The 2016 Windsor Craft Beer Festival takes place this upcoming Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15, 2016. It has become one of the Windsor-Essex regions most anticipated events throughout the year and we’ve put together 10 great reasons you should attend.
10. It’s A True Craft Beer Festival
The focus of the Windsor Craft Beer Festival is put squarely on the beer. No cocktails. No big corporations. Just squarely on small batch goodness.
With brewers on hand as well as knowledgeable brewery staff and an intimate setting, it allows festival goers and beer drinkers, both the connoisseurs and everyday Joe, an opportunity to learn more about beers and find one that meets their palate. We can’t count how many times we’ve been told by individuals who attended our event as self-declared “non-beer drinkers” talk with a brewer and find a beer they absolutely love.
9. There’s Good Food, Too!
The food for the festival doesn’t disappoint with Robbie’s Gourmet Sausage Co. serving up his best-selling Irish Boilermaker as well as Buffalo Hot Wing sausages and Motor Burger offering sliders, chili and soup. We’ve also brought in newcomer to the Windsor Craft Beer Festival, The Friendly Beast, because what goes better with beer than traditional British fish and chips? The answer is nothing.
8. Bird Watching…Particularly Blue Jays
Fear not, baseball fans. You don’t have to choose between the beer fest and the Toronto Blue Jays. We’ll be showcasing the games on a big outdoor screen on both Friday and Saturday allowing you to enjoy both in a surrounding with thousands of others under the open sky. Even if you don’t completely love beer or baseball, the experience of that alone is worthwhile to attend the festival.
7. Peer Pressure
With tickets expected to sell out in advance like they did in 2015, odds are many of your friends will be at the 2016 Windsor Craft Beer Festival. You don’t want to be on the outside of all the good stories from the weekend come Monday morning, do you?
6. We’re Better For Your Wallet
Let’s admit it. People like to compare. While other festivals charged $1.50 per 3oz. of beer with a max capped at 6oz. per serving, the Windsor Craft Beer Festival offers 4oz. of beer for $1.50 and an 8oz. and 12oz. top up.
Also, the best part is you get 5 tokens with your entry allowing you to go directly to enjoying the beer and the good times instead of waiting in line, because nothing is more valuable than your time and worse than waiting in line.
5. We’re Easy on the Eyes
There aren’t many more beautiful, scenic places in the city of Windsor than Willistead Park and it plays the perfect backdrop for the Windsor Craft Beer Festival. While many people know Hiram Walker for founding Canadian Club, he also built a world class brewery in Walkerville and the festival pays homage to that. Add Willistead Manor, string lighting across the site, mature trees and a wonderful neighbourhood feel instead of a large expanse space or asphalt plaza and you have the makings of a great place to enjoy a beer.
4. Dance the Night Away
When you have a marching band as part of your entertainment lineup, you know it’s going to be good. The Detroit Party Marching Band is devoted to unanticipated revelry, driving jams, and the power of the unamplified horn blast. Believing the essence of music to be celebration and joy, DPMB deploys without warning to celebrate life and community throughout their dear city of Detroit. Inspired by the street bands of New Orleans and Balkan acoustic brass, DPMB injects euphoric intensity and volume into everything from pop, indie rock, hip-hop, metal, Balkan folk, and techno, as well as a few originals.
In addition to DPMB on Friday night, the festival lineup also consists of Detroit duo, EO, Soul Brother Stef, The Funk Junkies and others who’ll make sure you’ll be shakin’ your behind and having a great time.
3. Best Beer Selection at a Festival in Windsor-Essex
With over 90 beers to choose from, we’re certain you’ll find one or two beers you’ll absolutely love. From your traditional IPA’s, Blondes and Pilsners to Grapefruit IPA’s, Maple Porter’s and Cranberry lager’s, the brewery and beer lineup is one of the best in Ontario’s southwest. Take a look at it yourself.
2. Unique Beers on Tap
When you’re the regions lone festival dedicated solely to craft beer, breweries are much more willing to provide some special treats for your audience. As a result, it isn’t just the selection of beers that make the Windsor Craft Beer Festival special, it’s that you’ll be able to sample some limited supply, unique one-off’s. Some will only be available on just one of the days of the festival (check it out here).
On top of that, local breweries like Walkerville Brewery are creating beers solely for our festival, like a cask conditioned Cherry Chocolate Stout.
1. It’s an Awesome Experience
Reasons 10 through 2 combine into the Windsor Craft Beer Festival being one kick-ass festival and an awesome experience. This is what a craft beer festival is all about: Greats beer. Great company. Great times. Heck, we were even voted one of the top festivals across the Lake Erie region, including in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York!
Excited and ready to have a blast? Tickets are still available and can be purchased online.
