by Carla Jean Lauter

How to Pick a Beer Fest

Every summer there are more beer festivals scheduled than the previous year, and every year it gets harder to decide which, if any, are worth attending.

I used to hate beer festivals, but over time I’ve learned that they’re not all created equal, and some can be fantastic. A well-run festival is a social event where you learn things, a chance to try new beers and meet new people. It can be just as much fun as going to a concert. A poorly planned event can turn out to be a bro-fest promoting beers you already know too well. The tricky part is figuring out how to separate the hops from the chaff, so to speak.

After attending and volunteering at many beer festivals, I’ve picked up on some clues that can warn of a fest’s failure long before I’m standing in line to get in. There are three key indicators to assess: transparency, space and profit.

Transparency. This may be the most tell-tale sign of a festival’s quality. Do the organizers advertise the breweries that will be there? If not the final list, is there even a preliminary list? If so, you can judge whether there’ll be any brewers whose stock you’d be excited to sample. If they’re not publicizing the list before the event, there are only two possible reasons: either they haven’t secured agreements with the breweries to pour their beer, or they don’t want you to realize there’ll only be beers from producers you don’t care about. If the poster just says something like, “All your favorite breweries!” — stay away.

Space. This seems like a no-brainer, but is often difficult for organizers to get right. It’s natural to want to fill a venue to capacity to maximize profit, but, ideally, beer festivals should be in venues larger than necessary. If I can’t hear the person pouring the beer tell me what style it is because an over-amplified band is playing a few feet away, or if I’m constantly spilling beer because people are bumping into me in a cramped space, that’s a fast-track to an exhausting, fruitless experience. Separating the entertainment from the beer floor keeps the music from intruding on social conversations. The same principle applies to food. Locating food trucks or vendors away from the beer tables gives attendees a subtle cue to take a break, reducing the excessive sampling that plagues typical fests.

Profit. Take a few minutes before purchasing tickets to research who’s running the event. I’m not saying all beer festivals have to be non-profit or fundraisers, but finding out who’s making the money can tell you a lot about what the fest will be like. The type to avoid are those run by what I’ll call the Beerfest Industrial Complex — companies that show up in different cities every weekend and stage festivals with no knowledge of the local scene and no interaction with local brewers or benefit to them. I’m a big fan of charity-focused beer fests, and I’ll even pay a little more for a ticket to attend one. The ticket feels a bit less like a guilty splurge if the money is supporting a worthy cause.

One last tip: Ask your favorite brewer. Many brewers will tell you frankly which beer fests are their favorites. They’ve seen the best and the worst and can spot a bad one a mile away.

If you’d rather not do any homework, here’s a cheat sheet: two fests happening in Maine this summer that exceed the qualifications described above.

• On June 20, the Great Falls Brewfest takes place at Simard-Payne Memorial Park, in Lewiston. (Tix: $40/$60 VIP). I’ve been raving about this fest to anyone who’ll listen. Clearly designed with attendees in mind (free bottled water, places to sit, plenty of space), this is an excellent way to spend a summer afternoon. More info at GreatFallsBrewFest.com.

• On July 25, the Maine Brewers’ Guild Festival takes place on Thompson’s Point, in Portland. (Tix: $45/$60 VIP). This event benefits the non-profit guild, and Thompson’s Point is a nearly perfect venue for a beer fest. There’ll be live music, food trucks, and beer from pretty much every Maine brewery (plus some guests) you would ever want to sample. More info at MaineBrewersGuild.org.

If you can attend two, attend both. I’ll see you there.