The Macon Beer Fest is undergoing some major changes this year. In previous years, the beer festival has featured a unique and very cool "pub crawl"-style atmosphere. Patrons would visit 10-15 venues and use their sample tickets to try beer at each venue. This format was logistically creative and offered patrons an opportunity to experience bars they may not have visited in the past. On the other hand, it also required a lot of walking around downtown, which was not always enjoyable when the temperatures were north of 95 degrees.
This year, the Macon Beer Fest is shifting the layout to a smaller footprint, occupying two blocks at the corner of 3rd and Poplar. The festival format will switch from a sample ticket system to an unlimited sample system. That means you can try your favorite beer as often as you want (unless it's everyone's favorite beer and you drink it all!). There will also be live music and more portalets available.
You may have heard radio or TV ads promoting the event as being able to sample over 30 craft beers. While this is technically true, the lineup is much closer to 50 different craft beers from nearly 30 craft breweries. This is already shaping up to be the biggest and best Macon Beer Fest to date. The festival proceeds still help support prostate cancer research through Pints for Prostates, so you'll be having a good time AND supporting a good cause.
The Macon Beer Fest is Saturday, August 22. General admission tickets are $35 and the event runs from 3PM - 7PM. If you want to start early, VIP tickets are $75 and they start off the festival early with food and a few special release beers at 1:30PM.
Buy your tickets here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/152992298133545
Twitter: @MaconBeerFest
Showing posts with label macon beer fest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label macon beer fest. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Macon Beer Fest Recap
The high was 100, but that didn't stop the beer-craving masses from flooding the streets of downtown Macon. Much like last year, each attendee received a handy bag to carry their sampling cup and check sheet. Many of the locations were offering draft beer this year, which was a nice addition. The lines moved much faster than last year with many stations having an almost non-existent line. Perhaps my favorite improvement was that I was able to try every beer. I enjoyed my last sample at 7PM on the dot. Last year there were 3 or 4 beers I was unable to try due to locations running out of beer. Overall, it was a great day and I didn't even get a sunburn!
If you want to see pictures, check out my twitter @maconbeerscene or the hashtag #maconbeerfest.
Here's a list of what you tried at each location, and my quick thoughts on each beer.
Bearfoot Tavern
Red Brick Matcha Yuzu Super Green IPA - Do you like green tea? Because that's exactly what this beer tastes like! Maybe a bit much for me, but plenty of others around me were enjoying it.
Strawn Scottish Ale - My favorite Strawn beer. Nice and roasty but light enough to enjoy in the heat.
Hummingbird
Jailhouse 4D IPA - Tons of hop character in this IPA. Jailhouse constantly changes their IPA and I think each version is better than the last.
Jailhouse Reprieve - Sort of a cross between a wheat and a saison. Spicy, yet refreshing. Maybe it was the heat, but I thought of it as a summer saison.
Note: The Hummingbird will have these beers on tap for $2/pint tonight (9/3/14)!
Lemongrass
O'Dempsey's Inukshuk IPA - This was my last beer of the day, so all I remember is that I liked it.
O'Dempsey's Big Red - Malty and sweet, just as you would expect.
Ocmulgee Traders
Orange Blossom Pilsner - Both the name of the brewery and the beer. A sweeter, slightly fruity take on a light beer.
Sprecher Hard Root Beer - Tastes exactly like root beer, but the same alcohol as a beer. Dangerous.
Harpoon IPA - An old favorite, a well-balanced IPA.
Downtown Macon Rotary
Back Forty Naked Pig - A nice pale ale, not too bitter, from across the state line in Alabama.
Innus and Gunn Original - This brewery is known for barrel aging all the beers, so it would be expected that this one had a hint of bourbon to it.
Anchor Porter - I suppose they had to get a dark beer in here, but the chocolate and coffee notes were a bit too much in this heat. This would be a great winter beer.
Margaritas - Mercer Village
Abita Lemon Wheat - Sort of what you'd expect if you dissolved a lemon drop in a beer, which actually worked in a good way.
Three Taverns White Hops - One of my favorite GA breweries, this one crosses a wheat and an IPA for a summer take on the style.
Twang
Southern Tier Phin and Matt's - Easy drinking pilsner-ish beer. Light and refreshing.
Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan - Been seeing a lot of this one recently. A slightly sweet brown ale with a hint of pecans.
