Beer festivals are like pizza; even if they’re not great, they’re still great. But that said, some are better than others, and here are five of the best.
The American Craft Beer Festival
Held yearly in Boston, the ACBF is a convergence of brewers from across the country and offers everything from obscure microbrews to the rarer beers from larger brewers. Also, once you’re finished you’re out in one of the best beer cities on the East Coast.
Brewgrass
Asheville hosts a beer festival that logically combines beer and live music, specifically bluegrass, as you might have guessed. Running nearly twenty years, the show has offered the cream of the bluegrass scene and some of the best breweries in the Southeast.
Southern Brewer’s Festival
Don’t let the name fool you; this Chattanooga fest hosts not just the best brewers in the South, but also brewers from the North, the West Coast, and everywhere in between. Held by the Tennessee River, it’s a beautiful outdoor fest with some of the best variety of any fest.
World Beer Festival
Held quarterly, this is exactly what it sounds like: Beer from across the world, hosted in Cleveland, Durham, Raleigh, and Columbia. It’s also got some of the most adventurous food available at any beer fest: Forget pretzels and nachos, how about finding out what beer goes best with frog legs?
Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival
Essentially the preview of beer, this is where the guys who make the craft beer your drink go to try upcoming brews and talk about beer. It’s one of the most informative events about beer you can go to… and, yes, you can drink it too.