MPLS Beer Fest

I went to this with some people from work and we did the «VIP» experience. What a joke! It was $ 75 a ticket and you got almost nothing for it. There was a tiny area with a few tables a tiny bit of food and 1 keg of beer. We spent more time at the regular beer fest which was only about $ 15. For $ 15 it’s not a bad deal you just have to contend with a lot of drunk college kids, so go early!

The Minneapolis Beer Fest is a bit different than a few of the other beer festivals in the Cities, which is pretty noticeable when you look at the list of participating breweries (i.e., many macros, a few regionals and the occasional local brewery). In other words, it’s not a place that you’re likely to find many diamonds in the rough, but it’s still enjoyable when appreciated for what it is.
For the event’s first year they were actually pretty well organized, with the one exception being the long lines for restrooms (which is a common ailment at such events). The presence of a number of food trucks was a great idea; any time I can get a lobster roll from Smack Shack will always make for a good evening. They also had live music throughout the duration of the event with solid local bands.
All-​in-​all a good event for the non-​die hard beer drinker and those looking for a fun night out during the fleeting days of fall in the Twin Cities (though Four Loko should never be present during a beer tasting).

I have been to both the dabblers this year, winter and highland. This was larger in size, but a little poorer planned in my opinion which is why it did not get 4 or 5 stars.
The pros
— huge area: they did a great job with the locatation. There was lots of room so even though there were a lot of people it didn’t feel too congested. The beer tents were spread out nicely helping to keep the lines down.
— quick entry lines
— divided up international regions
— Large beer selection from MN brewers, micro, domestic, and foreign. Similar to the dabblers, but a little more selection. Although I am not a big Sam’s guy, kudos to them for bringing a new beer not available locally to the beerfests. In this case it was the Hallerteu IPA.
— Good live music throughout.
— Lots of parking options in the area
Cons
— What you think you need for bathrooms double it and add 50% more!!! It was terrible. The wait was easily 15 minutes plus. Our group left at 8:15 because we didn’t want to have to wait in line again, even though we all would have like to stay for a bit longer. Hopefully they learn from this blunder like the dabbler did after the winter fest.
— More food carts. For the number of people there was too few food selections. The Chef Shack is great (love the pork tacos and bacon brats) but the line was constantly long. Same with Buffalo Wild Wings.
— I think it is absurd DD’s have to pay, but at least you should have some beverage options for them. I felt so bad for our DD. No free pop options we were able to find, only saw 1 non alcoholic beer (may have been more). Respect the DD’s a bit more.
Overall it was a fun time on a nice fall night. Hopefully they have it again next year and make a few improvements.

First off thanks to Unilocal for the Beer Fest tickets! Though not a major fan of beer I was glad for the opportunity to go.
Lots of food trucks and hundreds of beer to try, I especially enjoyed the variety of micro-​brews. The event was 5 – 9 and some beers were out by not 7:45ish which was a bummer, this was my first Beer Fest experience so I wasn’t sure as to how long supplies normally last.
One downside was the extremely long lines for the restroom. Hopefully next year the coordinators will have that planned out or more importantly a larger budget for it.

This is by far the coolest event this fall. Great variety of beers and vendors! Thanks to Brownie Boy Production and the coordinators in putting this event together. Huzzah!