July 2008

July 1: Reading Phillies Beer Tasting Festival

Location: FirstEnergy Stadium, Reading, PA
Sponsored By: The Reading Eagle
Highlights: Pre-game sampling of imported and domestic beer provided by All-Star Distributing; all-you-can-eat buffet featuring barbecue chicken and hot dogs; access to the heated pool.

July 3-6: Festival of Beer & Brewing

Location: Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, England
Highlights: Festival venue is a 500-year-old Tythe Barn, with adjacent garden area; more than 66 draft beers, plus ciders and locally-produced bottle-conditioned ales; food available every session; family area and quiet drinking zone.

July 4-6: Beer on the Wye

Location: Hereford Rowing Club, Hereford, England
Organized By: Hereford Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Outdoor riverside location; more than 100 draft beers from throughout the UK; expanded Foreign Beers Bar; over 50 draft ciders, all made in Herefordshire; food, including a pig roast; live music and other entertainment; Champion Beer of the Festival competition; family-friendly session on Sunday.

July 4-6: Glastonwick 2008

Location: Church Farm, Coombes, England
Organized By: The founders of Glastonwick, including Seagulls Ska, Attila the Stockbroker, and international cask beer advocate Alex Hall
Highlights: "Beer, music, poetry, and more beer"; last year's festival featured 65 cask-conditioned ales, all from small independent breweries; farmhouse ciders and perries; food; and an international lineup of entertainers. More details of this year's event will be posted on the festival website.

July 4-6: Seattle International Beer Festival

Location: Murel Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA
Highlights: Outdoor venue with "Grande Beer Garden"; more than 100 beers from over 15 countries; food; live music; free darts, chess, checkers. and backgammon.

July 4-6: Viersen Bierboerse

Location: Downtown Duelken, Germany
Highlights: Biergarten atmosphere; more than 1,000 beers from over 75 countries, including hard-to-find German microbrewery products; food and live entertainment; breweriana; artisan stands. Website is in German only.

July 5: Haddenham Real Ale Festival

Location: Haddenham Youth and Community Centre, Woodways, England
Benefit For: Local charities TBA
Highlights: More than 60 ales, lagers, ciders, and perries; wine and Pimms; hot and cold food; olives and soft drinks; entertainment, including live jazz and Appalachian and Morris dancers.

July 5: Riverside Festival

Location: Stamford Meadows, Stamford, England
Organized By: Riverside Association of Music & Arts and the Bourne Round Table
Highlights: Part of "the East Midlands' best music festival" with more than 30 Real Ales and ciders; event features over 30 bands and artists performing on three stages.

July 6: Canada Cup of Beer

Location: Thunderbird Stadium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Presented By: Just Here for the Beer
Highlights: Last year's festival featured 100 beers from 30 vendors, voting by festival-goers for their favorite products, and prizes for "Best Beer T-Shirt" and "Best Group Costume." More details about this year's event will be posted on the festival website.

July 8-12: Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival

Location: Admiral's Park, Chemlsford, England
Organized By: Chelmsford & Mid-Essex Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: New venue this year; last year's festival featured more than 200 Real Ales plus ciders, perries, and Belgian beers and hot and cold food, including barbecue. Details about this year's festival will be posted on the branch's website.

July 9-13: Festival of Beer and Flowers

Location: Old Town Center, Laako, Slovenia
Highlights: Slovenia's most-visited tourist event, with beer tents, live music, featuring Slovenian and foreign bands, a traditional wedding ceremony, a parade, and fireworks on Saturday night.

July 10-12: Bromsgrove Beer Festival

Location: Bromsgrove Rugby Football Club, Bromsgrove, England
Organized By: Redditch and Bromsgrove Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: One hundred Real Ales; West Midlands Region Bitter of the Year Competition; 24 ciders and perries, fruit wines, and other beverages; food available at most sessions; CAMRA shop and membership stand; festival venue itself is a quiet area, live band playing in the Rugby Club.

July 11: Empire State Brewing & Music Festival

Location: Clinton Square, Syracuse, NY
Sanctioned By: New York State Brewers Association
Highlights: Three hundred beers; tents devoted to cask-conditioned and Belgian-style beer; more than 75 national and international brewery representatives on hand to answer questions; five bands, performing on two stages throughout the evening; retailers related to the brewing industry; food from area restaurants; proceeds benefit the New York State Brewers Association and Project Children.

