Beer varieties, festivals and the best bars in Europe. Beer varieties, festivals and the best bars in Europe Beer festivals in Europe

But let's start, of course, with Russia

The main beer festival of the country, which will be held for the fifth time in 2019. Despite its modest age, Big Craft Day commands respect: last time there were 150 taps, 600+ beers from 100 breweries and 13,000 visitors.

A ticket costs 1000 rubles, this amount includes a tasting glass and 3 tokens to pay for beer and food. You can buy tokens for 50 rubles. The cost of a tasting portion is from 1 to 6 tokens.

What to drink: sour ale, barleywine, Russian imperial stout

Party by the sea that lasts four days, with food, music and other entertainment. Take, for example, a costumed carnival that moves along the Mediterranean coast - everyone participates! In parallel, guests drink several tens of thousands of liters of beer. Birghiks have nothing to do there, but if you want to have fun and relax while drinking good beer, this is the place for you.

A one-day ticket costs 10 euros and includes one guaranteed pint of beer.

What to drink: fruit beer and cider

The Asian Oktoberfest, as the organizers themselves call it, has been held since 1991. In recent years, an average of 200 beer brands have been collected there. In addition to tasting, they hold a "beer carnival", concerts, discos, bikini competitions and karaoke. For the festival, the Chinese, with their usual scope, are building the Beer City, where tens of thousands of tourists come.

Admission is free, beer costs an average of $1 per bottle.

What to drink: Qingdao

The Great American Beer Festival

Second half of September
Denver, USA
greatamericanbeerfestival.com

America's largest craft beer festival. In 1982, when the first GABF was held, 22 breweries presented 40 varieties. Now the festival is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the event "with the largest number of draft beers." Last year, 800 breweries brought drinks to Denver, resulting in 4,000 varieties. All this was tried by 60,000 guests, and the tickets were sorted out an hour and a half after the start of online sales.

The pleasure is not cheap: $85 for one day.

What to drink: American IPA and wild ale

Belgian beer culture is not like the cultures of other European countries like Germany, Great Britain or the Czech Republic. About 900 different brands of beer are produced here - from pale lagers to fruity lambics and Flanders red ale - and there were once more breweries in Belgium than churches. The festival has been held for 20 years on the first weekend of September - the best time to try all this splendor.

Admission is free, a deposit of €3 is asked for a glass, beer tokens cost €10 for 9 pieces. The cost of a tasting portion is from 2 to 5 tokens.

What to Drink: Lambic, Creek, and Trappist Beer

Pilsner Fest

Early October
Pilsen, Czech Republic
pilsnerfest.cz

Celebration in honor of the first batch of Plzeň beer made from fresh hops. There will be two stages with musicians, visiting "branches" of several restaurants and, of course, beer. The Czech Pilsner is flowing like water: last year 45,000 visitors drank 75,000 mugs. And since the festival is held by a local brewery, guests are invited to visit the production.

Entrance and beer are free, money is taken only for food.

What to drink: pilsner

The king of beer festivals, which is not really a beer festival: officially it is a "folk festival" that annually gathers up to 7 million people. And since the holiday takes place in Bavaria, where the very Reinheitsgebot (the law on the purity of beer) appeared, the foam flows like a river. On average, participants drink 6 million liters in two weeks. Beer for the event can only be brewed by Munich companies that make special Oktoberfest beer with an alcohol content of 5.8–6.3%.

Admission is free, a liter mug of beer costs about €11.

Autumn in Europe is the time for the most interesting festivals: culinary, wine and beer. These events bring together thousands of guests from all over the world. Many tourists prefer to explore Europe by road, in particular, by motorhomes, which allows them to save on hotels and transfers, as well as become a participant in several events at once. Tourists who wish to travel in comfort can be advised to familiarize themselves with the range of motorhomes on the Yachts on Wheels website.

Tomorrow, the most famous European beer festival, Oktoberfest, opens in Germany. It will be held in Munich from 16 September to 3 October. The holiday will be solemnly opened by the mayor of the city. Tourists will be able to see colorful parades and taste the best varieties Bavarian beer and local snacks.

In the German city of Stuttgart 09/22/2017 - 10/08/2017, the Cannstatter Volkfest beer festival will be held - the second most important beer festival in the country. The festival, held since 1818, gathers thousands of fans not only of the foamy drink, but also of German cuisine. The festival is one of the events of the autumn fair in the capital of Baden-Württemberg. It begins with the solemn opening ceremony of the first beer barrel by the mayor of the city. It also hosts a costumed parade, tastings of various types of beer and snacks, and musical groups perform. Guests can purchase traditional products and delicacies at the local fair.

Dark beer lovers should go to Amsterdam, where on October 27 - 29 there will be a festival dedicated exclusively to dark varieties of foamy drink. A tasting of almost 50 beers will take place in the hall of the Berlage stock exchange building. The holiday will be accompanied by performances of local musicians.

An interesting Modeste beer festival will be held on September 30 and October 1 in Antwerp: here you can taste not only beer brewed by local brewers, but also farm cheese from the famous master Michel Van Tricht. The festival is dedicated to Modest van den Bogart, director of the famous Antwerp brewery De Koninck, which he headed for 50 years. The word “modeste” means “humble” in Dutch, so only small private breweries take part in the celebration. Visitors will also be able to see a parade of brass bands and a beer procession.

