Here is a visual representation of our EBF experience. Extreme Beer Fest is the ultimate throwdown of craft beer creativity. Join us as we celebrate brewers who push the boundaries of brewing and raise a fist at the norm. Join us as we celebrate brewers who push the boundaries of brewing and raise a fist [pii_email_e40c11eee859071815f8] at the norm! Hosted by BeerAdvocate, the 16th annual Extreme Beer Fest will be held on February 1 & 2, 2019 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, Mass. Featuring 120+ brewers and 400+ beers, across two days and three sessions, this will be the biggest and most diverse lineup of extreme beers ever.
I found the behavior of the attendees fascinating as we entered the venue and everyone flocked to the various brewery tables. Though I was busy enjoying myself, I was also noticing patterns, which I outline below. I also noticed trends in terms of which beers were brought and which flavors, adjuncts, and aging techniques were employed. Every year is a bit different, leading me to think about how the changes in what brewers bring to this festival are related to the trends we see in the craft beer industry in general every year. I feel like, in some ways, we can use EBF as a predictor of what we can expect to see in the beer world.
Although we enjoyed every beer we tried at the festival, this was the only one we tried twice. For ticket information and details, visit beeradvocate.com/events. And stay tuned for more event announcements in the months ahead. November 4–13, 2016 in Massachusetts
Here you’ll find BeerAdvocate’s Alströms bros and Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione. Of course, plenty of great brunch dishes and Dogfish for your hangover nursing pleasure. The beer lineup is the same for all three sessions, however, all beers are subject to change and availability.
And if you’re not careful you can end up with a website that is just a marketing gimmick in order to make a quick buck. We were there to meet the guys behind the site, and also to talk about the site a little bit. It was a great event with lots of talk and good beer. I think I have more beer stories to tell, but it was too late in the day to get the event photos ready. I’ll certainly be doing more of those in the future. Frankly, I’ve never had enough energy after a week of EBF to make it to the Sunday brunch, but if you’re up for it after six days of beer madness, check out the official after-party at Kirkland Tap & Trotter.
Keep an eye on this Florida brewery–beer this good won’t stay underground for long. “Best of Fest” goes to Burley Oak’s Berry Cherry J.R.E.A.M., part of the brewery’s fruited ale series. This incarnation blends raspberries and tart, sour cherries into a puree, which is then added to a kettle soured beer with lactose. The result is a creamy brew that tastes like an adult milkshake.
You have to be very careful when you’re entering a beer competition. The competition is supposed to be about creativity, and the best entries are supposed to be those that stand out the most. But sometimes the competition is about making money, selling your company, or making sure you make the best product.
Smuttlabs, Allagash, Oskar Blues, Ballast Point, Cambridge Brewing Company, and Other Half are taking over the Independent’s draft linesfollowing the festival. Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.