Pot O’ Hot Fest! “A Kerrville Crafted Soup Cook-off” Kicks off February 24th

Press Release

Top Photo Credit Shelby Loveland

Trailhead Beer Garden will be hosting its first ever Pot O’ Hot Fest! “A Kerrville Crafted Soup Cook-off” on Saturday February 24^th from noon to 8pm.

“The intent is an original and creative celebration of food and beverage makers in Kerrville’s beautiful cold season,” says Jeremy Walther, owner of Trailhead.

Admission to three different live music performances is free throughout the day, and Schreiner University’s Communication Design Department will have block printing demos inside the beer garden.

  “We’ll be selling blank canvas tote bags, and a choice of 3 or 4 artist designs that can be printed on the totes while you watch,” says Schreiner Graphic Design professor Clay McClure.  “Or you can bring your own T-shirt, bandana, or even card stock paper and we’ll print one of the designs on your material for $5.”

  The event also includes a Pub Crawl.  A $25 ticket includes a custom 5oz tasting glass, a pub passport, and half-pours at six craft beverage tasting rooms in Kerrville:  Basement Brewers of Texas, Pint & Plow Brewing Co, Off Main Brewing, Busted Sandal Brewing, Turtle Creek Olives & Vines, and Trailhead Beer Garden.

“We try to host monthly pub crawls that connect all the downtown breweries and wineries, so Pot O’ Hot would be the February version,” says Doug Landrum, co-owner of Basement Brewers of Texas.  “The first five pubs are all within walking distance of each other.  And Trailhead is an easy walk or ride down the River Trail from downtown.”

But the heart of the festival: good old homemade soup.

Ingram ISD Superintendent Bobby Templeton was one of the first to sign up as a judge.  “People get in to soup.  We see chili cook-offs, bean cook-offs, gumbo cook-offs, but there are endless variations to soup.  I’m coming hungry.”

Templeton joins Sheriff Larry Leitha, County Commissioner Jonathan Letz, Schreiner University professor Kiley Miller, Doyle Community Center’s Clifton Fifer, La Escondida’s Anabel Medrano, Fredericksburg Standard editor Brent Burgess, and other community leaders on the Judges panel, which will award a $500 prize purse to the most worthy soups.

Walther anticipates a memorable culinary experience.  “One of the chefs from the Dietert Center kitchen has signed up as a Soup Maker.  I’m told they took home a $10,000 win at a national soup competition a few years back.  Makers are bringing their A-game.”

Soup Makers are limited to 25 entrants, and there are few spots left.  Walther says there’s been even more interest from Soup Makers than Soup Judges.   “We’ve had a great response.  I was hoping for more smack talk between restaurants and other commercial kitchens, but the majority of that has come from the individuals who have entered.  That $10,000 pro hasn’t scared anyone – actually, its made them even more eager.  They all want to take down Goliath.”

Tickets to be a Soup Taster are $30 and are limited to 150.  Each Taster receives a custom soup mug and two voting tickets for the Tasters Choice awards.  “I was doing the math of what it would cost to buy tickets for everyone I know”, says Soup Maker entrant Kim Durden from Comfort.  “But that got out of control, so I’m just gonna win this thing with soup.”

Pot O’ Hot Fest is sponsored by Schreiner University, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, Rick’s Near Beer, The Kerr County Lead, and Pint & Plow.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit the Trailhead Beer Garden website – www.trailheadbeergarden.com

List of Judges:

Anabel Medrano

Jonathan Letz

Justin McClure

Bobby Templeton

Clifton Fifer

Brent Burgess

Larry Leitha

Kiley Miller

Tim Rye

Rick Sralla

Ashlea Boyle

Eric Maloney (tentative)