Do you plan on attending beer fests again?

I voted yes...but in the short term I would probably pay attention to location. If in a heavily populated county/city I might wait a bit, but if in a location with few cases and lower population density I would be more likely to attend

 

I've seen what this virus can do first hand. No way I'd go unprotected into a crowd of folks. You won't see me returning to unfettered nights out at bars and festivals until this is licked with a vaccine. With that said, I'm an essential worker and travel extensively. Have no problem whatsoever driving up and down the east coast for work, and hitting every brewery along the way for curbside.

 

That would work if there weren't the 80% who were nonsymptomatic super spreaders.

 

I attend and volunteer each year at the November festival pictured to your left. This festival benefits the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. Industry help is needed more than ever. Sadly many brewers will likely go out of business over the next few years.

I will volunteer and attend this year if it's hosted. If I had to wager, I believe this indoor festival, with over 1,000 people on the floor at any time, will not return until 2021 or 2022, at the earliest.

The last festival I attended was the Beer Zombies Festival, Feb 29, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 400-500 people were in tight quarters. This will not be replicated in a similar space over the next few years.

Festivals with a chance at working in the interim will be outdoor festivals with enormous festival grounds (a football field, a large park / forest preserve / open field or enormous parking lot) and limited attendees / guidelines, to ensure guests can navigate the grounds, and obtain / consume with adequate precautions, and feel safe attending before committing to payment.

 

Easy yes vote. Live in a bubble in your basement if you want to eliminate all risks. But stop telling me how to live my life based on so called "expert models" that have been spectacularly wrong.

 

Got tix to Hill Farmstead friendship and exploration August 1... so hopefully

 

Oktoberfest is the Ultimate Beer Fest on the planet, and it is cancelled this year. It only makes sense to consider that a good example of what the world is about right now, so "not in the forseeable future" is an excellent option.

 

Beer fests, when done well, are a great way to enjoy a day with friends, sample a variety of beer, hopefully find some new breweries you like, and maybe even make some new friends. I am looking forward to the day when it is safe to hold these events again!

 

I'm kinda in between Yes and Yes with vaccine. When more measures are available to treat sypmtoms and to mnimize effects, then yes.

 

Even before COVID-19, I became disillusioned with the way beerfests have degenerated on the last few years. These days you have a lot of breweries offering the same styles. Don't get me wrong, I love IPAs and sours, but there are a lot of people that don't, and even those that do would like a bit of variety.

 

I'm not waiting for a Bill Gates funded vaccine. I wouldn't even trust a new vaccine until many years later to see if it's safe.
I do miss the beer fests greatly and plan to attend as soon as they start back up. You only live twice

 

I generally only go to one festival a year and that's Firestone Walker. That won't be until 12 months and change from now, and I expect by then we should have a pretty good understanding of what's going on and what's safe. I attend other festivals ad-hoc in most years, and it's that which will no longer be happening for now. I'm not overly scared, but I'm not going to jump back in right away since I don't need to.

 

Hard to drink beer with a Face mask on but I’ve enjoyed beer festivals here in the UK through to things like San Francisco Beer Week. It’s still an ambition to attend the Great American Beer Festival

 

Not for the foreseeable future. We usually go to about one per year but currently just doesn’t seem worth it, especially when including the public transit trek required to go to these. (Most of the good ones in my area are in SF or the inner East Bay, 40-50 min from here but 2 hours each way on public transit...which I’d be more afraid of than the festival itself)

 

I can't wait to return to my favorite brew pubs and enjoy a couple of festivals.
Enough already lets go....

 

Am not a big goer anyway (I'm glad they exist, I want the option, but tend not to). But I've already prepaid the takeaway beer pack for the BxlBeerFest that's been canceled for August. "New dates will be communicated soon," the website has said for a couple months. No mention of refunds (not my preference) or (much better idea) a possibility to pick up the beer without paid attendance of the festival, in case the future dates are impossible for me.

That's actually a pretty interesting dilemma — what do you think a festival should do for prepaid tickets and takeaway packs, BAs? I want this festival to succeed but it's walking a fine line in terms of taking substantial funds.

 

Prior to a vaccine?...possibly if it's held outside.

 

I've been to the one in Burlington, VT. I would go again this year if they hold it. And take off the restrictions regarding state to state travel.

 

I recently turned 70, so I'm in that higher risk group. Giant crowds aren't my thing, anyway. I only attend smaller beer festivals, as it's usually not worth standing in long lines. In Indiana, most counties opened brewpubs this last week, although bars and taprooms haven't opened yet. After my (unplanned) 2 month hiatus, to make up, I went to brewpubs 4 times this last week.

 

We already DID party--yesterday, Saturday, May 16. A long road trip from Detroit (231 miles) that has been closed down socially long past the point (April 3) when the "curve" (daily new cases) flattened (going from 1953 per day to ~350 per day now). Indiana was partying at the Shoreline Brewery (Michigan City, IN), as in Sweden. Social distancing, creating a slow queue (we had a 90 min wait) to limit the number of guests inside and on the patio. Well worth the wait (after four Sum Nug American IPA with IBU of 77) sitting in the warm sun of the garden, waiting for our table. Great food, great beer, polite chatty guests--no spooky masks, no fear, no gloves--lots of kids, dogs, and even three pet ducks!

 

Wow believing in humanity is delusional?

 

No, I will not be, at least not until we have a vaccine and COVID is nothing but a bad memory. I dont trust that they will clean well enough, I dont trust that people will social distance and I dont trust that they will screen people well enough and that those who are feeling sick will stay home.
Its just a bad, bad idea, imo and no beer fest is worth dying over.

