But let's start, of course, with Russia
The main beer festival of the country, which will be held for the fifth time in 2019. Despite its modest age, Big Craft Day commands respect: last time there were 150 taps, 600+ beers from 100 breweries and 13,000 visitors.
A ticket costs 1000 rubles, this amount includes a tasting glass and 3 tokens to pay for beer and food. You can buy additional tokens for 50 rubles. The cost of a tasting portion is from 1 to 6 tokens.
What to drink: sour ale, barleywine, Russian imperial stout
A party by the sea that lasts four days, with food, music and other entertainment. Take, for example, the costumed carnival that moves along the Mediterranean coast - everyone participates! At the same time, guests drink several tens of thousands of liters of beer. There's nothing for beer geeks to do there, but if you want to have fun and relax while drinking good beer, this is the place for you.
A one-day ticket costs €10 and includes one guaranteed pint of beer.
What to drink: Fruit beer and cider
The Asian Oktoberfest, as the organizers themselves call it, has been taking place since 1991. In recent years, an average of 200 beer brands have been collected there. In addition to tastings, there is a “beer carnival”, concerts, discos, bikini competitions and karaoke. For the festival, the Chinese, with their usual scale, are building a Beer City, where tens of thousands of tourists come.
Admission is free, beer averages $1 per bottle.
What to drink: Tsingtao
The Great American Beer Festival
Second half of September
Denver, USA
greatamericanbeerfestival.com
America's largest craft beer festival. In 1982, when the first GABF was held, 22 breweries presented 40 varieties. Now the festival is included in the Guinness Book of Records as an event “with the largest number of varieties of draft beer.” Last year, 800 breweries brought drinks to Denver, totaling 4,000 varieties. All this was tried by 60,000 guests, and the tickets were sold out an hour and a half after the start of online sales.
The pleasure is not cheap: $85 for one day.
What to drink: American IPA and wild ale
Belgian beer culture is not like the cultures of other European countries such as Germany, Great Britain or the Czech Republic. Some 900 different brands of beer are produced here - from pale lagers to fruity lambics and Flemish red ales - and Belgium once had more breweries than churches. The festival has been held on the first weekend of September for 20 years - the best time to try all this splendor.
Admission is free, a deposit of €3 is required for a glass, beer tokens cost €10 for 9 pieces. The cost of a tasting portion is from 2 to 5 tokens.
What to drink: Lambic, Kriek and Trappist beers
Pilsner Festival
Early October
Pilsen, Czech Republic
pilsnerfest.cz
Celebration in honor of the first batch of Pilsner beer made from fresh hops. There will be two stages with musicians, visiting “branches” of several restaurants and, of course, beer. Czech pilsner is flowing: last year, 45,000 visitors drank 75,000 pints. And since the festival is held by a local brewery, guests are invited to visit the production.
Admission and beer are free, money is only charged for food.
What to drink: Pilsner
The king of beer festivals, which is not really a beer festival: officially it is a “folk festival”, attracting up to 7 million people every year. And since the holiday takes place in Bavaria, where the very Reinheitsgebot (law on the purity of beer) appeared, the foam flows like a river. On average, participants drink 6 million liters in two weeks. Only Munich companies that make special Oktoberfest beer with an alcohol content of 5.8–6.3% have the right to brew beer for the event.
Admission is free, a liter mug of beer costs about €11.
Beer festivals take place in Belgium every week, and each of them is special in its own way.
1. Zythos Beer Festival
Venue: Leuven
On the last weekend of April, Leuven becomes the beer capital of Belgium. In the very center of the city, the Zythos Beer Festival takes place, during which visitors can try about 500 different types of beer, brewed by 100 brewers especially for the festival; visit 2 famous Leuven breweries - Stella Artois and Domus, as well as beer excursions, master classes and tastings. During the festival, hotels offer special "beer packages" and many restaurants surprise visitors with beer-based delicacies.
More information about Zythos Beer Festival can be found
2. Beer festival Toer de Geuze
Venue: Pajottenland, near Brussels
During the Toer de Geuze festival, which takes place every two years, lambic and gueuze beer producers hold an open day. The program includes free tours of breweries, as well as tastings of lambic, gueuze, creek and other lambic-based beers. You can tour breweries and blending shops by private transport (car or bicycle), or book a seat on a tour bus. All breweries are located in the rolling green areas around Brussels, amid landscapes that inspired Pieter Bruegel the Elder himself.
