Beer festivals are a plenty these days, and they aren’t all created equal. One beer festival that’s becoming a favorite destination is the All Pints North Summer Brew Fest by The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild in Duluth. Held on the shores of Lake Superior, Bayfront Park is the perfect venue. The spacious park has a large stage and plenty of grassy areas for relaxing and cooling off. Fest goers directly support the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild while enjoying unlimited samples from 85+ Minnesota and regional breweries. There will be food from food trucks/stands, live music, beer education, games and more. This fest is a great excuse to get away and enjoy the North Shore with hundreds of your beer-drinking friends.
*Pro-tip: Book your hotel room when you get your tickets. Rooms fill up fast in Zenith City.
Tickets to the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild All Pints North Beer Fest go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15 at noon CST. While this festival has not sold out in minutes as Autumn Brew Review does, it is gaining in popularity, don’t expect to find tickets at the door.
Tickets for 2015 Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild festivals are on-sale beginning at noon, Monday, January 5th. These events are among the best in region, and the bulk purchase is your best way to make sure you have your spot. These events will sell out, so if you can swing the cash it is worth it.
One change to the festival program from last year is the Guild’s premiere event, Winterfest. The Crème de la Crème of beer fests will be split into two nights. The change was made to keep the fest’s intimate atmosphere and accommodate the growing number of brewers. You can hear Guild President, Dan Schwarz talk about the changes on the latest BeerCast.
Monday, January 5, noon CT: Seasonal Four Pack on-sale includes one ticket to both nights of Winterfest, All Pints North and Autumn Brew Review at $200 per pack, a 15% discount over individual tickets. There are limited quantities of four packs available.
Monday, January 12, noon CT: Two day Winterfest package on sale, $135 for ticket to each night of Winterfest at Union Depot in St. Paul. There are limited quantities of two day packages. Winterfest tickets include unlimited craft beer sampling from Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild members, music, an upscale catered dinner, educational programming, and more. The line-up of breweries for each night of Winterfest will be published in advance of the Winterfest on-sale.
Friday, January 16, noon CT: Individual Winterfest tickets go on sale, $75 for ticket to a single night of Winterfest. Winterfest tickets include unlimited craft beer sampling from Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild members, music, an upscale catered dinner, educational programming, and more. There are limited quantities of tickets remaining, and this will depend on how quickly the two packs sell.
Saint Paul Summer Beer Fest breweries have been announced for 2014. There some exciting new additions, some are from out of town, some from your own back yard.
Of course there are a bunch of great breweries and beer to try. Just a few of the participating breweries of note include:
Paul Johnston helms the brewing wheel at this Minneapolis brewpub. Day Block is fast becoming famous for their small batch brews like their rotating Wit series, or Northern Discovery IPA, as well as their creative pizzas. Somebody find out if they are bringing bacon flights, please.
Founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø in 2010, Evil Twin Brewing is nomadic or “Gypsy” brewery operating out of Denmark. Some people used to call this business model contract brewing. It doesn’t matter what you call it when the beer is good.
The last time I was in Chicago to see Iron Maiden (Why don’t they ever come to Minnesota?) I brought back several packs of Finch’s. The Golden Wing Blonde Ale is perfect for crushing on warm summer days. The Black IPA should also be on your list of beers to try. Continue reading Saint Paul Summer Beer Fest breweries have been announced→
The Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest will bring some of America’s most sought-after craft beers to downtown St. Paul – but Minnesota beer drinkers will need a ticket to sip these suds.
Featuring rare, vintage, and one-of-a-kind ales and lagers from 30 craft breweries from coast to coast- including 10 Minnesotan breweries – the Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest will be held on Saturday, March 29 at the Minnesota History Center. It is the brain child of the same folks who made events like the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest a fixture of the Minnesota beer scene.
“This is the first year for the Northern Lights fest,” said organizers Juno Choi and Mark Opdahl, “and we’re very excited because it will be unlike any other beer event in the area. It will be a great chance to try some really unique, maybe even once in a lifetime, beers.”
What makes the Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest different, Opdahl says, is that each brewery will be pouring – as the event’s name implies – rare beers.
“These aren’t beers you’re going to be able to go out and buy off the shelf or on tap at a pub,” according to Choi. “These are limited-availability, vintage bottles from a past release, and in some cases brewed specifically for the fest.”
Besides rare beers and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the beer geek elite, ticketholders will also enjoy complimentary food catered in by top area chefs and live music.
The Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest is partnering with Pints for Prostates, a grassroots campaign that uses the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message. Founded by beer writer and prostate cancer survivor Rick Lyke in 2008, the campaign raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and early detection. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales and all proceeds from the silent auction go directly to Pints for Prostates.
Tickets go on sale Friday, February 7th at noon online and at participating retailers. For more information, including a list of participating breweries, are available at the event’s website: http://northernlightsrarebeerfest.com/
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild Seasonal Six Pack Returns! The MN Craft brewers Guild is offering Minnesota craft beer fans a Seasonal Six Pack, a pair of tickets to all three Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild events throughout 2014: Winterfest, All Pints North and Autumn Brew Review. For $300 (+ticketing fees), you score a pair of tickets to each of the Guild’s extremely popular annual beer events before they even go on sale. Seasonal Six Packs go on sale Monday, December 2 at noon CT.
(Ticket purchase link will be available on the guild website – www.mncraftbrew.org) or by clicking the banner above.
The benefits of this pack: no need for multiple ticket site log-ins, no waiting, no fear of missing out on tickets that often sell out in seconds during the general on-sale. There are only a limited amount of these ticket packs, so act fast on December 2. You can plan ahead, line up your entire year of 2014 Guild beer festivals, then sit back and relax. And the Seasonal Six Pack makes a great holiday gift.
If the entire six pack is just too much for your paycheck to handle you can still buy your MN Craft Brewers Guild festival tickets à la carte. You first chance to buy individual tickets will be for Winterfest, on Monday, December 16, at noon. In its 13th year, this Minnesota member breweries-only, upscale event sets the tone for the year. This festival is arguably the best festival in the state of Minnesota. It allows local craft beer lovers to warm up with winter styles and meet the brewers who brew them. Ticket purchase link will be available on the Guild Website.
Winterfest
This annual festival is solely devoted to guild member breweries and brewpubs, it does not include contract brewers. The upscale event showcases the great beers brewed in this state, and a classy crowd mixed with brewer conversations and hearty food balances the seasonal beers that are hallmarks of Winterfest. The crème de la crème festival is changing venues in 2014. Minnesota craft brewers have simply outgrown their old space at the History Center. Winterfest’s new home will be at Union Depot, in St. Paul, MN. The new venue will allow for a better fest experience with everyone still able to rub elbows, but allow for a bit of breathing room. The event will have the intimate setting everyone enjoys, but with more brewers.
Date: Friday, January 31, 2014
Time: 7 – 10 pm
Photo via http://www.stpauluniondepot.com/
All Pints North
Join the brewers of Minnesota and some of their favorite out of state breweries by the sunny shores of Lake Superior at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth for this growing festival and celebrate craft beer 2 oz at a time! All Pints North Summer Brew Fest will feature beer from breweries around the region, live music and tasty food in an iconic setting. This festival is quickly growing and probably the best location for any beer festival, ever.
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2014
Time: 3 – 7 pm
Autumn Brew Review
This annual outdoor fall festival is one of the biggest beer festivals in the state, with 100+ breweries from all over the U.S. entertaining and educating 3,000 attendees on the great craft beer brewed in this state and beyond. ABR also has live music and food trucks to enhance the lively atmosphere brought by attendees at this Minneapolis favorite.
Tickets are on sale now for the 4th Annual Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival. This year’s event in Saint Paul’s Lowertown will feature twice the breweries, stages and space than previous years, promising to be bigger and better than ever before.
In addition to over 100 breweries sampling more than 300 beers, the festival includes:
Official festival kick-off with Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman tapping the inaugural Oak Barrel Brew – this year’s beer is to be a special release from Stone Brewing Company
“Every year we are amazed with how many people turn out for this annual outdoor event in the middle of winter, so we are thrilled to offer even more reasons for people to brave the cold,” said Matt Kenevan, founder of the Beer Dabbler. “Even though we are bigger then ever before, we encourage beer fans to pick up their tickets as soon as possible because we are confident this year’s event will sell out in record time.”
It is The Beer Dabbler’s goal to raise more than $35,000 for our non-profit partners at this year’s event.
The Beer Dabbler Store, 1095 W. 7th St., Saint Paul
The Ale Jail, 1787 Saint Clair Ave., Saint Paul
Thomas Liquors, 1941 Grand Ave., Saint Paul
Four Firkins, 5630 W. 36th St., St. Louis Park *Ticket for sale at retail locations are CASH ONLY
