Photo by Richard L. Gaw      Kennett Square once again played host to the 25th Kennett Brewfest on Oct. 1, before a capacity crowd gathered at the Genesis Building parking lot. The five-hour event gathered together the tastes of more than 80 different craft breweries from all over the southeastern Pennsylvania region.

By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

Soon after Kevin Kerchner graduated from college 15 years ago, he came home to discover that his brother Basil had purchased a home brew kit a few years before and had become very good at the art of craft brewing.

In Kevin’s words, what eventually became the Brothers Kerchner Brewing Company in Skippack. Pa. began as campfire stories that turned into ‘what if?’ that turned into ‘why not?’ that turned into a business plan that turned into the brewery opening its doors for the first time in 2018.

On Oct. 1, before an enthusiastic, elbow-to-elbow crowd that poured into the Genesis parking lot in Kennett Square for the 25th Kennett Brewfest, the Brothers Kerchner Brewing Company joined more than 80 other craft breweries at a festival that continues to serve as a tapestry of similar stories that document an evolving DIY industry that has placed southeastern Pennsylvania on the craft brewery map.

Sponsored by several area business sponsors, the event not only showcases the best of local and regional breweries, but serves as a major fundraiser for many programs and initiatives orchestrated through Kennett Collaborative.

In the week leading up to the festival, long-time organizer Jeff Norman and the Kennett Brewfest committee were aware that the lingering remnants from Hurricane Ian were due to pass over Chester County this past weekend. While the threat of rain remained persistent in the forecast, the festival grounds were dry.

“I told my wife that I am not a meteorologist by trade, but I think over the past seven days, I have become a meteorologist,” Norman said. “We don’t take bad weather lightly and our organizing committee met four times this week [to discuss other options], but when I look up at the sky now, I think we’re really lucky today.

“The beer gods were with us.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].