ERX draws a crowd with debut of beer-tasting event
A powersports-friendly typically used for snowmobile and off-road racing — not to mention serving as a product launch location for a host of industry company’s — offered a new side over the weekend as ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota, hosted the inaugural Lupulin Invitational Beer Tasting Event.
The event attracted more than 1,000 beer enthusiasts who sampled IPAs from the 25 participating breweries from 11 states. Over $12,00 was raised for the Three Rivers Community Foundation.
It was a hops fan’s dream as brewers including Surly, Barrel Theory, BlackStack, Fair State, Drekker, Melvin, Lupulin and several other brewing companies offered up unlimited pours for festival goers, who also enjoyed an assortment of food trucks and live entertainment.
“This was a completely new event for us,” said Taylor Carlson, marketing manager for ERX Motor Park. “We’re thrilled with how it turned out for a first-year event. It was a great opportunity to partner with another local business in Lupulin Brewing, and to raise money for a great cause. For many who came to the event, this was their first time at our facility…it was a great way to expose them to everything we have to offer at ERX and hopefully they’ll be back.”
According to Carlson, it’s multi-faceted partnerships like the Lupulin IPA Invitational that lead to successful events, especially those that give back to the local community.
“We’re absolutely humbled and grateful for the continued support ERX has given the Three Rivers Community Foundation,” said Jennifer Wagner, marketing chair for the organization. “Community businesses like ERX Motor Park are what make Elk River a great place to live. It also allows our foundation to continue our grant and scholarship programs for the 728 school district.”
Lupulin Brewing and ERX are already planning next summer’s IPA Invitational, with more brewers, more food trucks, and more activities and entertainment. According to Lupulin’s co-founder and president Jeff Zierdt, Lupulin and ERX represent the perfect partnership for this event and its future. “With our relationships with other brewers, the great facilities at ERX, and the ERX team’s expertise in event hosting, we feel the success we had this year is just the beginning.”
Head out tonight’s event at ERX — Beater-X Round 4. The Beater-X Race Series is an entry level/grassroots form of racing consisting of compact cars, small trucks, UTVs, and ATVs, competing on a dirt race track. Adding to the excitement is a track layout that utilizes small rolling jumps, elevation changes, and tight corners to create an extreme form of racing the average guy/gal can compete in.
