Lessons Learned from the Summer Beer Fest

1.             Lines Suck

Waiting in a long line in the beating hot sun with 1000s of other eager beer drinkers is not fun.  If you were in this line with me, impatiently waiting to enter the festival and sample some of the finest beers in Michigan, then you realize what a bummer this was.

You can join the Michigan Brewers Guild as an enthusiast member, which (among other benefits) allows you to skip that huge line and enter the festival an hour early than the commoners.  In fact, don’t wait until next year to do it, join now so you can take advantage of this line jumping privilege at the rest of the beer festivals (UP Beer Fest in September and the Fall Beer Fest in October).

Not only will you be able to skip that long line, but imagine having another hour to sample more beers.  It might even allow you to try some of the special beers that you missed out.  There were a few that I wanted to try that were already gone by the time I got into the festival at 1 (Dark Horse’s Super Juice was one).

2.            Eat a Big Breakfast

Another important lesson learned from the beer festival is to eat a big hearty, greasy breakfast prior to the festival.  A hot day in the sun, drinking beer, especially some of these high ABVs will really take its toll on the underfed festivalgoer.  If you don’t eat a big breakfast, then you should at least pack some sandwiches and snacks to eat during the festival, or bring a few bucks to buy lunch on the fair grounds.

3.            Remember Times of Limited Releases

I was lucky enough to try a few of the timed releases—Founders Blushing Monk, Bell’s The Oracle DIPA and Batch 10,000.  However, I missed one that I really wanted to try—KBS.  In the hustle and bustle of the festival I misread the sign at the Founders booth, thinking KBS was released at 5pm, an hour after it was actually released.  By the time I realized it was released at 4, not 5, it was too late.  The line was long (although not quite as long as the line to get into the festival at 1), and KBS would have run dry by the time I got in line to get my drink.

Life goes on.  We were able to try a few more beers, and then get in line at Bell’s for the Oracle at 5pm.  All was well in the end, but next year I will certainly remember to get my details straight so I don’t miss out on any of the special timed releases.

4.            Support Your Local Brewers

This is something we already know, but it doesn’t hurt to say it again.  Support your local brewers, or we’ll lose ‘em.  The summer beer fest really highlights how many brewers we have in this great state.  If you want to make sure they stay around, then we need to buy their beer to keep them brewing.