Decatur Beer Festival Brewery List and Map Released!
Decatur Metro | October 13, 2011If you’ve got beer fest tickets, don’t even finish reading this sentence! Click here for the brewery list and map and start planning your Decatur Beer Fest experience!
The greatest new thing about this year? The beer stations are organized by REGION instead of DISTRIBUTOR, as has been the case in years past. This should make for a more pleasant – and less confusing – experience for all.
The only state to get it’s own section at this year’s event? Colorado.
So, what are people interested in trying this year? I feel like I’m more “educated” going into it this year than in years past, but there are still many breweries I don’t recognize. And many of them are in the South!
I don’t have a gameplan yet but I wouldn’t share it anyway. We like to think of Decatur as this quaint little Mayberry where our neighbors are nice and friendly. The Beer Festival proves that this is just a facade. I don’t know if it’s the pent-up frustration followed by sudden freedom and release because the breeders got a babysitter for the day; or maybe it’s the Us vs. Them mentality as hordes from Dunwoody and Marietta invade the Square; whatever it is, the Beer Festival devolves into an anarchic free-for-all as soon as the gates open.
This will be the year that I figure out a way to beat the system. Unless I just give in, camp out in the corner and pass out after my 20th Yuengling just like in college…
Hit the heavy gravity (I mean HEAVY) beers first, then do the rounds counter-clockwise–against the flow of the crowd, do the heavy ones again, and then find the least-busy table with the most generous volunteers. (At this point I’m usually waiting for someone–anyone, to tell me it’s time to go home.)
That’s a good plan in theory. I predict I’ll follow it for about 15 minutes before giving up or getting kicked out for pounding some frat boy who cuts in front of me at the Dogfish Head table. I’ll save you a spot next to the Yuengling pourers!
It’s beerfest, dude, I’m not paying $40 to drink crap. Later, I will probably be found at (or under) the Unibroue or Ommegang table.
If this is a personal attack, feel free to edit DM. But this post is a ridiculous collection of generalizations.
I’m not sure what would be worse: If you really couldn’t tell when someone’s joking or if I just got punked because you were joking too
In case anyone else was unintentionally offended, let me rephrase my original comment: The Beer Festival gets wicked crowded and I don’t like people getting between me and my beer, so you’re on your own bee-otches!
If this is a personal attack, feel free to edit DM. But this post is a general collection of ridiculousness.
Very well played, my friend.
+1
you kid, but we showed up early one year with friends and nabbed the front of the line- a really fun time hanging out and greeting everyone we knew as they headed back farther in the line. It was worth it for the beautiful sight of walking into the fest with no one in front of us! A very memoriable beer fest.
Wow – an all-American list (with one Canadian exception). There are some great breweries, but I had no idea that this year the festival wouldn’t have any foreign breweries. I don’t recall that being the case in any previous years. Very interesting . . .
Looks like I will be hitting the West Coast breweries during the Kingsized set. Beyond that it’s pure speculation.
Whoops – looks like my pre-coffee buzzed brain wasn’t functioning properly.
Also, I wish they’d have Kingsized close the festivities. Although based on how riled up he usually gets a crowd, I suppose I can understand why they didn’t.
Serious question here: What year was the first Decatur Beer Festival? I know I was at it and based on where I was living, it had to be between 1995 and 1998. It may have actually been in the spring, I don’t think it was in October like it is now. I’ve been racking my brain trying to pin down the year and was shocked that I couldn’t figure it out with a simple Google search. Anyone got the scoop?
The first Beer Festival was in 1998 and yes it was in the spring. It was such a success that a second Beer Festival was held in the fall. The organizers moved the event to the fall permanently in 1999. The Mayor loves to remind us that we unintentionally planned the first Beer Festival it for the same day as the Easter Egg Hunt. We had a lawn full of kids in the morning and a lawn full of beer drinkers in the afternoon.
Thanks Lyn! I’m glad I didn’t bet on it because I would have put good money on it being in 1996 or 1997. I thought the Grog Shop was closed by 1998 but I guess that’s wrong because I remember going there after the beer festival and getting kicked out for…well, you all can use your imagination on that one. Fortunately there’s not a police report of the incident…
hmm. wife is sick. if she isn’t better by sat i’ll be selling our 2 tickets.
Gee, I’m not married…but I’d be damned if I ever let a sick wife prevent me from attending a beer festival.
Maybe that’s why I’m not married…
The only thing worse would be if it were your anniversary too. I think they triple your alimony payments for that.
Not really sure if I went counterclockwise first or hit Colorado with a grin, but whatever it was, it worked. I had a fantastic time!