Photos by Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Weeping Radish Farm and Brewery owner Uli Bennewitz and his daughter, Sophie, sell beer and brats that are both made following German recipes.

Weeping Radish Farm and Brewery employee Sophie Bennewitz (right) pours for attendees of MicroFestivus on Saturday at Roanoke's Elmwood Park. The Jarvisburg, N.C., brewery has been a festival favorite.

Uli Bennewitz is known for the natural, unfiltered beer made at his brewery, the Weeping Radish.

But at Saturday's MicroFestivus, one of the Square Society's annual fundraisers, Bennewitz was wearing the chef's hat.

He left the job of pouring ice-cold beer from a keg to someone else and stationed himself at a grill under a tent in Elmwood Park. There, he browned organic hot dogs and bratwursts made at his North Carolina farm and brewery.

Weeping Radish was one of almost 30 breweries at the beer festival, which drew about 3,500 people. Event organizers estimated that they raised $20,000 which will benefit Center in the Square.

Bennewitz, 55, has been an advocate of natural foods (and drinks) long before it blossomed as a trend.

It started back in 1986 with his chemical-free beer.

This year, Bennewitz expanded his brewery to include a butchery and an organic garden.

"This is what we've worked for for a long time," Bennewitz said.

When he started the brewery, it wasn't because he wanted to experiment with recipes in his basement.

"It was really a desire to have a good beer around," he said.

He had been in America for a few years after moving from Germany, and had yet to find a good, craft beer.

He bought a brewery, only to find out that in North Carolina you could make beer, but you couldn't sell it.

So he worked to get the law changed. A bill introduced to the state legislature passed, paving the way for other breweries in the state.

He then hired a master brewer from Germany to come to America and make the beer using an old recipe.

"The whole point is that they've learned it over hundreds of years," he said. "Who am I to start tinkering?"

The business got its name from the German practice of salting radishes, making them sweat.

When eaten, the salty radishes bring on a thirst.

This year, Bennewitz's focus is on meats and organic vegetables and herbs.

Bennewitz, who works as a farm manager (that's what brings in the money, he said), planted a 14-acre garden this spring.

Some of the crop is cooked and served at the brewery's restaurant.

The rest is sold to local restaurants.

He's also buying hormone-free meats from farmers in his area. A German master butcher turns it into sausages, roasts, hams and steaks, which are also sold to local restaurants.

MicroFestivus organizers say Weeping Radish is one of the most popular breweries among the beer drinkers that support the fundraiser.

On Saturday, Bennewitz took frequent breaks from the grill to shake hands with his devotees.

One fan, Kenny Hodges, asked Bennewitz to autograph a copy of the magazine, "All About Beer," which featured an article on the Weeping Radish Farm and Brewery.

"I've been drinking their beer for almost 20 years," said Hodges, who lives in Pulaski County.

Another Weeping Radish lover, Bert Lawton, described the Dark Radish brew as the perfect dark beer.

"Immaculate," the 37-year-old Roanoker said. "I buy a T-shirt and a mug and this is where I park [myself] when I come here."