5 beer festivals for trying new brews in ’18
This year, make it a happy brew year. Resolution No. 1: Find a new beer to try at a beer festival.
I’ll get you started with these big beer events from now through February.
Jan. 13: Bare Bones Brewery in Oshkosh will host the first Fox Valley Winter Beer Festival with its own beers along with those from Stone Arch Brewpub, Fox River Brewing Co., Lion’s Tail Brewing Co., Appleton Beer Factory, Knuth Brewing Co., Fifth Ward Brewing Co. and HighHolder Brewing Co. Tickets are $40 for general admission. See the event page on Facebook.
Jan. 20: Isthmus Beer and Cheese Festival celebrates its ninth year. The festival features more than 100 breweries and ciders along with Wisconsin cheesemakers from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. General-admission tickets are $50.
Jan. 27: Technically, this isn’t a beer festival. But it’s close. Central Waters celebrates its 20th year of barrel-aged beer parties starting at 3 p.m. at the brewery in Amherst. The party includes the opportunity to purchase up to six bottles of the special barrel-aged anniversary beer.
Party tickets sold out in minutes, but the brewery is offering a chance to win them at various locations through the state. See
Feb. 3: Also technically not a beer festival, but don’t discount Mitten Fest, the annual outdoor block party at Burnhearts, as a place to drink beer. The restless and the thirsty will flock to a twoblock area near the bar at 2599 S. Logan Ave. to drink rare and limited-release beers or brandy old-fashioneds and listen to live music under the glow of a heat lamp. It runs from noon until 8 p.m. Follow the event page on Facebook.
Feb. 17: Time flies when you’re sampling beer. The 20th annual Food & Froth takes over the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $135 for VIP tickets with early entry and a VIP lounge.
Feb. 18: The MKE Brewing Midwinter Brewfest took advantage of last year’s unusually warm February day to spread the love and the beer outside. Let’s hope for the same this year. The fest, held at the Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St., draws more than 30 brewers and hundreds of people from 1 to 5 p.m. (VIP guests get in at noon). This year, proceeds from the fest will benefit Islands of Brilliance, a learning experience developed specifically for children and young adults on the autism spectrum. General-admission tickets are $50; VIP tickets are $65.
Contact Kathy at kathy.flanigan @jrn.com. Create your own tour of Wisconsin breweries with Beer Near, an interactive listing of the state’s beer producers.