#beer festival Archives – PorchDrinking.com
Favorite Beer Names of GABF 2022
October 21, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Sometimes, it is not the description of the beer that pulls you in, but the name of the beer. I have zero qualms about purchasing Hopewell Brewing Co.’s Ya Filthy Animal simply because of the name of the beer (turns out it is my favorite holiday beer, so that one paid off), and going into Great American Beer Festival, my philosophy remained the same.
Event Recap | 2022 Side Project Invitational
April 14, 2022 | Eric Griffin
It has been just over two years since the inaugural Side Project Invitational came and went, setting a new standard for craft beer festivals. Not long after its debut on February 2, 2020, the entire world was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of which are continuing to bare their teeth even into the early parts of 2022. It hasn’t all been bad, though. On January 31, Side Project announced the second Invitational, which was to include not only Barrel-Aged Stouts & Barleywines, but instead all varieties of oak-aged beer. This, to the joy of many, was set to include the wild, the funky and the sour.
Beers With(Out) Beards Festival Turns Five
April 7, 2022 | Rachel Morrison
If you’re in Portland, Maine this weekend, clear your schedule. The Beers With(Out) Beards Festival turns five this year. BW(O)B began as the idea for a grad school thesis by Grace Weitz during her senior year at NYU. Since its conception in 2018, it has grown to become the nation’s largest women-in-craft beer festival. The event aims to create space for women and femme-identifying people to feel welcome in craft beer, while highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of those already paving the way.
2022 Side Project Invitational Announces Insane Pour List
April 6, 2022 | Brian Margiotta
Beer lovers rejoice; this weekend, some of the best breweries & brewers converge on Maplewood – St. Louis, MO, for the second annual Side Project Invitational. After taking off 2021 due to COVID, Side Project is coming back with a bang. This year rather than just featuring Barrel Aged Stouts & Barleywines, the format shifts to welcome all Oak-Aged Beers including the wild, funky and sour beer.
The Ultimate Guide to The Best Beer Festivals in 2022
February 7, 2022 | Alexis Dickie
Beer fests are back (knock on wood)! After two years of cancellations, postponements, limited capacity events, and worse… the dreaded virtual fest, we are entering 2022 cautiously optimistic about the year ahead. With hopes of herd immunity coming sooner rather than later, we’ve got our fingers crossed that beer festivals are all returning to normal soon.
While most beer festivals are still taking extra precautions for this year’s events, several of them have already begun announcing dates. To help you keep track of the best and brightest beer festivals to mark on your calendars, we’ll be continuously updating our list of the best can’t miss beer festivals for 2022. Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll be adding and updating this list throughout the year.
The Vail Craft Beer Classic Returns
July 7, 2021 | Korey David
A rainy forecast wasn’t enough to keep a record number of attendees at bay for the return of the Vail Craft Beer Classic June 25-26 in Vail Village. The 5th annual festival featured 50+ brewers, distillers, and vendors from across Colorado, all eager to sample their best offerings at the first in-person festival for most people in over a year.
Queer Beer Festival Q&A with Grace Weitz
April 6, 2021 | Emma Wargolet
Many groups in the craft beer industry are underrepresented, including the LGBTQ+ community. When Grace Weitz of Hop Culture let PorchDrinking know that a Queer Beer Festival was launching this year after the success of the Beers With(out) Beards festival, I knew I had to chat with Weitz to learn more about the festival and what sort of virtual events we can expect. The festival will be held on June 5, 2021 and tickets can be purchased here.
Q&A with Beers With(out) Beards Founder Grace Weitz
September 11, 2020 | Emma Wargolet
As with every other 2020 beer festival, Beers With(out) Beards, the country’s largest celebration of women in craft beer, is doing things virtually this year. I had the chance to chat with Grace Weitz, the woman who started the festival back in 2018, about how the festival began, what we can expect for this years’ festival, and how going virtual offers up the ability to reach an entirely different group of women.
While the main virtual festival is on Saturday, October 10, you can add on workshops that take place on the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before. You can buy the digital passes up until the day of the event. However, if you are looking to purchase the beer box of female-led breweries, sales end on Monday, September 14 (at the end of the day).
Distanced Yet Together: 12th Annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting Goes Virtual
August 18, 2020 | Karen Mills
While many beer festivals have been canceled due to the pandemic, the 12th annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting is taking a page out of Great American Beer Festival’s book and will be taking place virtually the weekend of September 25-27. It will feature a live, online event portion, remote brewery releases, and an auction to raise funds for the Pints for Prostates campaign. Over 70 leading craft breweries have already committed to participating in the event.
Vail Craft Beer Classic Is This Summer’s In-Person Beer Fest
July 31, 2020 | Katie Coakley
There’s nothing that epitomizes summer like a beer festival: Standing under the hot sun with a diminutive glass, waiting in snake-like lines to score the rare — or new-to-you — brew. However, with COVID-19 lurking like a skunky beer in the six-pack, in-person beer festivals have been canceled left and right. Except, it seems, for one.
