In Search of Those Lazy Hazy Craft Beer Festival Days of Summer

Our TOP 20 Festival Picks for 2014

Summer in North America is beer festival season, and as the love affair with craft brews intensifies, events and festivals are the single best way to sample beers and are one of the few opportunities crafters get to interact directly with beer drinkers. You'll find most of the festivals also feature live entertainment and food (foodtrucks especially) in all their abundance and glory. 

Active travellers seeking to explore the best that craft beer has to offer should hit the Google in search of this ancient liquid gold. Small or large, there is most likely a beer fest popping up this summer in your hometown or city. If not, we bet there is one close to you that you may not yet even know about it. 

Let's start by saying the obvious, this is by no means a complete list. There are just far too many to even begin cataloging, however we wanted to highlight those beer festivals that really stood out as being most worthy of mention.

The following summer festival destinations are not limited only to the U.S., we also included a few Canadian beer festivals that are most certainly worthy of a road trip. So get your maps out and plot your destinations.

• June 11^th-15^th  Montreal’s annual beer party called the Mondial de la Bière, in its 21st year, will take place at the Palais des congrès. Tastings of more than 500 beers, free classes by local chefs on how to cook with beer, and beer-flavoured dishes served at 15 festival kiosks and at nine restaurants in Old Montreal.

• June 13^th-14^th Jungle Jims International Beer Expo in Cincinnati is a huge festival that features 350 beers from over 100 brewers.

• June 13^th-15^th Snowmass Mammoth Fest – Camp out in Snowmmass, Colorado under the stunning mountain backdrop and enjoy live music, chili tastings and craft beer from over 25 breweries.

• June 21^st-22^nd The 7^th Annual Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest features more than 60 breweries, arts and craft vendors, food and live entertainment.

• June 26^th-29^th 10^th Annual North American Organic Brewers Festival in Portland, Oregon was created to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living. The NAOBF serves up more than 60 organic beers and ciders from around the nation. There’s also live music, organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits.

• July 11^th-12^th Because Beer Craft Brew Festival in Hamilton, Ontario Canada close to Niagara Falls area. This two day event will feature beer from more than 20 craft breweries, many of them from Ontario. There will also be a homebrew competition, music stage and lots of food.

• July 18^th-20^th Burlington Beer Festival at Spencer Smith Park in Burlington Ontario Canada. This 3-day event located in the Niagara Region at the head of Lake Ontario is just a 30 min drive from Toronto. The festival will feature a wide selection of beers from throughout North America, with brewery reps in attendance. There will be food and live music featured throughout the weekend. 

• July 19^th-20^th The 10^th Anniversary of the Downtown Kitchener Ribfest & Craft Beer Show featuring over 50 Ontario brewed beers.

• July 18^th-19^th Pittsburgh Beerfest is a two-evening event will feature more than 250 craft beers from over 80 breweries with food and live music.

• July 18^th-19^th Vermont Brewers Festival is now entering its 22^nd year. This two-day event which will feature over 200 beers from over 40 invited breweries, most of them from Vermont, the North East and Canada. Live entertainment, educational and meet the brewer programs.

• July 19^th The Philadelphia Zoo, America’s oldest, will host the 6^th annual Summer Ale Festival featuring more than 40 regional craft beers. Served in the gardens among the birds, great apes and big cats. There will be live music, food and VIP access.

• July 23^rd-27^th The Oregon Brewers Guild and the Oregon brew Crew present the 27^th annual Oregon Brewers Festival featuring more than 80 breweries. Live music, exhibits, parades in downtown Portland.

• July 25^th-26^th The 7^th annual Summer Brew Fest in Denver Colorado featuring more than 125 beers from over 45 breweries. Live music, food and vendors throughout the weekend.

• July 25^th-27^th Toronto Festival of Beer is considered to be one of Canada’s leading beer fests held at the CNE grounds. This event features over 200 beers, Southern-style barbecue, live entertainment and appearances by TV personalities. There will be a number of beer related events taking place throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

• July 26^th is the 5^th Annual Milwaukee Brewfest features a chance to sample hundreds of craft beers, micro brews and ciders from around the world. There will also be musical performances, games, auctions and a variety of local food from vendors and restaurants overlooking the beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

• August 8^th-10^th Portland International Beer Festival is a three day event featuring over 200 beers from 16 countries, including rare hard to find and locally-brewed beers. Live music, food, games and entertainment.

• August 9^th-10^th The Santa Cruz edition of the California Beer Festival features over 85 craft beers, lots of tasty food, and live music from some of the top tribute bands.

• August 22^nd-24^th Seattle International Beer Festival features over 200 beers from 16 countries, including rare, exotic, hard-to-find, and locally-brewed beers. BYOB – Bring Your Own Blanket there will be lots of entertainment and food.

• August 29^th The Massachusetts Brewers Guild enters its 5^th year in Boston and will feature more than 100 beers from around 50 breweries. The festival also features food and live entertainment.

• September 11^th-14^th is the Whistler Village Beer Festival Whistler. British Columbia Canada has long hosted an assortment of exciting festivals and now the fastest growing fest is the Whistler Village Beer Festival. There will be over 50 breweries in attendance.

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