Written By Laura Curry
Whether you are a craft beer or spice aficionado or an indie music lover, you are bound to find this year’s Hop Sauce Festival a perfect oasis to sate your cravings.
Hop Sauce is back at Beach Haven’s Taylor Avenue Waterfront on June 4 for its third year with over 20 craft beer vendors, 22 hot sauce and spicy condiment vendors, plenty of food and a market style craft show. If this isn’t enough fun for you, look forward to the music of co-headliners The Lonely Biscuits and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, as well as Small Black, Funk Shway and Black Flamingos. The genres of these bands range from electro indie pop to surf rock, indie and hip hop-influenced soul music.
As you sample various hot sauces and wash them down with sips of craft beer, you can feel good about contributing to charity. A portion of the proceeds from the event goes to the Jetty Rock Foundation, which is a non-profit that was formed in 2013. Jetty, the surf/skate lifestyle apparel company, created the organization to raise money for Sandy Relief efforts. This non-profit continues to improve the community in a variety of ways, from donating to local schools to hosting events in the Jersey Shore area.
If you were wondering about food at Hop Sauce, there is an abundance of it, all provided by local restaurants. Some of these delectable selections include Mexican fish tacos from El Swell, crabcakes from The Black Whale Bar & Fish House, pulled pork and mac & cheese from Shore Fire Grille and ice cream from The Woo Hoo.
“Makeshift Row” offers festival-goers a market-style craft show featuring local artisans, vintage and handmade clothing, photography and fine art.
You can get your tickets on the Hop Sauce website, where they offer three selections: General Admission tickets, which are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate, General Admission AND a craft beer ticket for those over 21, which are $40 in advance and $50 at the gate. Or you can splurge on VIP tickets for $100, which includes access to the VIP tent, free food vouchers, promos from bands, “first tastes” and a loot bag filled to the brim with Jetty apparel and Hop Sauce items.