July 11-13: Woodcote Festival of Ale

Location: Rally Field, Woodcote, England
Organized By: Local branches of the Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 35 Real Ales, plus traditionally-brewed lagers, Real Ciders, and soft drinks; event is part of the annual Woodcote Rally, a traditional country fair atmosphere, with steam engines, vintage vehicles, food stalls, and live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

July 12: Aldridge Beer Festival

Location: Scout Headquarters, Aldridge, England
Organized By: 36th Walsall Scout Group
Highlights: A range of Real Ales, many from local breweries (list TBA on the festival website); wines, ciders, and lagers; event benefits the Scout Group.

July 12: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival

Location: Symphony Park at South Park, Charlotte, NC
Presented By: Moorea Marketing
Highlights: More than 60 beers, and up to 40 bourbons; a number of barbecue tastes for sampling; "bourbon college," with tasting classes from master distillers; heated cigar tent; a portion of the proceeds benefits the WCD Foundation for Education.

July 12: Charlbury Beer Festival

Location: Memorial Hall, Charlbury, England
Benefit For: The Primary School
Highlights: Last year's festival featured more than 35 Real Ales plus ciders, food and entertainment. Details of this year's event will be posted on the festival website.

July 12: Made in the Shade Beer Festival

Location: Coconino County Fairgrounds, Fort Tuthill County Park, three miles south of Flagstaff AZ
Benefit For: Sun Sounds of Arizona
Highlights: Sampling "under the cool pines," with beer from more than 50 breweries from Arizona and the Southwest; live music on two stages; VIP sampling tickets available. More details of this year's event will be posted on the festival website.

July 12: Microbreweries Battling Breast Cancer

Location: Larkspur Landing Courtyard, Larkspur, CA
Benefit For: Charlotte Maxwell Complimentary Clinic
Highlights: Afternoon tasting session, with beer from more than 25 local microbreweries; live music all afternoon. More details about this festival will be posted on the Marin Brewing Company's website.

July 12: Rails to Ales Brewfest

Location: Iron Horse State Park, South Cle Elum, WA
Benefit For: Cascade Rail Foundation
Highlights: Inaugural event, held in Milwaukee Road Depot and Railyard; beer from a dozen area microbreweries; music by two local bands; railroad relics and history.

July 12: West Cheshire Beers Festival

Location: Spitting Feathers Brewery, Chester, England
Highlights: A celebration of the beers of West Cheshire, with more than 30 beers representing all of the area's breweries; brewers will be in attendance; food and live music; proceeds go to brewery-designated charities.

July 14-19: Ohio Brew Week

Location: Various locations, Athens, OH
Highlights: A week-long celebration of Ohio craft brewing, with more than 75 beers to sample; beer-related foods and specials at 21 establishments in the Athens area; cooking with beer demonstrations; speakers, including special guest speaker TBA; "People’s Choice Award" presentation during Athens' Boogie on the Bricks festival.

July 17-19: Kent Beer Festival

Location: Merton Farm, near Canterbury, England
Organized By: Kent Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 120 Real Ales and ciders, plus foreign beers; food and live music; family area; free shuttle bus; parking.

July 18-20: Poppy Line Beer Festival

Location: Sheringham Railway Station, Sheringham, England
Presented By: North Norfolk Railway
Highlights: Festival venue is a steam railway station; event features East Anglian ales, a hog roast and buffet, and live entertainment.

July 18-19: Olletoober 2008

Location: Oltme, Leisi, Saaremaa Island, Estonia
Highlights: The Nordic countries' largest festival, with more than 100 beers from the Baltic states and the rest of Europe; homebrewing competition; camping adjacent to the festival venue. Details of this year's event will be posted on the festival website. Website is in Estonian only.

July 18-20: Portland International Beer Festival

Location: North Park Blocks, Pearl District, Portland, OR
Highlights: Outdoor venue with "Grande Beer Garden"; more than 100 beers from over 15 countries; food; live music; free darts, chess, checkers. and backgammon.

July 18-19: Vermont Brewers Festival

Location: Waterfront Park, Burlington, VT
Organized By: Vermont Brewers Association
Highlights: Festival venue is on the shores of Lake Champlain, with the Adirondacks in the background; event features beer from more than 30 invited brewers from Vermont and the region; gourmet food, music, and children's activities.

