Beer Event Bucket List

1. Huna Day
2. Dark Lord Day
3. PtY
4. FW Anniversary
5. Munich Oktoberfest

I'm finally getting to my first EBF this upcoming year so I didn't include that one but I am VERY excited for it nonetheless

 

1. PtY
2. EBF
3. Brewvival
4. DLD
5. Sour Fest in Charlotte

 

I used to think that I'd like to go to the Great American Beer Fest or the Great Lakes Beer Fest, but I have since realized that I am satisfied and enjoy it more if I go to any modest-sized fest (around 50 breweries) that offers kegged beers that are not the same as that breweries' bottled offerings that can also be found in stores. I've decided that I can't try 1,000+ beers anyway, so no need to go to those big fests. Less crowds also make the smaller fests more enjoyable. So the 4 Michigan Brewers Guilds fests are okay with me.

 

That's why I've never understood why GABF is crowned as this awesome thing. I hear they pour a lot of "standard line-up beer". I love what EBF does and what you mention "offer kegged beers that are not the same as the breweries' bottled offerings". As far as I'm concerned, I can just buy the standard stuff in the store, why should I spend money on a fest for it? Plus, I love being able to try new variants, limited releases, or exclusive beer fest beers they make only for the fest. It makes it so much more exciting. Would you say the Michigan Brewers Guilds fests are up my alley? I'm looking to travel and go to more within reasonable driving distance that has what you describe.

Cheers!

 

I'm sure there will be many really good suggestions. My bucket list of 5 events I have attended;
Savor Craft
Pliny the Younger release at Monk's Café
Last Snow release at Funky Buddha
Blue Point Brewery 5th Anniversary Cask Festival
BCBS release event at Clybourn brewpub.

If there is any one event I'd want to attend, it would be Oktoberfest in Munich. Someday.....

 

In no particular order:
Huna Day
DLD
Zwanze
PtY
GABF

 

My list
1. Pliny the Younger release
2. Firestone Walker Anniversary Party
3. San Diego Beer Week
4. GABF

 

GABF (just once, to say I went; going as a punter to most of the big fests don't really do it for me - there;s too many beers to try...)
Great British Beer Fest (ditto)
British Cask Fest (don't know the official name, but the one put on by CAMRA)

 

The festival (Shelton bros)
HF festival of farmhouse ales
Wild Friendship party
Zwanze Day

Yes, I'm biased towards sours

 

Annafest.

 

Belgium comes to Cooperstown is at the top of my hit list.

 

Pty release would be cool just so I could try it
Huna day
KBS release
Telluride Blues and Brew Festival, checking this one off the list later this month as it's the only one I would go out of my way and travel for as it looks to be too much fun

 

The only thing that immediately springs to mind is The Culmination Festival in Anchorage. The beer list is insane, and the fact that it's limited to 200 tickets is even crazier.

 

Done plenty of GABF and side events. They're fun, but if I miss any of them it's no longer that big of deal.
I still want to hit up the Oktoberfest in Munich at some point. Just to see the sheer spectacle of it.

 

Same. Never made it.

 

There are 4 'seasonal' fests that are VERY exciting for the beer offerings (afterall this is Michigan), but each one is growing to the point that you have to put up with some crowd confusion. However, the Summer and the Winter fests have gone to a two day event on Friday and Saturday so that if you are able to get tickets to the Friday dates, I don't think those crowds are too bad. (I have not done a Friday event yet, so that info is from comments that I've read in these threads.) At the Winter event days, you kind of have to be a glutton for punishment from the cold weather if you choose to come to that one. These are outdoor fests. The U.P. Fest is this Saturday and is held at a city park on the shore of Lake Superior in Marquette. It doesn't get much better than that for location.

 

1. Gabf
2. Dark lord day
3. Huna day
4. Ebf
5. Great taste
6 all the TG stout releases

 

Firestone Walker Invitational
Dark Lord Day
Great Taste of the Mid West
Bluezapalooza
de Garde party

If I hadn't gone to 3 awesome Huna days and one awful Younger release they would both be on the list.

 

Starkbierzeit is a top one. also:

Stuttgart Cannstatter Volksfest
Erlangen Bergkirchweih
Kulmbach Bierwoche
Berlin Beer Festival