Event Preview | The Texas Craft Brewers Festival

Pam Catoe
On September 21, 2016
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Texans are gearing up for the largest craft beer festival in the state happening September 24, at Fiesta Gardens in Austin. The Texas Craft Brewers Festival features beers from breweries all over the state of Texas and is hosted each fall by Texas Craft Brewers Guild. This year’s event is expected to be the largest the Guild has ever hosted and will feature 65+ Texas breweries. I sat down with the Guild’s event manager, Caroline Wallace, to get a sneak peak on what to expect at this year’s event.

texas-craft-brewers-festival-1 — Photo Credit: Tyler Malone – The Second Shooter

Tell us a little bit about the Texas Brewers Guild and how the festival originated.

The Texas Craft Brewers Guild has over 200 brewery members throughout the state. As a Non-Profit trade organization, the Guild exists for the purpose of promoting Texas craft beer, educating the public about the qualities and attributes of craft beer and advancing the common interest of Texas craft brewers.

The Texas Craft Brewers Festival has been around since 2003 when it was spearheaded by some pioneering Texas brewers. It’s grown exponentially since those early days, and today attracts around 5,000 folks to Fiesta Gardens in East Austin each Fall to experience beers from breweries all over the state of Texas.

texas-craft-brewers-festival-crowd — Photo Credit: Tyler Malone – The Second Shooter

What new things can festival goers look forward to this year?

This will be Texas Craft Brewers Festival’s largest year ever with 67 Texas craft breweries and nearly 200 beers! We’ve got several breweries making their festival debut, and a really good geographic representation from all over the state. Overall, the thing that makes the Texas Craft Brewers Festival extra special is that since it’s organized by the Guild, it really is an event for and by the brewers. Every brewery participating will have staff on-hand to mingle, so attendees will be able to meet the brewers behind their favorite Texas beers. We’ll also have local food vendors, tunes from DJ GrossYall, yard games, and more!

How do you select the breweries that can participate?

All of the breweries participating in the festival this year are members of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Breweries are invited to sign up, and we try to accommodate as many as possible at the fest (a feat which gets tougher and tougher each year as the number of Texas breweries continues to grow).

texas-craft-brewers-festival-and-craft-pride — Photo Credit: Tyler Malone – The Second Shooter

What’s your one pro tip?

Make sure to check out the Beer List (including the extra special Rotating Tap list) in advance of the fest so you can plan your day around all the awesome tappings. Oh, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water! I know I cheated with a second tip, but hydration is important.

What’s on tap for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild next?

The Texas Craft Brewers Guild will be out representing the Lone Star State at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in just a few weeks. If you’ll be out at the fest, be sure to come visit us in the Support Your Local Brewery Pavillon and taste some fantastic Texas brews you won’t find anywhere else on the festival floor!

Going into 2017, we’re gearing up for the next Legislative Session, where the Guild will work to protect and expand the rights of Texas craft brewers.

VIP tickets have been long sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.

Keep up with the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on Facebook and Twitter and follow the Festival on Facebook and Twitter.

And now to the beers. A note that this list is subject to change: