July 2012 Events
June 29-1: Beer Passion Weekend, Antwerp, Belgium
Beer Passion magazine presents Beer Passion Weekend, which will take place at Groenplaats in downtown Antwerp. This three-day event will feature around 200 beers, most of them brewed in Flanders, along with beer cuisine and musical entertainment. The Beer Passion magazine website is entirely in Dutch.
June 29-1: Billericay Lions Beer Festival, Billericay, England
The Lions Club of Billericay presents the third annual Billericay Beer Festival, which will take place on the grounds of the Billericay Football Club. Last year's festival featured more than 40 Real Ales, ciders, and perries, along with a hog roast all weekend. All profits will be donated to worthy causes.
7: Haddenham Summer Real Ale Festival, Woodways, England
The 2012 Haddenham Summer Real Ale Festival will be held at the Village Hall complex in Haddenham. Recent editions of this festival have featured more than 40 Real Ales; ciders, perries, and foreign bottled beers; food; and live music. Proceeds will go to local charities.
10-15: Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival, Chelmsford, England
The Chelmsford & Mid-Essex Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale present the 2012 Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival, which will take place at a new venue, the Chelmsford Social Club. Recent editions of this festival have featured more than 300 Real Ales, along with over 100 ciders and perries, an assortment of Belgian beers, and local wines; food; and live entertainment.
13: Friday the Firkenteenth, Philadelphia, PA
Friday the Firkenteenth, held at the Grey Lodge in Philadelphia, has become a Friday the 13th tradition, with 20 or more firkins of cask-conditioned beer to sample. This is the only known beer event in the world whose frequency and timing are entirely at the mercy of the calendar.
13-14: Newt Beer Festival, North Newton, England
The 21st annual Newt Beer Festival will be held at Mill Cottage in North Newton. Recent editions of this festival, which organizers describe as "the largest of its kind in Somerset," have featured more than 90 Real Ales; live bands both days; and food, including cooked breakfast for campers and hot dogs and burgers for festival-goers.
13-15: Hopped Up Caribou Beer Fest, Lutsen, MN
Caribou Highlands Resort, located on Lake Superior’s North Shore, will host the inaugural Hopped Up Caribou Beer Fest. Last year's festival featured a beer garden on Saturday, with a number of Upper Midwest breweries represented and brewmasters on hand; food, including barbecue; live music; and the presentation of the Lake Superior Beer Cup. Other events over the weekend included a meet-the-brewers social Friday evening, and a Brewers Bloody Mary Breakfast on Saturday morning.
13-15: Market Bosworth Rail Ale Festival, Shackerstone, England
The Hinckley & Bosworth branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, along with the Battlefield Line, presents the 2012 Market Bosworth Rail Ale Festival, which will take place at Shackerstone Station. Last year's festival featured 20 locally brewed beers, ciders, and perries, spread between the Goods Shed (adjacent to Market Bosworth station), Shenton Station, and on the Steam Trains, along with "Seaside Attractions" at both Market Bosworth and Shackerstone stations.
13-15: Poppy Line Beer Festival, Sheringham, England
The North Norfolk Railway presents the 2012 Poppy Line Beer Festival, which will take place at the Sheringham steam railway station. Recent editions of this festival have featured a selection of beers from East Anglia and the rest of the U.K., food, and live entertainment. There will be frequent service on the Bittern Line from Norwich via North Walsham and Cromer to Sheringham.
20: Empire State Brewing & Music Festival, Syracuse, NY
The 2012 Empire Brewfest will be held in Clinton Square in downtown Syracuse. Recent editions of this evening event, sanctioned by the New York State Brewers Association, have featured around 300 beers, tents dedicated to Belgian-style and cask-conditioned beers, national and international brewery representatives on hand to answer questions, live bands performing on two stages, brewing-related merchandise, and food from local restaurants.
20-21: Vermont Brewers Festival, Burlington, VT
The Vermont Brewers Association presents the 20th annual Vermont Brewers Festival, which will take place at Burlington's Waterfront Park, located on the shore of Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains in the background. This two-day festival traditionally features beer from more than 30 invited breweries based in Vermont, the Northeast, and Canada. The festivities also include live entertainment, a "Meet the Brewer" program, and food vendors.
