ST. CLOUD -- Hundreds gathered on 6th Avenue for a new town festival.

St. Cloud held its first Mai Bock Festival today (Saturday). Hosted by Beaver Island Brewing Company, the German festival celebrating the spring season attracted a huge crowd.

From German games, food, music and of course beer the festival proved to be a success.

Chris Laumb, brewmaster at Beaver Island Brewing Company says what really made the festival authentic was the hops used to make the mai bock beer, all the hops came from St. Cloud's sister city Spalt, Germany.

For 10 years Spalt has been St. Cloud's sister city. 75 delegates from Spalt were able to come out to the festival including the Queen of Beer Julia Baierlein and the Queen of Hops Barbara Muller.

Both queens love to visit the Granite City. Baierlein says everyone in St. Cloud is very nice and the host families have been very gracious.

"It's very easy for us to feel like home here and also the beer is very good, they are using our Spalter hops in this beer, maybe that is why it is so good," says Muller.

Kern Anderson with Beaver Island Brewing Company is already making plans for next year's festival.

"We would hope that in the next years to come, 3-5 years, that this becomes a true community event where we can have 2,000 people here instead 600-700," says Anderson.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis also made an appearance  at the festival. Kleis welcomed the community, thanked the delegates for coming out and tapped a keg of mai bock beer to get the festival going.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis taps keg at 2016 Mai Bock Festival. (Chrissy Gaetke, WJON)
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis taps keg at 2016 Mai Bock Festival. (Chrissy Gaetke, WJON)
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