When you sign up for a beer festival, you usually can't tell if it's going to be a sad collection of tiny tasting classes or a genuine Oktoberfest-style throwdown. But when you attend a beer festival in Wisconsin, you don't have this problem.
The Great Lakes Brewfest, which takes place in Racine, Wisconsin this Saturday, September 13, brings in more than 80 breweries and offers unlimited sampling of over 250 beers. Don't worry, there's a detailed map. Also on tap: live music and of course, grilled beer brats.
There is one little catch--it's sold out. But, as of now, there are still a few tickets left via the Gig Bus package, which includes transportation from Milwaukee. Check out the Brewfest website for more details.
A brewery in Guadalajara, Mexico has caused a bit of a stir over a new beer named for the patron saint of drug traffickers. The Minerva Brewery says that its Malverde Beer simply honors the Mexican legend of Jesús Malverde, a Robin Hood-type figure believed to have robbed from the rich and partied with the poor in the late 1800's. The only problem: drug smugglers in the western State of Sinaloa claim him as an inspiration - and vindication - of their violent narco-culture.
Of course, that's hardly a problem for its brewers, who have parlayed the manufactured controversy into worldwide awareness of a once minuscule brand. While the morally righteous retail giant Wal-Mart refuses to stock the stuff, it's widely available at convenience stores and upscale bars like the Red Pub in Guadalajara, and there are plans to export the European-style Pilsner to the United States as well.
Vicious narco-traffickers are a nasty bunch, and we're loathe to see their images elevated to an undeserved heroic status, but also don't see the point in banning sales of a beer named after someone who might not have ever actually existed. Where do you draw the line? If society didn't crumble after the Scarface and Godfather movies, we think polite beer-drinking folks in Mexico and beyond will see this for what it is as well: a publicity stunt.
New Yorkers generally like to avoid South Street Seaport, as it is perpetually overcrowded with, well, too many non-New Yorkers.
We've come across plenty of City-dwellers who won't venture to SSS for any reason whatsoever, but if ever there was a good excuse to break principle, that excuse is beer.
Although this 3-day weekend of live music and great microbrews from the southwest and beyond is not technically at the resort, the town of Telluride, Colorado wouldn't be much more than a tumbleweed museum and billy goat hang out without the mountain destination.
You can expect lots of great blues and roots bands at the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival starting September 12, including Canned Heat, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, G. Love and Special Sauce and Gov't Mule. The list of brewers is 56 strong and will include heavy hitters and little-knowns alike from as far way as Georgia. Big names to look for include Sierra Nevada, Moab Brewery and Santa Fe Brewing Company.
There are lots of hotel options available in town and there is camping available for $40. Entrance to the festival can be purchased day-to-day or you can go for the full monty for $155. Birkenstocks, patchouli and dreadlocks will not get you any discounts either, hippies!
0 Comments - Add Yours
by BS
