The Session #16 – Beer Festivals

The June edition of The Session is hosted by Thomas at the Geistbear Brewing Blog. Our host has chosen "Beer Festivals" as the topic for this month's event.

As a reader, I am especially looking forward to seeing the contributions from other bloggers. As a contributor, it's bit tougher. I've not been to all that many true beer festivals. Just one to be exact. I'm envious of you folks who live in areas where festivals are local events. So instead of writing about a festival I've attended, I'll post on why I think the dearth of local events will be changing.

And I do expect the situation to change. As I have been reporting on this blog with ever-increasing frequency, the beer scene in the Fredericksburg area is improving by leaps and bounds. Local retailers are bringing in more and more hard-to-find beers. Many of these same retailers are offering weekly free tastings. One of the top beer bars in America is coming to Fredericksburg. A local group is planning to open a brewpub this Fall and there is talk of two other brewpubs opening as well. The monthly FABTS meetings are always well-attended. A growing number of local pubs are adding craft beers to their lineups. Several local establishments have held beer dinners recently. Of course, let's not forget our local craft brewery. All of this points to a growing, vibrant and enthusiastic local craft beer community. Expand the focus to include all of central Virginia, and you've got numerous craft breweries and an even larger population from which to draw.

Our host for the June Session writes "...perhaps talk about what you would like to see out of festivals or perhaps the future of them." What I would like to see, and indeed expect to see, is this. Brewers, distributors, organizers, and enthusiasts will soon look to Fredericksburg when they are planning future activities and we'll see more events and festivals held locally. And then the rest of you can drive here to enjoy a beer festival, along with the many other attractions that the Fredericksburg region has to offer. Will this actually happen? I say yes, most definitely.

I look forward to seeing you. :-)

A history of The Session can be found here.

Update, May 8: Thomas has posted the Session Roundup.