It is worth going to the Czech Republic on October 7: on this day, one of the oldest and largest beer festivals in the country will be held in the city of Pilsen. The festival venue will be the main city square and the territory of the Pilsner Urquel brewery. Visitors will be able to taste the famous Pilsen beer, get acquainted with the history of local brewing, see bartending competitions, visit the Pilsner brewery with a tour.

At the annual craft exhibition Craft Depot Fest, brewers from all over the world present 260 varieties.

Representatives of 75 breweries from Russia, the Baltic States, the USA and Europe will gather at the Flacon Design Factory on the last weekend of this summer. They will bring their signature craft varieties to sample. The peculiarity of the tasting exhibition is that you don’t have to pay for beer: when buying a ticket to the Craft Depot Fest, all the samples presented can be freely tasted in unlimited quantities.

In addition to tastings, the program of the day includes a food market with unusual offers like colored hot dogs and beer ice cream, a beer market, lectures from brewers, a graffiti contest and an exhibition of custom (hand-assembled) cars. During the festival, the City Pipes piper orchestra, Hulahoop rock-n-rollers, Needshes energetic alternatives, Urbanosteria rockers from St. Petersburg and other musical groups will play.

In parallel, within the framework of the Craft Depot Fest will take place:

Photos from the festival last year

Alexey Aksel, director of the Craft Depot association:

“The first Craft Depot Fest in 2016 demonstrated the sincere interest of a wide audience and industry professionals in craft culture. According to our forecast, the exhibition in 2017 will be visited by more than 10 thousand people (the attendance of the last event was 7 thousand), and with such demand, we realize how important it is to support craft brewing as an art and craft culture as a lifestyle.” .

Beer festivals take place in Belgium every week, and each of them is special in its own way.

1. Zythos Beer Festival

Venue: Leuven

On the last weekend of April, Leuven becomes the beer capital of Belgium. In the very center of the city, the Zythos Beer Festival takes place, during which visitors can taste about 500 different beers brewed by 100 brewers especially for the festival; visit 2 famous Leuven breweries - Stella Artois and Domus, as well as beer tours, master classes and tastings. During the festival, special "beer packages" are available at hotels, and many restaurants surprise diners with beer-based delicacies.

More information about Zythos Beer Festival can be found

2. Beer festival Toer de Geuze

Venue: Payottenland, near Brussels

During the Toer de Geuze festival, which takes place every two years, lambic and gueuze beer producers organize an open day. The program includes free tours of breweries, as well as tastings of lambic, gyoza, kriek and other lambic-based beers. Breweries and blending workshops can be visited by private transport (car or bicycle), or you can book a seat on a sightseeing bus. All breweries are located on hilly green areas around Brussels, in the midst of landscapes that inspired Pieter Brueghel the Elder himself.

More information about Toer de Geuze can be found

3. Leuven Innovation Beer Festival

Venue: Leuven

The Leuven Beer Innovation Festival is a celebration for lovers of original craft beer. André Janssens, owner of the Hof Ten Dormaal brewery, invites everyone to try a unique selection of beers from the best brewers in Belgium and around the world. The tasting takes place in a unique place - the former De Hoorn brewery, where the first Stella Artois beer was once brewed.

For more information about the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival, please see

4. Antwerp Beer Festival

The beer festival in Antwerp takes place on one of the most beautiful squares in Antwerp, Grunplatz, where the famous Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is located. More than 50 breweries will take part in the festival, presenting 200 varieties of beer to the accompaniment of brass bands.

For more information about the Antwerp Beer Festival, see

5. Ghent Beer Festival

Venue: Ghent

The beer festival in Ghent takes place near the historic center of Ghent, in the quiet garden of one of the schools. It will definitely appeal to beer connoisseurs and lovers alike.

For more information about the beer festival in Ghent, you can find out

6 Belgian Beer Festival

Venue: Brussels

The Belgian Beer Festival is one of the largest Belgian beer festivals. It takes place on the main historical square of Brussels, the Grand Place, listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage, and begins with a procession of the guild of brewers in colorful medieval costumes. During the Belgian Beer Festival, guests can sample around 350 different Belgian beers.

More information about the beer festival in Brussels can be found

7. Hop Beer Festival

Venue: Poperinge

Every three years, on the third weekend of September, Poperinga hosts an international hop festival. The festival program includes a parade of brass bands, the "Queen of Hops" competition, a colorful procession in which more than one and a half thousand people will take part, and the final show dedicated to hop beer.

More information about the hop beer festival can be found

8. Modeste Beer Festival

Venue: Antwerp

Modeste Beer Festival is dedicated to Modeste van den Bogart, director of the famous Antwerp brewery De Koninck, which he led for fifty years. The word "modeste" in Dutch means "humble", so only small breweries take part in this festival. At the festival, guests will be able to taste not only beer, but also the famous Van Tricht cheese.

More information about the Modeste Beer Festival can be found

9. Christmas Beer Festival

Venue: Essen (Antwerp)

The Christmas beer festival in Essen is considered one of the best in the world - here, along with classic beers, you can try new ones, in total - about 170 Belgian varieties. The festival is so popular that ticketed entry has been introduced since 2015, and the maximum number of guests must not exceed 1,000 people. It is better to book tickets at least a month in advance.

For more information about the Christmas Beer Festival, see

10. Beer Festival in Bruges

Venue: Bruges

The beer festival in Bruges takes place in the heart of the historic center of Bruges. At the festival you can try about 500 different Belgian beers. The festival annually attracts more than 20 thousand guests, including from abroad.

More information about the beer festival in Bruges can be found