More information about Toer de Geuze can be found
3. Leuven Innovation Beer Festival
Venue: Leuven
The Beer Innovation Festival in Leuven is a celebration for lovers of original craft beer. André Janssens, owner of the Hof Ten Dormaal brewery, invites everyone to try a unique selection of beers from the best brewers in Belgium and around the world. The tasting takes place in a unique place - the former De Hoorn brewery, where the first Stella Artois beer was once brewed.
More information about the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival can be found
4. Beer festival in Antwerp
The Antwerp Beer Festival takes place on one of the most beautiful squares in Antwerp, Groenplatz, where the famous Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is located. More than 50 breweries will take part in the festival, presenting 200 varieties of beer to the accompaniment of brass bands.
More information about the Antwerp Beer Festival can be found here
5. Ghent Beer Festival
Venue: Ghent
The Ghent Beer Festival takes place near the historical center of Ghent, in the quiet garden of one of the schools. It will definitely appeal to both beer connoisseurs and fans.
More information about the Ghent Beer Festival can be found here
6. Belgian Beer Festival
Venue: Brussels
The Belgian Beer Festival is one of the largest Belgian beer festivals. It takes place in Brussels' main historical square, the Grand Place, listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site, and begins with a procession of the brewers' guild in colorful medieval costumes. During the Belgian Beer Festival, guests will be able to taste around 350 different types of Belgian beer.
More information about the Brussels Beer Festival can be found here
7. Hop Beer Festival
Venue: Poperinge
Every three years, on the third weekend of September, an international hop festival takes place in Poperinge. The festival program includes a parade of brass bands, the “Queen of Hop” competition, a colorful procession in which more than one and a half thousand people will take part, and a final show dedicated to beer made from hops.
More information about the hop beer festival can be found
8. Modeste Beer Festival
Venue: Antwerp
The Modeste beer festival is dedicated to Modest van den Bogaert, director of the famous Antwerp brewery De Koninck, which he headed for fifty years. The word "modeste" means "humble" in Dutch, so only small breweries take part in this festival. At the festival, guests will be able to try not only beer, but also the famous Van Tricht cheese.
More information about the Modeste beer festival can be found
9. Christmas Beer Festival
Venue: Essen (Antwerp)
The Christmas beer festival in Essen is considered one of the best in the world - here, along with classic beers, you can try new ones, in total there are about 170 Belgian varieties. The festival is so popular that since 2015, ticketed entry has been introduced, and the maximum number of guests should not exceed 1,000 people. It is better to book tickets at least a month in advance.
Find out more about the Christmas Beer Festival
10. Beer festival in Bruges
Venue: Bruges
The Bruges Beer Festival takes place in the heart of the historic center of Bruges. At the festival you can try about 500 different types of Belgian beer. The festival annually attracts more than 20 thousand guests, including from abroad.
More information about the Bruges Beer Festival can be found here
In Belgium, beer is not just an alcoholic drink, it is a subject of special respect, admiration and love.
On November 30, 2016, Belgian beer was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, receiving official international recognition. Beer festivals take place in Belgium every week, and each of them is special in its own way. We have selected the most interesting beer festivals in Belgium in 2017.
Leuven Innovation Beer Festival, Leuven
The Leuven Beer Innovation Festival is a celebration for lovers of original craft beer. André Janssens, owner of the Hof Ten Dormaal brewery, invites everyone to try a unique selection of beers from the best brewers in Belgium and around the world. The tasting takes place in a unique place - the former De Hoorn brewery, where the first Stella Artois beer was once brewed.
Beer festival in Antwerp
The Antwerp Beer Festival takes place on one of the most beautiful squares in Antwerp, Groenplatz, where the famous Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is located. More than 50 breweries will take part in the festival, presenting 200 varieties of beer to the accompaniment of brass bands.
Beer Festival in Ghent
The Ghent Beer Festival takes place near the historical center of Ghent, in the quiet garden of one of the schools. It will definitely appeal to both beer connoisseurs and fans.
Belgian Beer Festival, Brussels
The Belgian Beer Festival is one of the largest Belgian beer festivals. It takes place in Brussels' main historical square, the Grand Place, listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site, and begins with a procession of the brewers' guild in colorful medieval costumes. During the Belgian Beer Festival, guests will be able to taste around 350 different types of Belgian beer.
Hop Beer Festival, Poperinge
Every three years, on the third weekend of September, an international hop festival takes place in Poperinge. The festival program includes a parade of brass bands, the “Queen of Hop” competition, a colorful procession in which more than one and a half thousand people will take part, and a final show dedicated to beer made from hops.
