Is there a craft beerfest in your near future? These events bring in breweries from nearby and far away, giving you a chance to sample your way through a wide range of beers in the span of an afternoon. Fun times! Here are a few tips for making the most of your experience.
1. Go Early: Lines will be shorter. All the beers will still be available (popular kinds start running out later in the day). Fewer sloshed beer-festers to contend with. All around, a better scene.
2. Have a Plan: Even small beerfests (and definitely the bigger ones) can feel immediately overwhelming upon stepping inside. All the booths look the same, people are everywhere, it's noisy and disorienting. Instead of just heading to the first booth you see, take a minute to look through the beerfest info. Find your favorite breweries and decide which ones to hit first while you're still sober enough to appreciate them.
3. Try Something New: Breweries often bring their most popular beer plus something unusual to beerfests. I suggest trying that "something unusual," even if it's not a style you usually go for. This is your chance to step outside your comfort zone and try something that isn't necessarily available at your local liquor store.
4. Divide and Conquer: Otherwise known as "bring friends and share samples." No matter how well you pace yourself, you'll never be able to try all the beers you'd like at a beerfest. If you come with friends and don't mind sharing sips from each other's glasses, you can try a few more beers than you would otherwise. (Bring dixie cups if you don't want germs, but be discrete as this isn't exactly encouraged.)
5. Eat Before You Come and Bring Water: Just like in college, it's good to come to the party with a full stomach and then sip water between your beer samples. This goes doubly for beerfests that take place outside under the hot summer sun. Those little beer samples don't seem like much, but start adding up quickly! It's also nice to be able to rinse the dregs from your glass before refilling.
What other tips do you have for a fun beerfest experience?
Related: 100 Bottles of Beer: Throw a Beer-Tasting Party!
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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Great advice! I love craft beer, and I am looking forward to finding a summer festival in my area. Cold beer + warm air = Pure Bliss.
I have been following this beer blog recently...and it seems only fair to share!
http://saltydogbeer.com
I'll second the "get there early" one. Far too often, these things will degenerate into a drunkfest, so get there early and then get gone.
Most brewfests I've seen will have at least a list of breweries that will be there, sometimes even a floor map, on their website. Not only is this a great way to not only "have a plan" and not miss anything, but sometimes it can save you the price of admission - if you see there's not going to be anything worth going for: "Oh look! Budweiser AND Old Milwaukee will be there!" [/sarcasm]
Hopefully you don't live in an asinine state like NY, where the brewers are not legally allowed to serve their wares themselves. Here, the booths are seldom staffed by anyone who knows anything about the beers. :-(
Here's another excellent beer blog: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/
I work in the beer industry, and volunteer at several festivals throughout the year. I'll definitely second the "come early" part. Crowds usually show up about an hour into the fest, so you'll deal with a lot fewer lines at the beginning. Lots of festivals charge extra for VIP tickets that get you in early and let you avoid the initial line; it may well be worth the extra $10, especially if they throw in a gift.
Many breweries have special tappings during the event, so check with your favorite brewers for a schedule. Most will write it on a chackboard in their booths, and they're usually one every hour or so.
Know what's worth tasting and what isn't. Breweries will bring their standard fare that you can buy in the store, but they'll also bring things that aren't available elsewhere, or are very pricey. Look for sour beers (Flanders Reds and Browns, Lambics), imperial versions of things you already like, and stuff you've never heard of.
As long as you aren't holding up a line, feel free to chat with the the folks behind the taps. Small breweries will often send the head (or sole) brewer, so you can ask questions and get well informed answers about what you're drinking. Make some brewer friends, and you'll usually get free swag like shirts and pint glasses.
Protip: string up some pretzels into a necklace the night before. They make for good palate cleansers, and will put a little food in your belly to absorb some of the alcohol.
Lastly, if you're very friendly and a little sneaky, you can usually get a growler filled right around last call.
mmmmmm...... beer......
Wonderful advice! I also love the Somerville shirt in the photo!
Another piece of advice I have is to not be shy about pouring out a beer if you don't like it. Do it discreetly (and probably out of sight of the brewery to avoid hurt feelings), but don't drink it just for the sake of drinking it. If you don't like it, pitch it and save room for other beers that you do like!