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Best brew fests

Quaff to your heart's content at these tasting parties.

At last, Americans are realizing that life is too short to drink cheap beer.

The tasteless factory lagers of our youth look awfully pathetic next to the beers now being turned out by craft brewers: sweet cream stouts, lip-smacking India pale ales, chocolaty porters, Belgian wheats flavored by coriander and orange (For a beer-lover's tour of southern Wisconsin, see True Brew).

In fact, it's getting hard to keep up with all the new brews, some of them wildly creative. That's where brew festivals come in.

"You'd be amazed at how many people have been introduced to good-tasting beer at these festivals,'' said Bonita Rowland of Rowland's Brewing Co. in Chilton, Wis., which has been hosting the Wisconsin Micro-Brewers Fest for 20 years.

Tickets for the May festival go on sale in early March and sell out. Most festivals sell out, sometimes almost immediately.

The largest festival, Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, is in August, and tickets sell out as soon as they go on sale, the first Sunday of May.

So if you want to go to a beer festival, plan ahead. Below are some of the best in 2010. Expect food and music in addition to beer.

Jan. 9, Ice Cold Beer Fest in Minocqua, Wis. Benefit tasting of beer from more than 20 breweries at Waters of Minocqua resort.

Feb. 5, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild Winterfest in St. Paul at the Minnesota History Center. Tickets go on sale at noon Dec. 1. The 700 tickets sell very quickly.

Feb. 20, Manitowoc Jaycees Beer Lover's Brewfest in Manitowoc, Wis. Craft beers from more than 25 Wisconsin breweries at Manitowoc County Expo. 

Feb. 27, Michigan Winter Brew Festival in Grand Rapids, Mich. This Michigan Brewers Guild event is held outdoors at Comstock Park. Tickets go on sale Dec. 1.

April 24, Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine and Cheese Festival in La Crosse. Beers from 20 to 25 breweries; look for newcomer Furthermore from Spring Green, Wis. Tickets go on sale in March.

It's 2-6 p.m. at the Oktoberfest grounds. 608-785-4820.

May 16, Wisconsin Micro-Brewers Beer Fest in Chilton, Wis., on the east side of Lake Winnebago. More than 120 beers from 30 Wisconsin craft brewers; look for Lake Louie from Arena, Wis., and Chilton's own Rowland's Brewery beers, which include Bitter Bitch Belgium Ale and Fat Man's Nut Brown Ale. Tickets are $35 and go on sale in March. It's 1-6 p.m. at the Calumet County Fairgrounds. 920-849-2534.

May 28-30, Kohler Festival of Beer in Kohler, Wis. The upscale American Club and the Inn on Woodlake in this town just west of Sheboygan host tasting parties, a home brewers contest and a Sunday blues, brews and barbecue party.

June 12, Great Northern Beer Festival in Eagle River, Wis. Beer from more than 20 breweries at the Hi-Pines Campground north of town. Tickets are $20-$25.

June 20, St. Paul Summer Beer Festival in St. Paul. This is the second fest, with beer from 40 breweries around the nation at Midway Stadium. Tickets are $25.

July 31, Brewfest in Minocqua, Wis., in Torpy Park. A benefit featuring craft brews from Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota breweries. Tickets are $25. 

Aug. 14, Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison. This is the largest festival in Wisconsin and the second-longest running craft beer festival in North America. Tickets are $35 and sell out quickly; you'll need to send in a mail order for tickets postmarked May 1 or show up in person at noon May 3 at one of various vendors in Madison. It's 1-6 p.m. in Olin-Turville Park, and brewmasters from more than 100 Midwest breweries serve samples of 500 beers.

Sept. 5, Festival of Iowa Beers in Amana, Iowa. Sample craft beers at Millstream Brewing Co., Iowa's oldest microbrewery. Tickets go on sale July 1.

Sept. 11, Thirsty Troll Brew Fest in Mount Horeb, Wis. Craft beers from 35 breweries in the Upper Midwest. In Grundahl Park.

Sept. 18, Great Lakes Brewfest in Racine, Wis. More than 150 craft beers from 75 breweries across the nation. In Festival Park on Lake Michigan. Tickets go on sale June 1.

Oct. 2, Autumn Brew Review in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild sponsors this festival at the old Grain Belt Brewery in northeast Minneapolis. Tickets go on sale Aug. 1. The 2,500 tickets sell out quickly.

Oct. 16, Wisconsin Dells on Tap in the Wisconsin Dells. It's part of Autumn Harvest Fest, Oct. 16-17, with beer from more than 20 craft brewers served from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 and available on-line June 1. 800-223-3557.

Last updated on February 25, 2010