20-22: Downtown Kitchener Ribfest & Craft Beer Show, Kitchener, ON, Canada
The 2012 Downtown Kitchener Ribfest & Craft Beer Show will be held at Victoria Park. Recent editions of this festival have featured around 50 Ontario-brewed beers, barbecued ribs and chicken, and live entertainment. Admission is free, but donations to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region will be accepted at the gate.
21-30: Annafest, Forchheim, Germany
Annafest, the Festival of Saint Anne, was first held in Forchheim in 1446. This ten-day festival takes place at the Kellerwald, a beer garden with a capacity of 30,000. There will be 23 beer gardens, live music on six stages, food from local restaurants, carnival rides, and family activities. The festival website is entirely in German.
21: Hops, Vines & Wines Festival, Selinsgrove, PA
The fifth annual Hops, Vines & Wines Festival will take place in historic downtown Selinsgrove. Recent festivals have been afternoon events featuring beer from about 30 breweries, along with locally-made wine; food; and live music. Last year's festival sold out.
21: Weston RFC Beer Festival, Weston-Super-Mare, England
Brizzle Beer festivals presents the inaugural Weston RFC Beer Festival, which will take place at Weston Rugby Football Club. There will be afternoon and evening tasting sessions, each with 32 ales and six ciders. Along with Hog Roasts, the evening session will feature West Country humor from the band Shag Connor and the Carrot Crunchers.
26-28 (provisional): Stortford Beer Festival, Bishops Stortford, England
The Bishops Stortford British Legion and the Herts & Essex Borders Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale present the fourth annual Stortford Beer Festival, which will take place at the British Legion Club in Bishops Stortford. Last year's festival featured more than 45 Real Ales, along with Real Cider. Admission is free.
26-29: Oregon Brewers Festival, Portland, OR
The Oregon Brewers Guild and the Oregon Brew Crew present the 25th annual Oregon Brewers Festival, which will take place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. The event traditionally features beer from about 80 breweries invited by organizers. The festivities also include food for purchase; are industry exhibits by hop growers, homebrewers, breweriana collectors, and national beer writers; live music throughout the weekend; and merchandise vendors. The festivities also include the Brewers Dinner and the Oregon Brewers Brunch & Parade, which officially kicks off the festival.
28: Lac du Flambeau Lions Club Brewfest, Lake Minocqua, WI
The Lac du Flambeau Lions Club presents the eighth annual Brewfest, which will take place in the pavilion at Torpy Park on the shores of Lake Minocqua. This afternoon event will feature beer from more than 35 breweries, most of them from Wisconsin. The festivities will also include food, including bratwurst and hamburgers; voting for the "People's Choice Award," live music; and prize raffles. All proceeds will go to state and local charities.
TBA: Indiana Microbrewers Festival, Indianapolis, IN
The Brewers of Indiana Guild presents the 17th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival, which will take place at Opti-Park in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis). Recent editions of the festival have featured more than 200 beers from more than 35 breweries, most of them from Indiana, with brewers in attendance; a cask-conditioned table, with up to 16 firkins served on gravity; a replicale, with Indiana breweries using a mutual recipe; and games, food and live music, and door prizes.
TBA: Lake Wyola Association Beer & Wine Tasting, Shrewsbury, MA
The Lake Wyola Association will host the seventh annual Beer & Wine Tasting, which will take place at the Association Hall in Shrewsbury. Recent editons of this festival have been rain-or-shine evening events, held under three large tents and inside the hall, featuring beer from more than 15 area breweries, wine, food, and live music. All proceeds will go toward the preservation of Lake Wyola.
TBA: Nando's Canada Cup of Beer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
JustHereForTheBeer.com presents the 2012 Nando's Canada Cup of Beer, which will take place at Thunderbird Stadium on the University of British Columbia campus. Recent editions of this festival, which organizers described as "Vancouver's largest beer festival," have attracted more than 30 breweries and vendors, with brewmasters in attendance; a selection of over 150 beers; and, in addition to the festival itself, a number of satellite events in the Vancouver area.
TBA: Reading Real Ale and Jazz Festival, Reading, England
The Reading Hockey Club, in association with The Reading Post, presents the 2012 Reading Real Ale and Jazz Festival, which will take place at in Christchurch Meadow. Recent editions of this festival have featured more than 30 Real Ales, along with cider, wine, and Champagne; a variety of jazz musicians performing each evening; and food, including barbecue, a hog roast, and chocolate.