6 Homegrown Beer Festivals Craft Beer Lovers Need to Know

The American craft beer may have started as a niche beverage, but now business is booming. A stop at the six-pack shop can easily become a head-scratching, hour-long trip while you narrow down your selections. Even the humble corner bar likely boasts craft drafts from all over the country.

Enter beer festivals, a fun way for curious drinkers to sample a variety of craft beers in a single day. These beer tasting events range from small, locally focused affairs to full-on blowouts the size of a small city. But no matter the size, the best local beer festivals encourage drinkers to expand their tastes and build boozy bridges with fellow ale lovers. Here are six of them that you can’t miss.

Merging music and beer (Asheville, North Carolina)

With a name that plays off bluegrass, the Brewgrass Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, pairs music and booze. Photo Credit: @brewgrassfestival

This once sleepy mountain town has become a mecca for dedicated beer enthusiasts. Though Asheville hosts plenty of great beer festivals throughout the year, the Brewgrass Festival is the one to beat. The October event features a fantastic mix of local and national craft breweries alongside an impressive lineup of bluegrass bands. Mountain views and killer brews make for one of the best-loved beer festivals on the East Coast.

A Texas-sized beer fest (Austin, Texas)

If Texas were a country, it would be the 40th largest in the world—nearly twice as big as Germany or Japan. So when the Texas Craft Brewers Festival says that it’s the largest in the state, people pay attention. This Austin event offers more than 200 beers from around 70 breweries across Texas. With the atmosphere of a Southern state fair, the sprawling September festival celebrates the collaborative, fruitful brewing scene of the Lone Star State.

One hot ticket (Denver, Colorado)

Held every fall in the Mile High City, the Great American Beer Festival is the Woodstock of beer fests. The numbers speak for themselves: Over the course of a single weekend, more than 800 breweries from across the nation pour nearly 4,000 different beers. In addition to the broad network of craft brewers, the event includes a prestigious competition and a variety of seminars, tastings and lectures. 

Sing a hoppy song (Nashville, Tennessee)

Country music fans will affirm that one thing that goes well with twangy tunes is a nice, big cold one. Nashville hosts a festival that brings the two together, creating a match made in hops heaven. Music City Brewer’s Festival invites over 40 breweries from near and far to tantalize the taste buds of over 5,000 visitors while live music entertainment rings clear all day long. For music fans in the craft beer scene, this one is a must.

Innovation and live music (Portland, Oregon)

Set in a picture-perfect park, the Oregon Brewers Festival is a nod to the state’s thriving craft brewing industry. Photo Credit: @oregonbrewfest

Much like Asheville, Portland is a place with serious craft beer credentials. Nestled in the heart of hop country, the city’s numerous craft breweries continue to lead the way in American brewing innovation. Every July, up to 85,000 hopheads gather at the Oregon Brewers Festival to sample 80 beers from 80 different Oregon breweries and beyond. And, of course, the hipster haven’s preeminent beer festival wouldn’t be complete without a stellar lineup of live music.

The Midwest’s best (Madison, Wisconsin)

Wisconsin has historic ties to the beer industry, so it’s no surprise that tickets to the Midwest’s premier beer festival can be hard to come by. But if you can get them early, you’ll be rewarded with a festival that offers some of the best beer the country has to offer. Held in the cheerful college town of Madison each August, Great Taste of the Midwest features more than 190 Midwestern breweries pouring approximately 1,400 different beers. And the focus on local goes beyond the glass; the food and music are distinctly Midwestern as well.

These are must-see destinations for craft beer lovers. Find hotels in Asheville, Austin, Denver, Nashville, Portland, Madison.