Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival, Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival and Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest also winners
Beer festivals not only offer attendees the chance to sample numerous brews – sometimes even rare and one-off pours – these events also allow beer fans to dialog with their favorite brewmasters, sample paired foods and learn about a host of topics related to beer and brewing.
Great American Beer Festival Denver
Denver becomes ground zero for beer fans each fall, when the Brewers Association presents the largest collection of American beers in one spot at this premier US beer festival. Hundreds of breweries participate, and beers are served by their brewers, giving enthusiasts the opportunity to speak with them personally. An educational component features talks by top brewers and innovators, beer-making demos, beer pairing sessions, and even a pavilion dedicated to sustainability. The festival is also a competition, with medals being awarded in more than 90 beer style categories. Photo courtesy of Brewers Association
Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival Atlantic City
Each spring, beer enthusiasts in the Atlantic City area descend upon the convention center for a weekend filled with suds, sounds and surprises. The festival has been going strong for more than 10 years, adding new elements to each edition. Besides sampling more than 1,000 beers from 150 different breweries, attendees can rock out to headlining bands, watch culinary demos from local chefs and compete with other beer geeks in a variety of competitions like hot wing eating, field goal kicking and a 5K “Hops Trot” that stops at some of Atlantic City’s most popular watering holes. Photo courtesy of Atlantic City
Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival Galveston, Texas
This Gulf Coast beer festival draws enthusiasts for sun, fun and samplings of more than 400 regional and international craft beers. The focus of the three-day event is the “BrewLicious Brews and Foods Pairing” and the “BrewHaHa Grand Tasting.” Attendees can talk with industry experts and award winners while tasting some of the best beers in the world. Related events include the “BrewMasters PubCrawl” and a Texas brewery tour. The weekend ends with live music and fireworks on the beach. Photo courtesy of BrewMasters Craft Beer Festival
Oregon Brewers Festival Portland, Ore.
For more than 25 years, around 80,000 craft beer lovers flock to Portland the last weekend in July to sample the wares of more than 80 independent craft brewers from around the country. Situated along the banks of the Willamette River, offering views of the Portland skyline and Mt. Hood, the festival has a laid back atmosphere conducive to sipping and enjoying some of the best brews around. An international tent features craft beers from overseas, and live music, home brewing demos, food and memorabilia add to the fun. Photo courtesy of Timothy Horn
The usually wine-centric town of Paso Robles turns their attention to the fine art of craft beer each June during the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest. This single-day, intimate gathering of beer lovers and brewmasters showcases brews from more than 50 American and international breweries. Photo courtesy of Nick Gingold / Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest
Tailspin Ale Fest Louisville
This Louisville fest is all about beer and planes, and a great way to warm up in the dead of winter. Beer enthusiasts and flight fanatics gather amid a display of WWII-era aircraft at Bowman Field in the WWII-era Hangar at Louisville Executive Aviation. Also known as “Louisville’s Winter Warmer,” the event features more than 150 craft beers - including a section dedicated to Kentucky brews – thus raising temps in chilly February. Attendees will also enjoy live music, the best of Louisville food trucks and great photo ops with vintage planes, pin-up girls and “fly boys.“ Photo courtesy of Tailspin Ale Fest
Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival Breckenridge, Colo.
Breckenridge gets a winter warmup each year during the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival. Visitors to the Colorado Rockies during this event can meet with brewers and sample hundreds of Belgian and experimental beers over the course of three days. A growing offering of beer and brewing seminars teach skills like cigar pairing, food pairing, experimental brewing and a Cicerone workshop. Photo courtesy of The Brewtography Project
Dark Lord Day Munster, Ind.
Three Floyds Brewing Co.'s Dark Lord – a high-alcohol Russian imperial stout brewed with coffee, vanilla and sugar or molasses – has been ranked one of the best beers in the world, but it’s only available for purchase at this annual event at the brewery in Munster, Ind. Attendance is limited, and the 6,000 lucky enthusiasts gather to sample beers from around the world, mingle with fellow beer fans, enjoy food and live music and get their hands on the highly sought-after Dark Lord. Photo courtesy of jason gessner / Flickr
Philly Craft Beer Festival Philadelphia
Hosted in the Philadelphia Navy Yard each March, Philly Craft Beer Festival gives beer fans an opportunity to sample more than 200 beers from 75 regional, national and international breweries. A special VIP session includes tastings of rare beers not poured during the general session. Philly-area food trucks park on site to keep the hungry masses happy. Photo courtesy of Daniel Neuner / Philly Craft Beer Festival
Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Cooperstown, N.Y.