July 18-20: Mainz Bierboerse

Location: Near City Hall, Mainz, Germany
Highlights: Biergarten atmosphere; more than 1,000 beers from over 75 countries, including hard-to-find German microbrewery products; food and live entertainment; breweriana; artisan stands; fireworks. Website is in German only.

July 19: A Tasting in the Wilds

Location: Ridgway, PA
Presented By: Ridgway Heritage Council and the Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce
Highlights: Tasting of products from at least 12 area breweries and wineries; homebrewing and wine-making contests. For more information, email festival organizers at tastinginthewilds (at) windstream (dot) net or call Dawn Jardini at 814.772.1638.

July 19: Gulf Brew

Location: Parc International, downtown Lafayette, LA
Hosted By: Acadiana Arts Council
Highlights: A celebration in the style of Munich's Oktoberfest, featuring craft breweries from the Gulf South, homebrewing exhibits, food from local restaurants, artwork, and non-stop live music; festival is held in conjunction the with Southern Open 2008 art exhibition.

July 19: Hook Norton Beer Festival

Location: Hook Norton Brewery, between Chipping Norton and Banbury, England
Benefit For: Leukemia research and other charities
Highlights: About 80 ales (complete list TBA on the brewery's website); food, including two pig roasts; live music and Morris dancers; children's activities.

July 19: Hops, Vines & Wine Festival

Location: Downtown Selinsgrove, PA
Sponsored By: Selin's Grove Brewing
Highlights: Inaugural event, held in historic downtown location; beer and wine from the region's craft beers and wineries; food vendors and entertainment; proceeds will go to downtown revitalization.

July 19: Indiana Microbrewers Festival

Location: Opti-Park, Broad Ripple (Indianapolis), IN
Organized By: Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG)
Highlights: More than 200 beers from 20 Indiana breweries and 15 out-of-state breweries; brewers in attendance; cask-conditioned table, with up to 16 firkins served on gravity; replicale, with Indiana breweries using a mutual recipe; games, including toss the keg and "Dunk the Brewer"; live music and food; door prizes.

July 24-27: Oregon Brewers Festival

Location: Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, OR
Highlights: North America's largest gathering of independent brewers, with beer from 73 invited breweries; exhibits by hop growers, maltsters, and homebrewers; food and live entertainment, and a brewers parade to kick off the festivities.

July 25-27: Bonn Bierboerse

Location: Freizeitpark Rheinaue, Bonn, Germany
Highlights: Biergarten atmosphere; more than 1,000 beers from over 75 countries, including hard-to-find German microbrewery products; food and live entertainment; breweriana; artisan stands; fireworks. Website is in German only.

July 25-26: Michigan Brewers' Guild Summer Beer Festival

Location: Riverside Park, Ypsilanti, MI
Organized By: Michigan Brewers Guild
Highlights: Friday evening and Saturday afternoon tasting sessions, with more than 40 Michigan breweries participating and hourly releases of special festival beers; beautiful park setting with food, live entertainment, and educational lectures.

July 26-August 14: Annafest

Location: Kellerwald, Forchheim, Germany
Highlights: Festival of St. Anne, first held in Forchheim in 1446; celebrated in a beer garden with room for 30,000; fairground attractions; food from 24 restaurants plus numerous stalls selling German food; live bands.

July 26-27: Harpoon Championship of New England Barbecue

Location: Harpoon Brewery, Windsor, VT
Highlights: Harpoon beer; barbecue, with 40 teams competing for prizes, with winning entries sold to the public; live music, provided by Vermont bands; brewery tours throughout the weekend.

July 26: Lac du Flambeau Lions Brewfest

Location: Torpy Park, Minocqua, WI
Sponsored By: Lac du Flambeau Lions Club
Highlights: Lakeside setting; beer from more than 25 breweries, most from Wisconsin and the Midwest; "People's Choice" awards; live entertainment; food, including bratwurst; raffles all afternoon; all proceeds go to state and local charities.

July 26: Music City Brewer's Festival

Location: Hilton Park, downtown Nashville, TN
Highlights: Beer from more than 30 local, regional and national breweries; local bands, performing on the Sam Ash Music Stage; food from area restaurants; Uptown's Smoke Shop Cool Zone; homebrewing demonstrations.