Photo by Deb Gau Jameson Vermaat poured a sample of Bank Brewing Company’s “Default” beer for Kelly Schuerman. The Hendricks-based brewery was one of 14 represented at Friday’s craft beer festival at the Red Baron Arena.

MARSHALL — It wasn’t quite the right weather for having a beer on the patio. But that didn’t matter at all to the crowd who were busy mingling and trying beer samples at the Red Baron Arena and Expo.

There was enough room inside to play a few games of beanbags while you enjoyed your samples.

“There’s a lot that’s new here for me,” Alex Johnson said of the variety available at the Made In Minnesota craft beer festival. But that was a good thing, Johnson said. He and Ashley Gruhot said they were interested in trying different beer varieties.

The Made In Minnesota festival drew a sold-out crowd to the Red Baron Arena and Expo on Friday.

“We actually sold out at about 1 o’clock this afternoon,” said Lauren Deutz, director of the Marshall Convention and Visitors Bureau. Tickets had been limited to 250 people to start the event out. Now, Deutz said, “We know the interest is there.”

Eric Luther, manager of Tall Grass Liquor in Marshall, said the beer festival came together well.

“We’re ready to roll, and to have some fun,” Luther said, as the doors opened for the first group of people to arrive.

The original plan for the beer festival had been to have a patio area outside the expo building.

But with sprinkles of rain starting to blow into Marshall on Friday afternoon, most of the event moved indoors.

The main attraction was the booths set up around the arena, representing 14 Minnesota breweries and the Southwest Minnesota Academic Society of Homebrewers (SMASH), an area brewing club. Area residents could sample a wide variety of craft beers, from beers available in local liquor stores to a few brews made by SMASH members.

“This one is pretty hoppy. Do you like hoppy stuff?” club member Tom Reynolds asked, as he poured a beer sample for Faviola Cid to taste.

Cid said she was enjoying the festival.

“It’s nice,” she said. “There’s a good variety here.”

The festival included booths from Minnesota-based breweries like Surly Brewing of Minneapolis, Castle Danger Brewing of Two Harbors, and the Mankato Brewery. There were also plenty of samples available from area breweries. Brau Brothers Brewing from Marshall was represented, as were breweries from Montevideo, Hendricks and Luverne.

Tim Gust, of Take 16 Brewing in Luverne, was serving up samples of Take 16 beers like Country Mile, which was described as a Kölsch-style ale, inspired by beers in the German city of Cologne.

“It’s a light, crisp, easy to drink beer,” Gust said, after serving a sample to festival attendee Steve Minnick. Minnick said he liked it.

Gust said he was “thrilled” to be at the beer festival. “A lot of people in the area like craft beer,” Gust said.

Both Gust and Jameson Vermaat, who was serving beer samples from Bank Brewing of Hendricks, said events like the festival were a way to help get more recognition for area craft breweries.

“It’s fun. We always enjoy coming out to places like this,” Vermaat said.