Modeste Beer Festival, Antwerp
The Modeste beer festival is dedicated to Modest van den Bogaert, director of the famous Antwerp brewery De Koninck, which he headed for fifty years. The word "modeste" means "humble" in Dutch, so only small breweries take part in this festival. At the festival, guests will be able to try not only beer, but also the famous Van Tricht cheese.
Christmas Beer Festival, Essen (Antwerp)
The Christmas beer festival in Essen is considered one of the best in the world - here, along with classic beers, you can try new ones, in total there are about 170 Belgian varieties. The festival is so popular that since 2015, ticketed entry has been introduced, and the maximum number of guests should not exceed 1,000 people. It is better to book tickets at least a month in advance.
At the end of the year, many travelers begin to make travel plans for next year. To help you, I have compiled a list of the most interesting beer festivals in Europe that will take place in 2019, so that everyone interested can include a visit to one of them in their future trip itinerary.
Oktoberfest
- Location: Munich, Germany
- Dates: September 21 – October 6, 2019 (dates change every year)
- How to get there: air ticket Moscow – Munich from € 45 round trip
- The exact address: Theresienwiese, Theresienhöhe, 80339 Munich
The largest beer festival in the world, which we already told you about in the article. In 2019, Oktoberfest will be held for the 186th time! On a huge meadow in the center of Munich, tents with different types of beer are pitched and many tables are set up. At the beer festival you can try the best German beers from Bavarian breweries, including Paulaner, Löwenbräu and others.
In addition to the famous beer, you can also try German Bratwurst sausages, pork knuckle and the notorious pretzel bread. Beer flows like a river here, people dance, socialize and have fun. However, be careful: the beer here is much stronger than what you are used to. To add to the fun and holiday spirit, you can purchase a local Bavarian Dirndl costume. The only thing that can darken the holiday atmosphere is the prices for beer, which start here from € 9.7 per liter!
Czech Beer Festival
- Location: Prague, Czech Republic
- Dates: May 15 - June 16, 2019 (dates change every year)
- How to get there: air ticket Moscow – Prague from € 60 two ways
- The exact address: Letenská Plaň, Prague 7
Did you know that the Czechs drink the most beer in the world per capita? There are a lot of beer festivals in the Czech Republic, but they are held once a year in Prague. At this festival, local brewers present more than 150 Czech beer brands. This is a real beer festival with its own entertainment program and even a special beer currency - dollars. Here you can try both traditional varieties of Czech beer: Krušovice, Starobrno or Primator, as well as exclusive varieties from local small breweries: Ferdinand, Herold, Platan and many others. Every day at the festival, Czech musical groups perform and interesting competitions are held, such as who can drink a meter of beer the fastest. Plus, snacks here are not as expensive as at Oktoberfest in Munich.
Zythos Beer Festival
- Location: Leuven, Belgium
- Dates: April 24 – 29, 2019 (dates change every year)
- How to get there: air ticket Moscow – Brussels from € 67 two ways. There is a train departing from Brussels Airport to Leuven, travel time is 13 minutes, train ticket price is € 8.8. If you don’t want to get stuck on the train, you can order a comfortable taxi
- The exact address: Brabantlaan 1, 3001 Heverlee
The Zythos beer festival is held in perhaps the most beer-producing city in Belgium - Leuven. It is here that the famous plant of the Anheuser Busch InBev group of companies, or simply Sun InBev, is located, producing such beloved beers as Staropramen, Hoegaarden, Löwenbräu, Leffe, Sibirskaya Korona, Bagbier. The 2015 beer festival in Leuven was such a success that the organizers promised to hold it on an even bigger scale in 2016. Entry to the festival is free, but you will need to purchase beer tokens for €1.50 per token. 1 beer (10 cl) = 1 token.
The festival is held indoors, where smoking is prohibited. At the festival in Leuven you will find several hundred tents with a myriad of Belgian beers, as well as the most delicious and original varieties of Belgian ale, stout, wheat, lager and fruit beers. Beer is served in authentic 15 cl glass glasses, which you can then take home with you as a souvenir. Particularly noteworthy is the Kwak beer, which croaks while drinking :) If you have always dreamed of trying real Belgian beer, then this is the place for you.
Brugs Bier Festival
- Location: Bruges, Belgium
- Dates: January 31 – February 5, 2019 (dates change every year)
- How to get there: air ticket Moscow – Brussels from € 67 two ways. There is a train from Brussels Airport to Bruges. Travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes, the cost of a one-way ticket is 20.6 Euro. You will need to make one transfer at one of the Brussels stations; in Bruges, you will have to walk another 1 km from the train to the festival site. You can get to Bruges directly by taxi
- The exact address: Hauwerstraat 3, 8000 Brugge
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