The Last Beer Festival
May 18, 2020 | Tyler Malone
We miss beer as it was, how we drank beer as we did, and how we hoped the community and
culture could grow into something more along the way. To do that, especially distanced from
one another, the future comes down to how we grow now, alone with ourselves, living in the
shadow of the last beer festival. While PorchDrinking.com typically publishes non-fiction news, features and long-form stories, this is a creative fiction piece from author, Tyler Malone.
Event Recap | Verboten Brewing’s 2020 Stout Fest
January 31, 2020 | Bryan Oldham 1
Most beer events don’t have the chutzpah to revolve around a single style of beer, but Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project has other ideas. Turning the traditional beer festival on its head, Verboten decided that a day dedicated to Stouts was the best way to ruin any beer lover’s sad attempt at a Dry January.
Collabapalooza Beer Fest Returns to San Diego
October 14, 2019 | Jadon Flores
Collabapalooza is one of the top-rated beer festivals in southern California. On Saturday, October 19, more than 30 breweries will overtake the backlot of NorthPark Observatory to showcase a plethora … Read More
Event Preview | Save the Ales Beer Festival
August 1, 2019 | Kara Rowland
There are ample reasons to conserve water in the Centennial State — fishing, rafting and tap water come to mind — but PorchDrinking.com readers would likely agree there’s one prevailing motivation.
Dave Bergen, brewmaster and owner at Joyride Brewing Co., puts it succinctly: “Without water, there is no beer. And that gives off the prospect of a future that I think not a lot of people are excited about.”
To help avoid such a grim fate, Edgewater-based Joyride is brewing the signature beer for the Save the Ales Beer Festival, hosted by Conservation Colorado, a nonprofit devoted to protecting the environment throughout the state.
Event Preview | Ultra Fresh IV Brings the New New Beers
June 28, 2019 | Abby Schmeling
This Saturday, June 29, marks the fourth annual Ultra Fresh Fest, brought to you by our friends at The Hop Review. This Chicago craft beer festival is truly unique, featuring pours from (mostly) local breweries that have been packaged within one week of the event. You know what that means? Some ultra fresh beer!
Event Recap | Odell Small Batch Fest Delivers Big
June 3, 2019 | Katie Coakley
I blame it on my brain. It was a gorgeous, sunny day in Fort Collins, Colorado, as I headed into Odell Brewing Co.’s Small Batch Fest on the brewery’s spacious campus May 25. The 15+ bike racks that quickly filled up should have been one clue; the list of more than 40 beers that were being poured should have been another. Yet, as I handed over my ticket and received my globe tasting glass (no shot glasses here) and tokens, part of me was still expecting a “small” festival.
Nope. Small Batch is not small festival. The party was in full swing by 1:30 p.m. with live music alternating on two stages and six different locations pouring Odell’s stellar brews. From year-round favorites like 90 Shilling and Easy Street to limited releases like the Hammer Chain (a fresh grind Double IPA to pilot beers and even retired brews like the Green Coyote, a tomatillo sour ale, it was a festival for the senses. The hardest part? Deciding where to start.
The Second Annual Rapids & Grass Beer Fest Raises the Bar for Craft Events
July 2, 2018 | David Franz
As the brewing industry ebbs and flows through the many styles that interest consumers, beer festival organizers are finding ways to cater to tastes and stand out. Festivals such as Big Beers, Collaboration Fest, The Firestone Walker Invitational, and the recent inaugural WeldWerks Invitation go above and beyond the standard convention cup format by providing one-off offerings, sought after rarities, and highlighting the education and spirit of the brewing community. The 2nd annual Rapids & Grass Beer Festival in Buena Vista, CO this past weekend is another example of how organizers are upping the ante on beer festivals with more than copious amounts of unique brews—they are making it an experience. Rapids & Grass celebrated innovation and camaraderie in craft beer. Also, it offered attendees live bluegrass, camping, and whitewater rafting in the grandeur of the Collegiate Peaks alongside the roaring Arkansas River. Read More
Event Recap | Beers Made By Walking 2017
October 18, 2017 | Cecelia Kathleen
For the last six years, Beers Made By Walking has offered beer drinkers in a select few cities an opportunity to explore a collection of one-off beers inspired by local nature and urban walks. This program began back in 2011 and over time has worked with 150 different breweries across six states.
This year, Beers Made By Walking hosted its annual Denver event at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who was also the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event. Essentially, attendees got to feel like they were Ben Stiller in his Night at the Museum movies but with the added bonus of 33 breweries also hanging out for the evening.
Read More
Event Recap | Telluride Blues & Brews Festival 2017
September 25, 2017 | Desiree Duzich
Telluride sure knows how to throw a music festival, especially their Blues & Brews Fest. I personally think they should call it “Blues, Brews and Views” because the views all weekend were on point (insert awesome emoji here).
Read More
Event Recap | 2017 SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience
June 20, 2017 | Scott Johnson
SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience is one of the most premier craft beer events on the East Coast. The Brewers Association, in partnership with the historic National Building Museum, brings forth this incredible event to give beer lovers a chance to meet brewers, find rare delicacies and experience unbelievable combinations that bring new meaning to taste and smell. In our long history of covering this event, PorchDrinking gave me the opportunity to savor a beer festival unlike any other.
recent comments