Winter Brewfest Feb. 21 in Manitowoc Raises Funds for Maritime Garden

The Merchants Building at the Manitowoc County Expo Center filled with the smell of warm pretzels and fresh charcuterie as Winter Brewfest, presented by Manitowoc Noon Rotary, staged a four-hour tasting floor that included live music, games and raffles. Organizers ran the public session from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and offered a new VIP early-entry window at 12 p.m., a change highlighted on the county and event pages.

Manitowoc Noon Rotary priced advance admission at $50, tickets at the door at $60, and a VIP option at $75 sold online only. Htrnews and the Manitowoc County event listing named advance retail outlets for tickets as PetSkull Brewing Company, Craft Creek Brewing Company, Cool City Brewing Company and Superior Discount Liquors in Manitowoc, and also noted online sales through Eventbrite. Event materials and news coverage reiterated the 21-and-older policy for attendees.

Sources differ on the event’s scale: the Manitowoc County event page states “brews from more than 30 breweries,” while Htrnews and TravelWisconsin use phrasing such as “more than 25” or “25+” breweries. TravelWisconsin lists “125+ beers to sample,” whereas Htrnews described “nearly 100 beverages from more than 25 local and regional breweries.” Organizer-facing listings on the county site were prioritized for the higher brewery figure, while the tourism and news outlets supplied the alternate sample counts.

Proceeds from the festival were earmarked for Manitowoc Noon Rotary community projects and donations, with a specific beneficiary highlighted on the organizer site and in local coverage: the Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s development of the Manitowoc Noon Rotary Maritime Garden: Home of Captain Carus at the museum’s Collections Storage Facility. Kevin Cullen, executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, told Htrnews, “The design and function of the maritime garden pays tribute to our community’s deep maritime past.” The organizer copy described the project as transforming a downtown parking lot into a multifunctional gathering space to enhance downtown Manitowoc and the museum visitor experience.

VIP ticket holders received the noon early access, an exclusive stein and a swag bag, and Htrnews noted VIP opportunities to win tickets to the Great Taste of the Midwest and VIP admission to the 2027 Winter Brewfest. The county event listing and ExperienceWisconsinMag called out food and light refreshments, with ExperienceWisconsinMag adding mocktails, coffee samples, pretzel necklaces and charcuterie as onsite options. The Manitowoc County page also specified a 50/50 raffle as part of the fundraising lineup.

Skylight Wealth Management was named as the signature sponsor on the county event page, and the organizer’s site acknowledged community partner InCourage for its support. Manitowoc Noon Rotary’s event page carries a photo and video policy stating the club may capture and use photographs, audio and video from the event without written permission and will not identify photographed subjects by full name without approval. Htrnews identified this edition as the 28th annual Winter Brewfest; organizers and media provided maps and the venue address at 4921 Expo Dr., Manitowoc. Organizers say the event’s proceeds will continue to fund local nonprofits and the Maritime Garden project as planned.