Two years ago I bemoaned the downward tailspin of craft beer festivals in a piece I penned: Have Beer Festivals Jumped the Shark. It seems in large part that a majority of them have done just that. Two years later, I could expound on an even greater litany of festival organizer faux pas, ranging from a failure to support breweries the day of the festival, to hooking up kegs to the wrong draft lines (I’ve actually seen this happen).

Yet in a sea of get-rich quick attempts and inept organizer driven beer fest follies, exists still a handful of thoughtful, carefully curated, craft first driven fests that are single handedly aiming to reclaim the norm. Missouri’s South East Craft Beer Fest taking place August 26 in Columbia, Missouri is one of those unsung industry-focused festivals that pairs education, cause, awareness, approachability, fun and, of course, quality beer.

Only it its fourth year of existence the South East Craft Beer Fest (SECBF) is one of the rare events that aims to offer impactful takeaways for all levels of beer appreciators. Driven by the aim to educate, SECBF has introduced a sample and education conference component that includes session ranging from The Origins of Beer Flavor, to Pink Boots: Women in the Industry, Beer Buying Strategies, Draft Quality and Off Flavors to Brewing Local: Why and How, lead by industry pioneer and advocate Stan Heironymus. While the conference does offer introductory level material, the refreshing nature of SECBF is that it also includes truly technical learning experiences including Certified Cellar Technician and Certified Cellar Cooper Workshops.

PorchDrinking.com is proud to serve as this year’s media sponsor for the South East Craft Beer Fest. Check out the initial lineup of breweries scheduled to pour at the commercial tasting portion of the fest:

• Against the Grain
• Alpine
• Argus Cidery
• Ballast Point
• Bells
• Bittburger
• Blackberry Farm
• Boulevard
• Broadway
• Bur Oak
• Carlsberg
• Cascade
• Cathedral Square
• COOP
• Crabbie’s
• Crane
• Crooked Stave
• Deschutes
• Elysian
• Evil Twin
• Finch
• Firemans Brew
• Flat Branch
• Great Divide
• Green Flash
• Grimbergen
• Jolly Pumpkin
• Kostritzer
• Kronenbourg
• Leaky Roof
• Logboat
• Main & Mill
• Mark Twain
• Mikkeller
• Missouri Beer Company
• Morgan Street
• Mother’s
• Nebraska
• New Belgium
• Odell
• O’Fallon
• Paulaner
• Peel
• Perennial
• Piney River
• Prairie Artisan Ales
• Rock Bridge
• Schlafly
• Schmaltz
• Southbound
• Southern Tier
• Springfield Brewing
• Stillwater Artisanal
• Sudwerk
• Tallgrass
• The Bruery
• Torn Label
• Uinta
• Urban Chestnut
• Urban Family
• Warsteiner
• Wells & Young
• West 6th
• Weston
• WG Brewing

Buy Your Tickets to the 2017 South East Craft Beer Festival

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