 

I voted “I don’t go to beer festivals” because, well, they are expensive and while I very much enjoy the company of friends, especially while drinking beer, that $50 for the ticket will buy some really good quaffables and I don’t have to stand in line. Now, working a festival is extraordinarily fun - the people watching is always worth the time.

 

Beer Fests . . . My 'vote' is I don't attend, however, I most definitely have/would/will support them since they tend to bring new brews to my fav local places. Also, local breweries are usually inspired to create something potentially wonderful to showcase. Thus I get the brews w/o the crowds. Would not miss Epcot's Food & Wine Festival which has lots of lovely beers to sample.

 

Wow, if I had written an explanation it would have basically been what you wrote, word for word. We quit attending them about 3 years ago.

 

Yes, we'll be returning. We only go to a select few anyway but I do miss them.
Cheers!

 

Hell yes! I’ll find a way a creative way to drink my samples through the face mask if I have to.

 

I voted Yes (when allowed) but with way less enthusiasm than the option implies. I’m not optimistic there’s going to be a widely available vaccine, but I really do want to attend a Zwanze Day here in the US at least once and at least it might be safer to go out when it happens since it’s still far off. Basically, I’m just playing things by ear the best I can and if it looks like I can’t do it safely then no.

 

In Boston they just completed a study of a large group of asymptomatic people who were tested for both COVID-19 and antibodies for COVID.

1 in 10 had antibodies, and 1 and 40 had COVID-19 at the time of testing.

Basically, roughly 10% either had it at some point, or currently have it. Antibody testing is still not 100% reliable, but it gives you an idea that we’re potentially far from herd immunity.

Yup. And Germany got the virus before us, and are in a MUCH better position than the US.

It’s telling that they canceled an event that’s in late September/early October. They also canceled the Berlin marathon that happens this fall.

I voted that I won’t be going for the foreseeable future. I honestly think beer fests and events like it will be the last thing to be allowed. This is akin to a concert, attending a live sporting event...etc. Actually, it’s probably even worse considering everyone is constantly sampling drinks.

 

I've attended a couple in an indoor arena, I can't see that ever happening again. The McHenry County Conservation District puts on the great Outdoor Beer Trail in one of its parks, booths were set up on a trail, spaced out over a mile or two. That might work with a limited number of people, but I voted probably not....or whatever. I don't know where we headed anymore.

 

I am ready to hit a fest. Missed the Upland Sour Fest but hope they hold it on the new date in July. Plus, alcohol, taken internally, kills all germs and makes life better.

 

I don't know that I'd wait for a vaccine, but the number of new daily cases would have to be way down and testing/tracing would have to be way better than it is now.

 

Def more comfy.

 

The poll results have lowered my opinion of the people here substantially

 

The more I think about it, the middle two options are practically identical.

 

I will definitely miss Great Taste this year but I also understand why it was cancelled....

I would not have an issue attending an outdoor beer fest at this point...but that's just me...

I also understand why some wouldn't...and respect their opinion...

 

Odd choice, "for the foreseeable future." Let's compare how far we each can see into the future. I chose, "when a vaccine is available," because it's the closest to true for me of the options, though it's also an odd choice. I'll know a vaccine is available the instant I'm vaccinated. I'll celebrate with y'all soon as I'm confident all y'all been vaccinated too. I'd feel the same if we were still awaiting a smallpox vaccine.

I love the fellowship of the fest; the suds, the clink of the steins, the passing cold mugs among my bros. I know we'd all keep a safe distance from everyone we didn't personally quarantine with, for the foreseeable future, and there's no place like a brew party for self control and good judgment.

I know this much: If I could get as good odds on winning the lottery as the unvaccinated in a crowd will have of getting Covid-19, I'd drop quit my job and play the lottery full time.

 

Well, that's substantially wrong. Everything you believe about the flu is based on its behavior in a species (human) that has lived with it for a long time. We've vaccinated against it for decades. That difference alone means acting as if Covid-19 is no bigger deal than flu could be a big mistake.

Covid-19 is new to humans. There is no vaccine

True, a virus causes Covid-19 and the flu, and it seems we can catch both the same way. True, pneumonia is a complication of both diseases, but do you know the rate of that complication in each? It might matter in deciding whether to pound brew with the crew right now.

It's misguided to use the term "complication" as if it means "mere" complication. Pneumonia kills. A car crash with a seat belt (like flu in a vaccinated person) and a bullet to the head can both kill you, but the odds are different.

Much is unknown about this new disease. When will we know how lethal it is? Today we only know the percentage of deaths in reported cases. How many unreported cases are there? We don't know; they're unreported. How many people who live alone will we find dead of Covid-19, or a complication?

We are finding more and more complications in addition to pneumonia. How long will it take to know if some people who recover have permanent damage to lungs or other organs? Some viruses can make people sick again years after they seem to have recovered. Post-polio syndrome typically appears 15 to 30 years after recovery from the initial polio infection, for example.

And suppose Covid-19 were exactly like the flu, just an additional coupla million cases. The flu sucks. Double the chance of getting it, and damned if I'd risk it for a beer. Maybe it's a freedom issue to you. Freedom isn't free. It's worth our lives. I think we make freedom pretty cheap if beer NOW is the precious elixir of liberty.

So, should we assume Covid-19 is like flu and go about our business as if it didn't exist? I'd need to be much more comfortable with ignorance to live that way now.

 

yet they let Woodstock go on in 1969. I may stay a bit further away from people (which is fine by me), but I won't let this stop me from going where I want, when I want and doing what I want when I get there.

 

In the question the option (remedy available) is not listed. A vaccine can take a long time, I would be content with a medicine that works in the treatment so you don't die.That should be around probably in six months. Then I would resume normal life, festivals included-