Great Taste of the Midwest (Madison, Wisconsin)
www.greattaste.org
The second longest running festival in the country takes place
outside on the scenic shores of Lake Monona in Madison, and is
hosted by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild. One of the
best things about this particular event is the purposely low ticket
sales which translate into short lines and a lot more opportunities
to meet your favorite brewers face to face. One can expect more
than 100 breweries offering over 1,000 different options to sample.
Tickets can be a little tricky to come by outside of Madison and
requires mailing a check or money order postmarked on a
specific date.
“One can expect more than 100
breweries offering over 1,000
different options to sample.”
Great American Beer Festival (Denver, Colorado)
www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com
Possibly the most well-known beer festival in the US,
the Great American Beer Festival (also referred to simply as GABF)
is absolutely massive in size. Founded in 1982, the event has grown
by leaps and bounds over the decades. Last year’s festival saw 624
breweries pour more than 3,100 different beers over the
three-day event.
“Possibly the most well-known
beer festival in the US, the GABF
is absolutely massive in size.”
In addition to the endless sampling being consumed by the public,
the breweries beers are also being judged behind closed doors by
panels of professional judges in hopes to take home coveted GABF
medals. This also means all the beer gods are in town, in case their
name is called to walk across the stage to receive their award. And
if that is not enough to keep festival goers happy, the entire town
turns into a beer party outside the convention center walls. Nearly
every brewery and craft beer bar in Denver (and surrounding towns)
is simultaneously hosting their own separate events over that week.
Bring a spare liver and taxi-fare.
The Festival (Portland, Maine)
www.sheltonbrothers.com/festival
Possibly the simplest of all festival names, but it is hardly simple
in execution. It’s hosted by two of the nation’s premier small batch
brewery importers: Shelton Brothers and 12% Imports. This unique
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