Ginger
Terrapin Liquid Bliss - Holy crap it's peanut butter and chocolate. Not exactly a summer beer but would be a great dessert beer.
Sweetwater Blue - The summer classic. Light, a bit sweet and a strong flavor of blueberries.
Cox Capitol Theatre
Max Lagers Hopsplosion - Whoa. The hoppiest thing I've had all day, maybe all summer. Maybe even too hoppy for me.
Max Lagers Demon d'Or - Very sweet with some Belgian flavors. Glad I'm drinking it indoors because it's probably too boozy for the heat.
Ocmulgee National Reserve
Uinta Hop Nosh - I've had some beers from this brewery that I didn't like, but this one is a solid IPA.
Clown Shoes Clementine - A bit of hops, a bit of wheat and a bit of orange. Refreshing.
Highland Gaelic Ale - Not sure what I was expecting, but this one tasted a lot lighter than it looked. Kind of wish it had more malt.
Downtown Grill
Eventide Kolsch - A lighter beer that was appropriate for the weather. First time trying something from these guys and I liked it.
Wild Heaven White Blackbird - This was a more traditional saison, with plenty of spicy notes. One of my favorites of the day.
Rookery
Macon Progress - The beer we all know and love. Need I say more?
Macon Music - The latest batch of this IPA is the best yet.
If you want to see pictures, check out my twitter @maconbeerscene or the hashtag #maconbeerfest.
Here's a list of what you tried at each location, and my quick thoughts on each beer.
Bearfoot Tavern
Red Brick Matcha Yuzu Super Green IPA - Do you like green tea? Because that's exactly what this beer tastes like! Maybe a bit much for me, but plenty of others around me were enjoying it.
Strawn Scottish Ale - My favorite Strawn beer. Nice and roasty but light enough to enjoy in the heat.
Hummingbird
Jailhouse 4D IPA - Tons of hop character in this IPA. Jailhouse constantly changes their IPA and I think each version is better than the last.
Jailhouse Reprieve - Sort of a cross between a wheat and a saison. Spicy, yet refreshing. Maybe it was the heat, but I thought of it as a summer saison.
Note: The Hummingbird will have these beers on tap for $2/pint tonight (9/3/14)!
Lemongrass
O'Dempsey's Inukshuk IPA - This was my last beer of the day, so all I remember is that I liked it.
O'Dempsey's Big Red - Malty and sweet, just as you would expect.
Ocmulgee Traders
Orange Blossom Pilsner - Both the name of the brewery and the beer. A sweeter, slightly fruity take on a light beer.
Sprecher Hard Root Beer - Tastes exactly like root beer, but the same alcohol as a beer. Dangerous.
Harpoon IPA - An old favorite, a well-balanced IPA.
Downtown Macon Rotary
Back Forty Naked Pig - A nice pale ale, not too bitter, from across the state line in Alabama.
Innus and Gunn Original - This brewery is known for barrel aging all the beers, so it would be expected that this one had a hint of bourbon to it.
Anchor Porter - I suppose they had to get a dark beer in here, but the chocolate and coffee notes were a bit too much in this heat. This would be a great winter beer.
Margaritas - Mercer Village
Abita Lemon Wheat - Sort of what you'd expect if you dissolved a lemon drop in a beer, which actually worked in a good way.
Three Taverns White Hops - One of my favorite GA breweries, this one crosses a wheat and an IPA for a summer take on the style.
Twang
Southern Tier Phin and Matt's - Easy drinking pilsner-ish beer. Light and refreshing.
Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan - Been seeing a lot of this one recently. A slightly sweet brown ale with a hint of pecans.
Ginger
Terrapin Liquid Bliss - Holy crap it's peanut butter and chocolate. Not exactly a summer beer but would be a great dessert beer.
Sweetwater Blue - The summer classic. Light, a bit sweet and a strong flavor of blueberries.
Cox Capitol Theatre
Max Lagers Hopsplosion - Whoa. The hoppiest thing I've had all day, maybe all summer. Maybe even too hoppy for me.
Max Lagers Demon d'Or - Very sweet with some Belgian flavors. Glad I'm drinking it indoors because it's probably too boozy for the heat.
Ocmulgee National Reserve
Uinta Hop Nosh - I've had some beers from this brewery that I didn't like, but this one is a solid IPA.
