Baltic Porter Day
January 18 in Poland
It began in 2016, conceived by beer blogger Marcin Chmielarz, who was justifiably proud of his country’s national beer style. It’s grown to be a nationwide event where savvy bars make sure to have some rich, hefty Polish porters on tap for all who celebrate. Baltic porter remains one of those styles that American brewers don’t quite get—impressively weighty, impossibly smooth. Go to the source and see what it’s really about. Pack for winter, prepare to be warmed.
Web: balticporterday.com
IG: @balticporterday
Hāpi Symposium
March 21 in Wellington, New Zealand
Amid the harvest in New Zealand, Freestyle Hops and Garage Project cohost this one-day, deep-dive event featuring technical talks on growing hops, selecting hops, brewing with hops, smelling hops—and, inevitably, there is also some drinking of hops. The timing also presents a golden-green opportunity to see and smell the fields and locally brewed fresh-hopped beers. The symposium doesn’t happen every year—the last was 2023—but we hear it’s on again for 2025.
Web: hapi.co.nz
IG: @hapiresearch
Photo: Courtesy Figueroa Mountain
Lagerville
April 12 in Buellton, California
Given the growth of craft lager over the past few years, it should be no surprise that this lager-centric fest hosted by Figueroa Mountain has been growing right alongside it. Billed as the nation’s premier lager event, the hosts expect more than 60 of the country’s best to come and pour at the 2025 edition—everything from light-and-easy jewels to smoky, hop-forward, or totally unconventional riffs.
Web: lagerville.beer
IG: @lagervilleusa
Photo: Courtesy Barrel & Flow
Barrel & Flow
August in Pittsburgh
The country’s premier fest dedicated to celebrating Black brewers, Black-owned breweries, and Black artists is welcoming to all, promising an energy that few could match. Part of the formula is a holistic view that encompasses art, crafts, music—and beer, just another creative, cultural endeavor. Plus, Pittsburgh is seriously underrated as a beer city, making the trip even more worthwhile.
Web: barrelandflow.com
IG: @barrelandflow
Burnpile
October in Asheville
The devastating floods that hit western North Carolina (and surrounding areas of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee) forced the cancelation of this festival of beer and music in 2024, but Asheville will rebuild. We suspect Burnpile will take on even more significance in 2025, as Burial sheds its existential angst and embraces the revelry and community that defines the best of humanity. We intend to be there and support Asheville’s rebound.
Web: burialbeer.com
IG: @burialbeer
Photo: Courtesy Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Snallygaster
October in Washington, D.C.
Given its location, size, and scope, we figure this is the closest thing to a
national craft-beer festival outside of GABF. And we reckon only Greg Engert and the folks at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group could pull this off—the logistical challenge of organizing this knees-up along Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Capitol and White House, is a story yet to be told, while we’re not sure anyone else could bring in the sheer quantity of excellence on tap.
Web: snallygasterdc.com
IG: @snallygasterdc
Bille’s Craft Beer Fest
November in Antwerp, Belgium
People we respect swear that this is now Belgium’s most entertaining beer festival; we trust but would love to verify. Billie’s Bier Kafeteria in Antwerp has been one of the country’s best bars since it opened in 2013, offering a wide selection open to Europe’s and the world’s best, plus Belgium’s. The fest reflects that attention to both quality and variety, with brewers themselves there in the flesh, often pouring.
Web: billiescraftbeerfest.com
IG: @billiescraftbeerfest
The Yearly Classics
No beer year would be complete without the events we never miss, from industry confabs such as the Craft Brewers Conference (in Indianapolis this year), the Firestone Walker Invitational (consistently the best beer fest that’s ever been thrown), and the Great American Beer Festival. It would be self-serving to tease our own 2025 Craft Beer & Brewing Brewer’s Retreat, but it continues to be a high point of our year and will be back in 2025 in a new location with another stellar lineup of brewers.
The act of enjoying beer together is a ritual we should never take for granted. Is 2025 the year you tick some beautiful beer experiences off your bucket list? We hope so.