Vacations Blog

Nearly every state in the U.S. hosts a series of beer festivals in the spring, summer, and fall months.  For a fee (varying by the number and size of the beer “samples” in which you wish to partake) adults can spend a leisurely afternoon in the sun, wandering from booth to booth obtaining libations of their preference, a few ounces at a time. Festival participants are also entertained with live music, crafts, brew-oriented merchandise, and local cuisine.

My husband and I have enjoyed festivals hosted in Arizona and Oregon (we specifically planned a trip to Portland for their annual Brewer’s Festival). I’m also hoping to coincide a road trip this summer with events happening in Denver Colorado. Unfortunately, I’ll just miss the Brewers of Indiana Guild Microbrewers Festival in Indianapolis in July – I’ll be in the area the week prior.

The Made in the Shade beer festival in Flagstaff, Arizona is one that my husband and I try never to miss – we’ll be going again this year, for the third year in a row. It’s always scheduled in the middle of summer; by that time we are desperate to get out of the heat in Phoenix and head up north to the cool pines and mountains.

BeerFestivals.org is a great website dedicated to keeping track of when and where any beer festival is scheduled, anywhere in the world. So find one scheduled near you and enjoy! Just remember a few things:

1. Establish a Designated Driver. Festivals often offer discounted or free entrance, non-alcoholic beverages, and food for those participants who have the distinction of being the designated driver. This IS a beer festival, after all. You can still get drunk, even one ounce at a time. So be smart, and be safe.

2. Sun + Heat + Alcohol = Dehydration. It’s summertime. You’re indulging in some fabulous brews, and may lose track of just how much you’re drinking. Alcohol dehydrates, so be sure to drink plenty of good old fashioned water in between samples. It probably wouldn’t hurt to get a bite to eat every now and then, too. I know this from experience.

3. Patience is a virtue. A lot of these festivals can get crowded, and combining crowds with long lines and beer is sometimes less than entertaining. Especially when the crowd contains some of those hooty types that like to holler, “Woooo! Beer!” every few minutes, like clockwork. Have patience, slow down, enjoy the day. The beer will still be there when you get to the front of the line.

4. If you have children, get a babysitter. As you surely have realized, beer festivals are limited to those who are of legal drinking age. While it’s a great and fun idea for grown-ups, festival attendance really isn’t appropriate for children. You can make it up to them the next day by taking them to an amusement park. I just wouldn’t recommend getting on any twirly rides if you have a hangover.

Word to the wise.