Festival Review - Wisconsin Beer Lovers Festival
This past weekend I got a chance to pour beer at the Wisconsin Beer Lovers Festival for Central Waters Brewery. A fantastic oppurtunity that I couldn't pass up and I am glad I went!
The Wisconsin Beer Lovers festival has been going on for quite a few years now. The main premise is that it is only Wisconsin Breweries being represented (which makes sense since it is run in part by the Wisconsin Brewers Guild). Located at the Bayshore Town Center, it's a lively outdoor venue where you get to walk the streets of the square while trying Wisconsin beers. This event also showcases local restaurants with small bite meals to help absorb all that beer! If I recall correctly ticket prices range from $45 - 75 with some less expensive options for a designated driver ticket. Check out their website or Facebook page for more details.
While I was there to work I did get a chance to walk around the grounds some to see what was going on. During my break I made a visit to a few of the breweries where I knew some of the staff. Jesse from Sprecher, Mike from Milwaukee Brewing Company, Mike from Explorium Brewpub and Dale from Tyranena were the stops I made. I was stationed right next to Third Space Brewing so that was a lot of fun for me. I ended up pouring beers at both Milwaukee Brewing and Tyranena because they both only had one person pouring. I am no veteran here but I would hope that they could get more people to help! It's a lot of work with two people let alone one. It was nice being able to see them and chat a bit.
During my adventures I wanted to get a sense for the festival as if I was a patron. The place was busy but not overly crowded. I saw a lot more lines at the food stations than the beer stations but maybe that was because of the time of day it was. I did get to try some of the food and I thought everything I had was a nice tasty treat. As I wandered around I noticed there was a pretty big lack of signs. I didn't have a map so with me so I am sure I was not aware of half of the vendors there. Most breweries had their own signs but there were a few I was looking for and couldn't find. The fringes of the festival was definitely the slowest areas while the center was jam packed. I didn't see any rinse stations around and we didn't have one by us. I hope there were some and I just didn't see them. There didn't seem to be any seating either. The festival went from 1pm - 5pm unless you were VIP, then you got in at noon. To not have a seating area definitely makes it tough. I saw people sitting on the curbs and on the street where there was no vendors.
The selection of beers was pretty decent. I don't believe a lot of the breweries brought their big dogs with them but there were some that I have never had so those are the ones I went after. Cherry Bounce from Milwaukee Brewing Company, Wrath of Rocky from Tyranena and Milwaukee Mule from Third Space are a few I remember. New Glarus was pouring their latest R&D beer, Sour Porter, which I thought was a nice touch. Most breweries had jockey boxes and were pouring draft but a few were pouring bottles. I noticed that at The Fermentorium station they pretty much ran out of beer.
So would I go back as a patron? That's a tough call. I did read reviews and talked to a few people who have been there in the past. They have always enjoyed the beer and food selection but the general consensus is that this year was a shell of what this festival has been in the past. I saw on Facebook that the festival commented that they lost five food vendors at the last minute, which does put a strain on everyone else.
Should you go? If you are newer to beer and want to experience what Wisconsin breweries have to offer than I say this is a must for you. You may not find many whales here but you will find a lot of well crafted beers and probably things you have never heard of or tried before. If you have been drinking craft beers for a while and frequent the breweries on a regular basis this may not be for you. While you can try breweries from around the state, there's a chance you've tried most of the beers already.
Have a festival that is your favorite? Let me know what it is!! I may go check it out!
The Wisconsin Beer Lovers festival has been going on for quite a few years now. The main premise is that it is only Wisconsin Breweries being represented (which makes sense since it is run in part by the Wisconsin Brewers Guild). Located at the Bayshore Town Center, it's a lively outdoor venue where you get to walk the streets of the square while trying Wisconsin beers. This event also showcases local restaurants with small bite meals to help absorb all that beer! If I recall correctly ticket prices range from $45 - 75 with some less expensive options for a designated driver ticket. Check out their website or Facebook page for more details.
While I was there to work I did get a chance to walk around the grounds some to see what was going on. During my break I made a visit to a few of the breweries where I knew some of the staff. Jesse from Sprecher, Mike from Milwaukee Brewing Company, Mike from Explorium Brewpub and Dale from Tyranena were the stops I made. I was stationed right next to Third Space Brewing so that was a lot of fun for me. I ended up pouring beers at both Milwaukee Brewing and Tyranena because they both only had one person pouring. I am no veteran here but I would hope that they could get more people to help! It's a lot of work with two people let alone one. It was nice being able to see them and chat a bit.
During my adventures I wanted to get a sense for the festival as if I was a patron. The place was busy but not overly crowded. I saw a lot more lines at the food stations than the beer stations but maybe that was because of the time of day it was. I did get to try some of the food and I thought everything I had was a nice tasty treat. As I wandered around I noticed there was a pretty big lack of signs. I didn't have a map so with me so I am sure I was not aware of half of the vendors there. Most breweries had their own signs but there were a few I was looking for and couldn't find. The fringes of the festival was definitely the slowest areas while the center was jam packed. I didn't see any rinse stations around and we didn't have one by us. I hope there were some and I just didn't see them. There didn't seem to be any seating either. The festival went from 1pm - 5pm unless you were VIP, then you got in at noon. To not have a seating area definitely makes it tough. I saw people sitting on the curbs and on the street where there was no vendors.
The selection of beers was pretty decent. I don't believe a lot of the breweries brought their big dogs with them but there were some that I have never had so those are the ones I went after. Cherry Bounce from Milwaukee Brewing Company, Wrath of Rocky from Tyranena and Milwaukee Mule from Third Space are a few I remember. New Glarus was pouring their latest R&D beer, Sour Porter, which I thought was a nice touch. Most breweries had jockey boxes and were pouring draft but a few were pouring bottles. I noticed that at The Fermentorium station they pretty much ran out of beer.
So would I go back as a patron? That's a tough call. I did read reviews and talked to a few people who have been there in the past. They have always enjoyed the beer and food selection but the general consensus is that this year was a shell of what this festival has been in the past. I saw on Facebook that the festival commented that they lost five food vendors at the last minute, which does put a strain on everyone else.
Should you go? If you are newer to beer and want to experience what Wisconsin breweries have to offer than I say this is a must for you. You may not find many whales here but you will find a lot of well crafted beers and probably things you have never heard of or tried before. If you have been drinking craft beers for a while and frequent the breweries on a regular basis this may not be for you. While you can try breweries from around the state, there's a chance you've tried most of the beers already.
Have a festival that is your favorite? Let me know what it is!! I may go check it out!
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