events with his craft beer, and that led to his decision to locate his brewery in downtown Greenwood rather than its namesake. The help he received from the people in Greenwood and the city’s tourism numbers got Meeks interested in the new location.
“After finding that spot (on Carrollton Avenue), it just seemed like a great idea and a good place to build and to grow in Greenwood,” he said.
Meeks said he has another name in mind when he sets up shop in Greenwood.
“Craft beer is growing in popularity throughout the state, and breweries are popping up on the Coast and in the north part of the state,” said Snipes. “This is an industry builder, and we want the Delta to be right there at the forefront.”
This year, Meeks will be heading the Ramcat home-brew competition.
The contest will feature several judged categories and a people’s choice category, with the winner taking home a custom beer stein.
Home brewers of all skill levels are encouraged to participate at no cost, but all interested must register by contacting Main Street Greenwood for an application.
Participants will need to bring two 12-ounce bottles with beer for the panel of judges.
Home brewers can also set up at Ramcat and serve samples of their beer to the festival-goers.
“It’s a good chance for people to come try beer that they haven’t tried before and sample home brews,” said Meeks. “It’s a good introduction to craft beer.”
Admission to the event will be $25 per person and includes three beer tokens, home brew samples and live music access.
Cyclists riding in Bikes, Blues and Bayous earlier in the day will receive $5 off general admission tickets.
Money raised by the event will support Main Street Greenwood in its mission to preserve and promote downtown Greenwood.
For more information, visit the Ramcat Rhythm & Brews Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ramcatrhythmbrews. Tickets can be purchased online at https://mainstreetgreenwood.ticketleap.com/ramcat-rhythm--brews-2016/.
Those who want to enter the home-brew competition should email Snipes at mainstreetgreenwood@gmail.com.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
