Winter isn’t known for being the most exciting season. Instead of days at the beach and bar hopping at night, we frequently find ourselves curled in the fetal position, under blankets, praying for a drink. Luckily, beer festivals are year round and their blessed occurrence give us a reason to leave the house, socialize and get our drink on. After a couple of beers, it could be any season and we’d be happy.
2013 Yaga’s Chili Quest and Beer Fest – Galveston Island, Texas
January 18-19, 2013
Beer festival visitors purchase a souvenir beer-tasting mug, along with a punch card to sample over 100 craft and import beers. Expert BrewMasters will be on-hand to chat. On top of that, you can sample chili from 80 teams vying to win the chili cook-off.
The Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival – Saint Paul, MN
January 26, 2013
This annual event features over 100 breweries sampling more than 300 beers, live music on two stages, a homebrew contest, an award for best brewery, a silent disco, contests and food served by gourmet food trucks.
Beer Week – San Francisco, CA
February 8-17, 2013
This is sort of cheating because it’s not just a beer festival – it’s an entire week dedicated to beer with more than one festival involved. You’ve got the Bistro’s Double IPA Festival, Toronado Barleywine Festival, and Best of the West Beer Fest. On top of that, there are tons of different beer related events like dinners and demonstrations. You were thinking about taking a vacation soon anyway, right?
The Art of Beer – Niagara Falls, NY
February 22, 2013
This event is for the classier beer lovers. The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center is hosting this evening and it includes food and beer samples, a souvenir tasting glass, live music and cool brewery art.