I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never been to the Washington Brewer’s Festival. The reason being it was in a terrible location (previously, the festival was held in Kenmore) on a weekend that I’d rather be camping. But this year, I’m making an exception. And by the looks of things, it’s an exception I’ll be making for years to come.
According to the Washington Beer Commission who puts on the event:
The Washington Brewer’s festival is a unique all-age beer festival where thousands of beer aficionados and families gather to celebrate Father’s Day weekend. This year’s event will once again feature over 200 different beers from 64 different breweries. In addition, the festival offers great food (new this year, gourmet food trucks), live music stage, brewer’s keg toss, root beer garden, kids area, craft booths, wine and cider tasting.
Sounds kinda hokey, but how the hell can you deny this incredible, mind-melting brewery line-up of 64 breweries pouring nearly 200 beers at this year’s festival:
192 Brewing Kenmore
7 Seas Brewing, Gig Harbor
Airways Brewing, Kent
Alpine Brewing, Oroville
American Brewing, Edmonds
Anacortes Brewery, Anacortes
Barhop Brewing, Port Angeles
Big Al Brewing, Seattle
Big Time Brewery, Seattle
Black Raven Brewing, Redmond
Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham
Brickyard Brewing, Woodinville
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham
Diamond Knot Brewing, Mukilteo
Dick’s Brewing, Centralia
Dirty Bucket Brewing, Woodinville
E9 Brewery, Tacoma
Elliott Bay Brewing, Seattle/Burien
Elysian Brewing, Seattle
Emerald City Beer, Seattle
Fish Brewing, Olympia
Flyers Brewery, Oak Harbor
Foggy Noggin Brewing, Bothell
Fremont Brewing, Seattle
Gallaghers Where U Brew, Edmonds
Georgetown Brewing, Seattle
Golden Hills Brewing, Airway Heights
Hale’s Ales Brewery, Seattle
Harmon Brewing, Tacoma
Hilliard’s Beer, Seattle
Ice Harbor Brewing, Kennewick
Iron Horse Brewery, Ellensburg
Kona Brewing, Kailua Kona, HI
Kulshan Brewing, Bellingham
Lantern Brewing, Seattle
Mac & Jack’s Brewing, Redmond
McMenamins Breweries, Seattle
Naked City Brewery, Seattle
New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO
North Sound Brewing, Mount Vernon
No-Li Brewing, Spokane
NW Peaks Brewery, Seattle
Odin Brewing, Seattle
Old Schoolhouse, Winthrop
Paradise Creek Brewery, Pullman
Pike Brewing, Seattle
Port Townsend Brewing, Port Townsend
Ram Brewery, Seattle
Redhook Brewery, Woodinville
Riverport Brewing, Clarkston
Roslyn Brewing, Roslyn
Schooner Exact Brewing, Seattle
Scuttlebutt Brewing, Everett
Silver City Brewery, Bremerton
Skookum Brewery, Arlington
Snipes Mountain Brewery, Sunnyside
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing, Snoqualmie
Sound Brewery, Poulsbo
Trade Route Brewin,g Pacific
Twelve Bar Brews, Woodinville
Twelve String Brewing, Spokane Valley
Two Beers Brewing, Seattle
Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR
Wingman Brewers, Tacoma
This year’s festival is being held at Marymoor Park in Redmond. The location promises to be more accommodating for the size and accessibility needs of an event like this. Festival days are Friday, June 15 from 4–9 p.m. (21+ only), Saturday June 16 and Sunday June 17 from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. (open to families).
There are several ticket options for the festival. Friday night tickets are $15 and includes a tasting cup and five tasting tokens (don’t forget, Friday night is 21+ only). Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $25 for each day, and admission includes a tasting cup and six tasting tokens. You can purchase tickets on Brown Paper Tickets ahead of time or at the door (as long as they’re still available). If you’re interested in going the entire weekend, there is a $40 all-weekend-pass option, only available for purchase online, not at the door. Additional tokens at the festival are four for five dollars or one for $1.50.
As with any Washington Beer Commission sponsored event, if you’re a WABL member, you get loads of fancy perks at the festival, so that’s always something to consider.
As a newby to this festival, I’m certainly looking forward to (cross-my-fingers) good weather, great beer and not too many screaming children. I am particularly interested in what the Eastern Washington breweries and some of our newest breweries (like Lantern and Dirty Bucket) will be bringing in.
