So? Which of the festivals that I recommended stole your heart?
There’s really no time to lose. Temperatures continue to rise, it keeps getting hotter and more uncomfortable, but for you, who just can’t bare the thought of staying at home (and who can blame you), the show continues, with five more fantastic events. All of them in the second half of August, to end the summer with a bang.
6. BBF – BELGRADE BEER FEST
August 18-21, 2022
Remaining in the east, in the neighborhood of New Belgrade, in the western part of Belgrade, Serbia, we find, with 500,000 attendees each year, one of the 20 most important brewing events in the world: the Belgrade Beer Fest.
Known simply as BBF, it takes place in the enormous Uŝće Park, at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.
This year is a special edition: to celebrate 300 years of beer in Serbia, exactly 300 different beers from all around the world will be available during the four days! Plus attendees can enjoy 50 concerts on 4 stages, silent disco, and the chance to ride a hot air balloon and gaze at beautiful Belgrade from above.
7. OAK PARK MICRO BREW REVIEW
August 20, 2022
Oak Park, in Cook County, just 12 km from Chicago, the Windy City of Moor’s Brewing Co. and Old Irving Brewing , has been the site of the Oak Park Micro Brew Review for the past fifteen years. This festival, like none other of its kind, is focused on micro and nano-breweries, or rather those niche and high quality breweries that produce less than 18,000 hl/year.
95 micro-breweries participate, with the only exception being Goose Island, the most important and iconic brewery in Chicago.
Full day tickets cost €80 and evening entry costs €60. If you’re the designated driver you have the option of either waiting in the car or paying a reduced fee of €13.
The things we do for our friends!
8. BOLLE DI MALTO
August 25-29, 2022
Obviously there had to be an Italian stop on our list of festivals!
I’m talking about Bolle di Malto, the most important August beer festival in Italy, in Biella to be exact. In collaboration with Slow Food, it welcomes 90,000 food and beer aficionados, making it one of the most important events in Northern Italy. Now in its 6th edition, this year 35 Italian craft breweries will participate, including big names like Baladin, Della Granda, and Vecchia Orsa, with a special focus on Piedmont, the host region.
Enjoy concerts, taste laboratories, and street food like there’s no tomorrow, from churrasco to BBQ to hamburgers.
The gem of them all (not to be missed!) are the traditional recipes and dishes, including fritto misto alla Piemontese (mixed fried vegetables and meats) and polenta with Toma Maccagno cheese.
9. SUMMER BEER DABBLER
August 26, 2022
The thirteenth edition for this American festival organized by Beer Dabbler, Dabbler TV, and the magazine The Growler.
Many American breweries will be present at the Summer Beer Dabbler, held at Harriet Island Park, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A normal ticket costs €50, and a VIP ticket costs €70 (you enter one hour before everyone else…), and includes live music and street food. Here too a designated driver ticket is available for €20, which allows you to enjoy food and nonalcoholic drinks.
10. BXL BEER FEST
August 27- 28, 2022
We end with the political and beer capital of Europe, which, for two days, hosts an event which any self-respecting beer-geek simply must attend (…it’s easy-to-get-to, with low-cost flights from any Italian airport).
I’m talking about BXL Beer Fest, hosted in the splendid setting of Tour & Taxis, a magnificent example of 19th century industrial architecture, overlooking the Brussels Canal, northeast of the city center. 60 breweries participate, including the best of Belgian production, offering all of the lambic and gueuze that you can drink (Cantillon, De la Senne, 3 Fonteinen, etc.), as well as 400 different beers from the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Ireland, Croatia, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Norway.
There are two entry options: an all-inclusive ticket for €85, which includes all the beer you can drink, or a simple entry ticket for €5 (and €9 on the weekend), with beer purchased separately for a symbolic price of 90 cents each.
That’s all folks! Let me know where you went and how it was.
Have a great summer! Cheers!
Quest'anno ti propongo di osare per le Feste, per le tue Bollicine, con una Birra davvero fuori dal coro, capace di ammaliare anche i Wine-Addict più esigenti. Signore e Signori, La Geuze.
One of the least common, and decidedly borderline, styles in the landscape of international beers.
Beers with an ancient history that’s worth knowing, even just for a story you can share at Christmas.