January 2008

January 3-5: Derby Twelfth Night Beer Festival

Location: Darwin Suite, Assembly Rooms, Derby Market Place, Derby, England
Organized By: Derby Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 90 Real Ales, including a special festival beer; ciders, perries, and foreign bottled beers; live entertainment, featuring tribute bands.

January 4-5: Frodsham Winterfest

Location: Church Hall, Frodsham, England
Highlights: A selection of beers, ciders, and fruit wines; food available at all sessions.

January 5: Ice Cold Beer Fest

Location: The Waters of Minocqua, Minocqua, WI
Organized By: Minocqua Brewing Company, Trig's Cellar 70, The Waters of Minocqua
Highlights: For more details, contact the brewery at hoppyry (at) gmail (dot) com.

January 11-12: Exeter Festival of Winter Ales

Location: Lower Exhibition Hall, University of Exeter, Exeter, England
Organized By: Exeter & East Devon Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 60 winter-only brews and festive ciders; food available at lunchtime and evening sessions; live entertainment Saturday evening; sponsors' tasting Evening on January 10.

January 12: Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Beer Festival

Location: Vail Mountain Marriott Resort and Spa, Vail, CO
Benefit For: Vail Valley Charitable Fund
Highlights: Events include a homebrew competition Friday afternoon; a brewmasters' dinner Friday evening; an Experimental Brewing Seminar with some of the nation's leading brewers Saturday morning (new this year); and a public tasting session with more than 125 beers Saturday afternoon.

January 12-13: Gullebierdagen Nijlen

Location: Parochiezaal, Nijlen (near Antwerp), Belgium
Highlights: Inaugural event, with more than 80 beers, many of them from the barrel, from at least 15 Belgian breweries.

January 12: Winter Ales Tasting

Location: Brown Cow Inn, Keighley, England
Organized By: Keighley & Craven Branch, Campaign for Real Ale and the Brown Cow Inn
Highlights: A tasting of stouts, porters, and winter warmers, some cask-conditioned.

January 16-19: National Winter Ales Festival

Location: New Century Hall, Manchester, England
Organized By: Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Two hundred British and foreign beers; bottled Real Ales, ciders and perries; "Champion Beer of Britain" awards; food and live entertainment; CAMRA shop, merchandise, tombol; event benefits Rainbow Family Trust.

January 17-19: Colchester Winter Ale Festival

Location: Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester, England
Organized By: Colchester Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Inaugural event; more than 40 Real Ales from local breweries (within about 35 miles of the festival venue), plus ciders and perries; Craft Brewers Association display and homebrewing demonstration; food and live music.

January 17-18: Great Alaska Beer & Barleywine Festival

Location: Egan Convention Center, Anchorage, AK
Presented By: Aurora Productions, Inc.
Highlights: More than 200 barleywine-style ales, winter warmers, and other beers from more than 50 breweries, most from Alaska and the West Coast; event benefits the American Diabetes Association.

January 18-20: Bradford on Avon Rugby Club Winter Beer Weekend

Location: Broom Ground, Bradford on Avon, England
Highlights: Three days of beer tasting; festival admission on Saturday includes free admission to match versus Minety.

January 19: Chicagoland Brewpub & Microbrewery Shootout

Location: Irish American Hertiage Center, Chicago, IL
Organized By: Chicago Beer Society
Highlights: Beer from Chicago-area microbreweries and brewpubs, food, voting for favorite beer of the festival.

January 19: Asheville Winter Warmer Beer Festival

Location: The Garage at Biltmore (next door to French Broad Brewing Company), Asheville, NC
Hosted By: Asheville Brews Cruise, French Broad Brewing Company, and The Garage
Highlights: Inaugural event; beer from local microbreweries, music by the Marc Higgins Band and Dehlia Low and barbecue by Luella's; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association.

January 19-20: Sleeman International Beer Festival

Location: Le Massif, Petite-Rivi re-Saint-Francois, PQ, Canada
Highlights: A selection of Sleeman Brewery products; free apres-ski show at the Summit Pub on Saturday.

January 19: WinterHop Brewfest

Location: Ellensburg, WA
Sponsored By: Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce
Highlights: Ten historic downtown businesses will be hosting 20 Washington microbreweries, with beer tasting and live music.

January 20: Winterbierfestival

Location: Welland College, Gouda, The Netherlands
Organized By: South Holland Region, PINT (Dutch beer enthusiasts' organization)
Highlights: Fifteenth annual event; about 60 beers, many of them winter warmers with 7-12% ABV. Website is in Dutch only.

January 22-23: Strong Ale Beer Tasting Extravaganzee

Location: The Brickskeller, Washington, DC
Highlights: About a dozen different brewmasters each night take will present their winter ales.

January 24-26: Bent and Bongs Beer Bash

Location: Formby Hall, Atherton, England
Organized By: Atherton and Tyldesley Round Table, in association with the Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 80 Real Ales (this year's theme and beer list TBA on the festival website), including around 20 winter ales; ciders and perries, draft and bottled foreign and fruit beers; food and live entertainment.

January 24-26: Cambridge Winter Ale Festival

Location: University Sports and Social Club, Cambridge, England
Organized By: Cambridge & District Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: About 120 beers, with the emphasis on seasonal ales and winter warmers, but many "session" beers as well; hot and cold food at lunchtime and in the evening.

January 25: Winter Brew Fest 08

Location: Oriental Theater, Denver, CO
Benefit For: Colorado Environmental Coalition
Highlights: Winter beer, plus entertainment by Danny Vegas, and classic movies, and headline act "The Reals" (included in admission); theater was voted "best up and coming venue in Denver.

January 26: Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting

Location: Sweetwater Brewing Company, Atlanta, GA
Benefit For: Atlanta Humane Society
Highlights: Fifteen cask-conditioned ales from homebrewers and local microbreweries; live Celtic music; free pint glass to take home; tours of Sweetwater's tasting room and brewery. This event is sold out.

January 26: Beer Summit Winter Jubliee

Location: The Castle at Park Plaza, Boston, MA
Presented By: BeerSummit.com
Highlights: Last year's event featured beer 7% ABV or stronger from 35 breweries from around the world, two tasting sessions, and live entertainment. Details of this year's event will be posted on the festival website.

January 26: Blue Point Brewing Company Cask Ale Festival

Location: Blue Point Brewing Company, Patchogue, NY
Highlights: More than 30 cask-conditioned ales, including the featured beer, "Rye Hop Knot"; local barbecue for sale.

January 26: Belgium Comes to West Chester

Location: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, West Chester, PA
Highlights: Annual event, which includes three-course beer dinner hosted by head brewer Chris LaPierre with dishes paired with a variety of Belgian beers; and a tasting of Belgian-style beers by Iron Hill's six locations and other microbreweries.

January 26-27: Strange Beer Festival

Location: Water Street Brewing, Port Townsend, WA
Highlights:Beer from more than 35 Northwest breweries; entertainment, including a dance party with Lucky Brown and the Funk Revolution.

January 31-February 2: Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival

Location: Triangle Club, Chelmsford, England
Organized By: Chelmsford & West Essex Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Last year's festival featured more than 120 Real Ales, plus Real Ciders, perries, and Belgian beers, along with food at all sessions. Details of this year's festival will be posted on the branch website.

January 31-February 2: Pendle Beer Festival

Location: Colne Municipal Hall, Colne, England
Organized By: East Lancashire Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: This year's theme is "All at Sea," with half of the more than 65 Real Ales from breweries with a nautical connection and other beers from local breweries; Real Ciders and Perries and bottled beers; event benefits the Pendleside Hospice.