Clown Shoes Clementine - A bit of hops, a bit of wheat and a bit of orange. Refreshing.
Highland Gaelic Ale - Not sure what I was expecting, but this one tasted a lot lighter than it looked. Kind of wish it had more malt.
Downtown Grill
Eventide Kolsch - A lighter beer that was appropriate for the weather. First time trying something from these guys and I liked it.
Wild Heaven White Blackbird - This was a more traditional saison, with plenty of spicy notes. One of my favorites of the day.
Rookery
Macon Progress - The beer we all know and love. Need I say more?
Macon Music - The latest batch of this IPA is the best yet.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Macon Beer Fest in 2 days!
The Macon Beer Fest is only two days away, do you have your tickets yet? The event sold out last year, so there may not be tickets available the day-of. If you haven't purchased tickets yet, you can buy them online here or from the Grand Opera House.
If this is your first year at the Macon Beer Festival, it's possibly unlike any festival you've attended before. The Rotary Club of Downtown Macon and Mainstreet Macon pair together with local business for a one-of-a-kind pub crawl meets beer festival. You'll receive a map and tasting tickets for each location. Your beer destinations are spread across downtown Macon and you'll get to sample craft beers from Georgia and beyond at each location. You may even discover a cool new bar or interesting restaurant along the way! One thing is for sure, you won't have to travel far for a good post-festival meal. You could even check out The Dirty Guv'nahs for Weaver's Weekend at the Crazy Bull after the festival!
What's new this year? More beer! This year's festival will see 13 different stations sponsored by local businesses. In addition to the lineup from last year, Ocmulgee Traders, Margaritas, Twang and Crazy Bull will be sponsoring your beer consumption destinations. A full list of venues can be found here.
In case you're feeling a bit guilty for spending your Saturday day-drinking around downtown Macon, don't worry. The Macon Beer Fest is for a good cause! Proceeds go to Pints for Prostates, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of prostate cancer through the universal language of Beer. There will even be free PSA tests at The Rotary venue, just in case you need a little liquid encouragement to get tested. It should be noted that they will only be testing your blood for PSA and not BAC.
Come on out Saturday and have a great time with the rest of Macon's beer-drinking elite!
More information: http://www.themaconbeerfest.com/
If this is your first year at the Macon Beer Festival, it's possibly unlike any festival you've attended before. The Rotary Club of Downtown Macon and Mainstreet Macon pair together with local business for a one-of-a-kind pub crawl meets beer festival. You'll receive a map and tasting tickets for each location. Your beer destinations are spread across downtown Macon and you'll get to sample craft beers from Georgia and beyond at each location. You may even discover a cool new bar or interesting restaurant along the way! One thing is for sure, you won't have to travel far for a good post-festival meal. You could even check out The Dirty Guv'nahs for Weaver's Weekend at the Crazy Bull after the festival!
What's new this year? More beer! This year's festival will see 13 different stations sponsored by local businesses. In addition to the lineup from last year, Ocmulgee Traders, Margaritas, Twang and Crazy Bull will be sponsoring your beer consumption destinations. A full list of venues can be found here.
In case you're feeling a bit guilty for spending your Saturday day-drinking around downtown Macon, don't worry. The Macon Beer Fest is for a good cause! Proceeds go to Pints for Prostates, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of prostate cancer through the universal language of Beer. There will even be free PSA tests at The Rotary venue, just in case you need a little liquid encouragement to get tested. It should be noted that they will only be testing your blood for PSA and not BAC.
Come on out Saturday and have a great time with the rest of Macon's beer-drinking elite!
More information: http://www.themaconbeerfest.com/
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Macon Beer Fest 2014 Tickets On Sale
Tickets for the 2014 Macon Beer Fest are on sale now! The festival provides you with over 30 samples of craft beer from around the country, as well as an excuse to check out a lot of cool downtown venues. A commemorative tasting glass is included with your admission, and samples will be 3oz. If you're doing the math, that's a lot of beer!
There will be a VIP event for $40 more that includes special beers, a cask tapping, food pairings at Downtown Grill and a festival t-shirt. This is the biggest beer event in Macon and it sells out, so don't delay in buying your tickets!
General Admission - $25 (incl. tax/fees)
VIP - $65 (incl. tax/fees)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)