It’s July which means that it’s officially beer festival season! Yay!! Last year during quarantine, one of the things I missed the most was beer festivals. The opportunity to check out all of the great beers that local, national, and international breweries have to offer in one place with amazing food, music, and great people, is just too good of an opportunity to miss out on! But we did it for the safety of our communities and now, as vaccination rates are increasing and Utah continues to re-open, festivals are back, and we can once again join together to celebrate beer! Here are some of the local beer festivals that are back this year for you to check out over the next few months.
Brewstillery
SLUG Magazine is celebrating their 14th Annual Beer Issue and Utah’s craft breweries and distilleries at Brewstillery! This year, Brewstillery will feature 23 Utah Breweries and 16 distilleries, local food trucks, music and a game area sponsored by Social Axe Throwing (hell ya!). This is a great way to enjoy your Saturday and get back in the festival mood. Tickets are available in advance, or the day of the event, and come with 5 drink tokens and a commemorative mug. If you are looking to drink for a cause while celebrating our local breweries and distilleries, Brewstillery is once again offering Planned Parenthood Brewstillery tickets. These tickets benefit Planned Parenthood and include 5 drink tokens and get you a pink mug! Brewstillery is an all-ages event and kids 12 and under are free!
When: Saturday, July 10 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where: The parking lot of Artspace City Center, 230 South 500 West, Salt Lake City, 84101
Pricing: $20 in advance, $25 day of event. Planned Parenthood Brewstillery tickets $25 advanced or $30 day of event.
Tickets: https://www.24tix.com/event/245251977/brewstillery
3rd Annual Southern Utah Beer Festival
If you are like me and love any excuse to head down to southern Utah, make sure you check out the 3rd Annual Southern Utah Beerfest at Policy Kings Brewery. This year’s festival will be celebrating unity and community, so come meet your fellow Utahns and bond over the sacred drink that is beer! The festival will feature 6 Utah breweries, local vendors, and food trucks! Entrance to the festival is free (yay!) and two tiers of drink tickets are offered onsite.
When: Saturday, July 31st from 1 pm – 9 pm
Where: Policy Kings Brewery – 223 North 100 West, Cedar City, UT
Pricing: Free entry (yay!). Must purchase beer tickets: $40 Tier 1 (includes 5% draft, heavy beer, and beer cocktails); $30 Tier 2 (include 5% draft beer only). 5 ticket minimum.
11th Annual Utah Beer Festival
The Utah Beer Festival is back and bigger than ever! Celebrating its 11th year, the Utah Beer Festival is hailed as the largest craft beer festival in Utah. With over 200 local, regional, and national beers, this is an event you don’t want to miss! Several Utah breweries including Hopkins Brewing Company, Silver Reef Brewing Co., Utah Ogden (UTOG) Brewing Company, Level Crossing Brewing Co., and Bewilder Brewing Co. made their first appearance at the Utah Beer Festival in 2019 and are back to continue the tradition. Bewilder, which opened after the 10th Annual Utah Beer Festival in 2019, will be pouring for the first time, so let’s get out and show them the love! In addition to our beloved Utah breweries, international breweries Unibroue (Canada), Sapporo (Japan), and Schofferhofer (Germany) will be attending. If you are like me and are intrigued by a name, keep an eye out for Belching Beaver Brewery (color me intrigued) and Illuminated Brew Works, whose logo is, let’s just say…magical. This year the Utah Beer Festival will be outside at The Gateway and have limited capacity so make sure you get your tickets early! VIP tickets get you 1 hour early admission, access to the Devour Utah VIP Lounge with exclusive beer samples, as well as upgraded merch and food pairings.
When: Saturday, August 21 @ 2:00 pm – Sunday, August 22nd @ 8:00 pm
Where: The Gateway – 12 South Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City, UT
Pricing: $25 General admission, $75 VIP Saturday or Sunday. Both days $35 for General admission or $125.00 for VIP
Tickets: https://utahbeerfest.kostizi.com
More Info: https://utahbeerfestival.com
Snowbird’s Oktoberfest
I am so excited that Snowbird’s Oktoberfest is back so that I can get my fix of spaetzle, pretzels, and a good old fashioned Dunkel. Whether your tastes are more towards a Helles, or if it’s not fall until you’ve had a pumpkin ale with whipped cream, Oktoberfest has a beer for everyone! Don’t forget to bring an official Oktoberfest mug from a previous year or get the latest mug to commemorate the return to the great outdoors surrounded by German beer, music, games, and of course the traditional garments also known as tracht! So dust off your lederhosen and dirndls and embrace the tradition of Oktoberfest with our local breweries. Prost!
When: Noon – 6 pm every Saturday and Sunday from August 8th – October 17th and Labor Day
Where: Snowbird
Pricing: FREE Admission!!!! $10 for parking
4th West Oktoberfest
Fall not only brings about the tradition of Oktoberfest, but is also a time to celebrate the harvest! In 2016 Mountain West Hard
Cider and Red Rock Brewing joined together to create the 4th West Oktoberfest and a tradition was born! Come celebrate the
harvest at the 6th Annual 4th West Oktoberfest with gluten-free ciders from Mountain West Hard Cider and traditional Oktoberfest beers from Red Rock Brewing along with food, music, and more!
When: Date TBD
Where: The Garten at Mountain West Cider – 417 North 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT
Pricing: TBD