The Great International Beer FestivalSaturday November 8, 2008
By: Brian Dardeen/Motif Magazine
The Great International Beer Festival is held twice annually at the Rhode Island Convention Center, usually in April and October. It’s a great afternoon or evening of live music, fun food and unlimited beer sampling. The most recent festival offered well over 200 different beers from 47 breweries, from 11 different states and 7 far flung countries. Aside from being an excellent opportunity for beer lovers to try many different brews from around the world all in one spot, it is also a serious competition for the brewers as medals are awarded in many different categories that range from common styles to highly specialized beers.
The day is split into two separate admission sessions. There’s an afternoon session that runs from 1-4:30 pm, and an evening session that goes from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. They have distinct vibes, so choose accordingly. The afternoon session is a little mellower and is conducive to chatting with the brewers and letting your inner beer geek loose. The evening shift is a little more raucous as you might expect a Saturday night beer session to be. Both, however, will feature a great mix of good beer, good times and excellent local music. You might find anything from a fun cover band to the Celtic folk brilliance of Pendragon.
New England beers are the star of this show, however. Sure, a lot of major brewers are present, and “major” local brewers like Samuel Adams and Harpoon are always on hand, but it’s the small, lesser known breweries that typically have the most interesting offerings. For a visiting beer lover, this festival provides an excellent opportunity to visit dozens of brewers yards apart.
Naturally, your Rhode Island favorites will be well represented. Newport Storm always brings out a new, special creation for the festival; and, the Narragansett Brewing Company (technically located in NY, but spiritually domiciled in Rhode Island) will have their reliable, iconic lagers and bocks on hand. Longtime Providence based brewpub, Trinity Brewhouse, will typically offer their famous IPA and other seasonal styles.
Massachusetts and Connecticut brewers are always plentiful. Save yourself a ride to central Mass and stop by the booths of the Berkshire, Amherst, Haverhill or Paper City brewing companies for a variety of award winning styles, some on cask. A regular award winner is Connecticut’s Thomas Hooker, be sure to check out their high octane Old Marley Barleywine and Imperial Porter. Old Burnside is another up and coming Connecticut brewer not to be missed.
Northern New England is chock full of great breweries and many make the trek down to Providence for these festivals. Most folks have heard of Magic Hat from Vermont, but you’ll also get to try their organic beers under their Orlio label. Also from Vermont, Long Trail Brewing offers a tasty array of popular styles. Portland, Maine is always made proud by the brews of Shipyard Brewing and Stone Coast Brewing. Not to be out done, New Hampshire’s Pennichuk Brewing always offers some big beers in some interesting styles.
This festival is growing and getting better ever year. There’s plenty on offer for both the hardened beer aficionado and the Saturday afternoon sampler. Tickets and other information are available on their website:
http://www.beerfestamerica.com
