What Would Be Your Perfect Beer Festival?
March 18, 2008 9:26 am Beer Musings
With the addition of Three Floyds to the Schlafly Repeal of Prohibition Festival, it got me to thinking. If you were to put on a beer festival, what would you want to see? I think the first thing I’d like to see is more variety. It seems like most of the festivals around here are very locally oriented. I do not think this is a bad thing, I think it’s important to highlight our local brewers.
But I’d love to see more festivals offering up beers from around the nation; beers we can’t normally get in St. Louis. Which is why I found the Repeal of Prohibition Festival so exciting. I think it’s great that we’re going to be able to taste beers from brewers from around the nation. When you look at the number of different breweries at events like the Craft Beer Festival in Boston and I can’t say that I’m not a bit jealous.
I guess my next question is something like that Craft Beer Festival even feasible in St. Louis? The popularity of the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival makes me think it could be pulled off with the right backing. But anyway, what are some of the things that would be part of your perfect festival?
Tags: beer advocate, beer festival, brewers heritage festival, schlafly
scottyp :
Date: March 18, 2008 @ 11:03 am
Beer I cannot normally get. There are so many craft breweries that just are not available around St. Louis. It would be nice to invite them. We have a central location where as Boston is about as far away from the west coast as it could be. I would love to see Alesmith, Victory, Stone, Fire Stone, etc…
This would allow them to actually SEE our market and passion and allow us to really try what they have to offer.
I think currently we have a nice mix between MO and IL however I wouldn’t mind seeing more. I love the locals and I support them and all but I have had them a million times so it’s kind of like, been there, done that.
I want what I can’t have, plain and simple.
The Perfect Festival | Make Mine Potato :
Date: March 18, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
[…] Mike asks: what would be the perfect festival? I love the idea of the local festival, as we had in Michigan, but Missouri’s locality is limited to but a few breweries. The next step is fantasy festival: favorites, hard to finds, wished we could buy here. These are the gestures we make when reality is not kind enough. […]
Drew Huerter :
Date: March 18, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
There are two keys to a great beer festival: great organization and great beer.
The bigger the festival, the more organization is needed (see GABF) while smaller festivals still require tons of work, they are not as complex, logistically, as dealing with 35 thousand less than sober individuals.
As for great beer, our local brewers do an outstanding job. But I will offer up by ‘under the radar greatest hit list’ or breweries that are world class, yet don’t get the attention of Stone and Dogfish Head.
Real Ale Brewery from Rio Blanco Texas has a stellar lineup as does Terrapin from Georgia along with Founders of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Great Lakes of Cleveland, Ohio, North Coast from Fort Bragg, California and Great Divide of Denver, Colorado continue to impress.
For non-local breweries and breweries that don’t all the BA and RB hype and also don’t attend any local festivals, those are some selections off the top of my head.
STLMonkeyknife :
Date: March 18, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
I was so pysched to see FFF at the Schlafly Fest that I got on the internet instantly and picked up tix for the wife and I.
I would love to see St. Louis host a major beer festival. After all, we are considered to be one of the big beer capitals of the world. The question is…would the great brewers come to a market where their beer isn’t available? It looks like Three Floyds is willing to do it.
Sam H :
Date: March 18, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Schalfly
O’Fallon
Lemp
Griesedeick
Morgan Street
Dogfish Head
Stone
FFF
Two Brothers
Left Hand
New Glarus
Goose Island
Ommegang
Oskar Blues
That would be a great beer festival. Of course I am choosing the brewers that make some of my favorite IPAs and pales….
Jim Zavist :
Date: March 19, 2008 @ 5:53 am
The Great American Beer Festival is great because of the number of brewers that attend and the variety of beers that compete. It’s a success because why? It was one of the first? Its awards carry weight? Its judges are respected? Its venue can accomodate a large number of people (more eyeballs and mouths for the brewers)? It actually attracts a large number of people? Timing/lack of competition?
At this point, another “new” beer festival will attract little attention from most brewers, especially smaller ones - you can only spread yourself so far and so thin. If we want to grow a killer festival here, we need to make ours somehow special. Big cash prizes? Free publicity through/by a major sponsor?
Derek Bean :
Date: March 19, 2008 @ 9:15 am
What makes a perfect beer festival? My answer is first, a beer fest should be fun. And, what makes it fun? A relaxed atmosphere and some good beer.
Therefore, I’d have to say that The Great Taste of the Midwest Beer Festival each August in Madison, Wisconsin is the best! I’ve been to GABF and it’s great for what it is, but to me, nothing beats Madison! The setting of being right on the lake; plus, we have many great breweries here in the Midwest!
Here locally, the annual one in Augusta has also always been a real nice event–again, great setting and some good beers.
Lastly, I think we have some pretty decent beer fest here. Last year’s Microfest introduced me to Mad Anthony, New Albanian and Charleville, all of whom have some pretty fine beers.