Beer festivals have come a long way over the past ten years. What used to be an excuse for over-consumption has become a fantastic way to sample and explore the myriad new craft offerings with friends in a social setting. The quality of beer plus diversity of breweries represented at some of the best festivals are at an all-time high. Here are some festivals that are leading the way.
Shelton Brothers The Festival
location rotates
No beer fest you attend will ever be the same after you spend a session or two at craft-beer importer Shelton Brothers’ The Festival. While the location rotates year-to-year (Massachusetts, Maine, and California have all hosted), what doesn’t change is the unprecedented, world-class lineup of brewers who attend. Calling it beer-geek heaven is an understatement—we enjoyed pours of Drie Fonteinen Hommage from legendary brewer/blender Armand Debelder himself, loved the Hill Farmstead saisons that Shaun Hill poured, went back for as much Treehouse Julius IPA as cofounder Dean Rohan would pour for us, grabbed pours of extremely limited Bruery beers such as Wineification and Blue BBLs, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. You could spend thousands of dollars bartering, trading, and hunting down the incredible number of amazing beers served at The Festival, but a plane ticket, hotel room, and session ticket is much more cost effective.