Cooperstown, N.Y. is not just about baseball. Belgian beer fans flock to the Brewery Ommegang throughout the year, especially for the brewery’s annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Festival. The summertime weekend event takes place on the beautiful grounds of the brewery, and camping is available. In this relaxed setting, enthusiasts can mingle with the more than 75 brewers in attendance. Rare and vintage selections are among the more than 300 Belgian-style brews poured. Attendees can also enjoy live music, movie screenings and demos. Photo courtesy of Mike Johnson
The top 10 winners in the category Best Beer Festival are as follows:
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Ruth Berman (Bon Beer Voyage), Julia Herz (Brewers Association), Gary Monterosso (What’s On Tap), Jack Muldowney (The Hop Review) and Ale Sharpton (AleSharpton.com) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience in the American beer industry.
Congratulations to all these beer-centric and totally travel-worthy festivals.
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond... Read More
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and a Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server. She is member of the Pink Boots Society and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. While traveling, Ruth enjoys paintings watercolors of the breweries she visits.
Ruth Berman
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and a Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server. She is member of the Pink Boots Society and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. While traveling, Ruth enjoys paintings watercolors of the breweries she visits.
Julia Herz
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for... Read More
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, co-author of the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course, as well co-author of Beer Pairing (Voyageur Press). She is a life-long homebrewer, BJCP beer judge and Certified Cicerone. Despite her extensive experience, she will always consider herself a beer beginner on an unending journey to learn more about craft beer.
Julia Herz
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, co-author of the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course, as well co-author of Beer Pairing (Voyageur Press). She is a life-long homebrewer, BJCP beer judge and Certified Cicerone. Despite her extensive experience, she will always consider herself a beer beginner on an unending journey to learn more about craft beer.
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular television show, What’s On Tap. He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers and has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers, including guest appearances on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage and on CBS News New York offering fall beer recommendations. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular television show, What’s On Tap. He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers and has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers, including guest appearances on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage and on CBS News New York offering fall beer recommendations. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States.
Jack Muldowney
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and... Read More
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from Chicago, the Midwest and around the globe. As a co-founder of The Hop Review, Jack Muldowney has carried over his eye for the carefully-branded, from his full time career as a designer. He prefers beers of the 'pale' variety and credits Chicago for changing his perception as to what makes a great brew.
Jack Muldowney
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from Chicago, the Midwest and around the globe. As a co-founder of The Hop Review, Jack Muldowney has carried over his eye for the carefully-branded, from his full time career as a designer. He prefers beers of the 'pale' variety and credits Chicago for changing his perception as to what makes a great brew.
Dennis Malcolm Byron, aka Ale Sharpton, is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger, photographer, event host and gourmand. He has contributed to more than 20 magazines and numerous websites, and passionately travels the globe to cover what he terms the world’s best beverage. He's recently contributed to CraftBeer.com, Beer Advocate, All About Beer, Modern Luxury’s magazines and USA TODAY. On the visual side, Ale has his engaging Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video productions, a Vimeo channel, and television appearances including Atlanta Eats, NBC and Europe’s Travel Channel. Although a native New Yorker, graduate of Shaker Heights High School and a proud Cornellian, he proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
Ale Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron, aka Ale Sharpton, is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger, photographer, event host and gourmand. He has contributed to more than 20 magazines and numerous websites, and passionately travels the globe to cover what he terms the world’s best beverage. He's recently contributed to CraftBeer.com, Beer Advocate, All About Beer, Modern Luxury’s magazines and USA TODAY. On the visual side, Ale has his engaging Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video productions, a Vimeo channel, and television appearances including Atlanta Eats, NBC and Europe’s Travel Channel. Although a native New Yorker, graduate of Shaker Heights High School and a proud Cornellian, he proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
