Events
Aug. 9-13
Great British Beer Festival
London
There will be over 900 real ales, perries, ciders and international beers at the Campaign for Real Ale’s five-day celebration of British brew, not to mention bands, games and a grand pub quiz. This year, the winners of the Champion Beer of Britain competition, previously released in October, will be announced at a red carpet-style dinner on the evening of Aug. 9.
Aug. 19-20
Stone 20th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival
San Marcos, California
The rare beer list at this Stone Brewing celebration is enough to make any acolyte’s mouth water: 2002 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, 2000 Stone Double Bastard, Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale and Stone 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th Anniversary IPAs (on draft). There will also be more than 60 breweries—including Drake’s Brewing Co., The Lost Abbey and Firestone Walker Brewing Co.—pouring at the fest.
Aug. 25-28
Organic Beer Fest
Portland, Oregon
Billed as a “celebration to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living,” this festival comprises over 50 organic beers, ciders and meads, not to mention sustainability-oriented vendors, food and live music. Bison Brewing, Lakefront Brewery and Samuel Smith’s Brewery are just a few of
the participants.
Aug. 26-27
Burning River Fest
Cleveland
Started in remembrance of the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River and the eco-consciousness it spurred, this festival features plenty of Great Lakes Brewing Co. beer, music, Cleveland-area eateries and food from local farms.
Aug. 27
Great Nebraska Beer Fest
Papillion, Nebraska
This festival boasts its ability to draw in “never-before-seen” brewers, but there’s also recognizable names from Deschutes Brewery to Goose Island Beer Co. on the roster of 90 breweries. One ticket gets you unlimited 2-ounce samples and a 4-ounce tasting glass.
Beer Releases
Matt Brewing Co.
Saranac Citra Pils
5.3 % | Pilsner
Technically released in late July, this crisp pilsner brewed with Citra hops is crafted for summer, with notes of orange, pineapple and guava. The beer will be available in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans and 6-packs of 12-ounce bottles, as well as on draft.
Summit Brewing Co.
Summit 30th Anniversary West London-Style Ale
4.9 % | English-Style Bitter
This ale is meant to showcase the flavor profile of Maris Otter, one of the pre-eminent malting barleys available to brewers. By combining the heritage malt with modern hop varieties, this anniversary beer performs an update of a classic style, with its nutty, toasty flavor notes balanced by hoppy bitterness. It will be available in 6-packs and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, as well as on draft.
Lagunitas, Left Hand Introduce Cans; Fort Collins Dumps Bottles
Lagunitas Brewing Co., a longtime holdout from canning its beers, is releasing its first canned offering. 12th of Never Ale is a 5.5% pale ale available nationally. According to a company representative, Lagunitas does not currently have plans to can its other beers.
This winter, Left Hand Brewing Co. of Longmont, Colorado, will release cans of Fade to Black foreign export stout, Extrovert American IPA and Milk Stout. The brewery plans to foray into canning other offerings in 2017.
Fort Collins Brewery is shifting to cans exclusively. Peaches & Barley will be the brewery’s last beer appearing in a bottle.
Pumpkin Beers Return Soon
Pumpkin beers from Southern Tier’s Pumking to Dogfish Head’s Punkin will soon fill up shelf space at stores and bottle shops. On Aug. 1, tickets for Elysian Brewing Co.’s Great Pumpkin Beer Festival (Seattle, Washington, Oct. 8) become available to the public. Consider the early ticket sale a bellwether for the arriving armada.
Read more about the rise of pumpkin beers at allaboutbeer.com/pumpkin-beer.