Beer Festivals

by Charlotte Kovalchuk

HOME TO A FLOURISHING CRAFT BEER SCENE SINCE THE 2000 s , TEXAS BOASTS MYRIAD BREWERIES AND FESTIVALS THAT CELEBRATE BEERS BREWED LOCALLY OR INTERNATIONALLY. NO MATTER YOUR TASTE PREFERENCE, ALL BEER BUFFS ARE SURE TO FIND A FAVORITE BEVERAGE AT THESE BEER FESTIVALS AROUND TEXAS.

Brewsology Beer Fest

» July 15, Houston Museum of Natural Science

A boozy hybrid of your middle school museum field trip, the Brewsology Beer Fest takes over museums across the country every year and will head to the Houston Museum of Natural Science this summer. “We found that attendees had not really visited these museums since they were kids or had kids of their own, and the interactive nature of the science and natural history museums was refreshing to guests,” festival producer Dan Silberstein says.

Beer enthusiasts can indulge in samples from dozens of craft breweries and cideries while visiting a variety of museum exhibits. • Brewsology.com/houston.

BLAZIN' BEER CRAWL

» August 5, Downtown Georgetown

Georgetown beer lovers can enjoy a craft beer crawl in their own backyard at the Blazin’ Beer Crawl, a self-paced walking event featuring craft beer tastings inside Georgetown's downtown retail stores and restaurants. Ticket holders will receive a map of participating locations to check out. Restaurants will offer event day specials and hot and spicy snacks will be available at various participating merchant locations. • mainstreet.georgetown.org/beercrawl

Texas Craft Brewers Festival

» September 30, Fiesta Gardens in Austin

The Texas Craft Brewers Festival began as a humble street gathering in the early 2000s, aimed at showcasing the then-nascent craft brewing sector in Texas. Over the years, the festival has continued to grow in step with the state’s beer scene and has been held annually in east Austin's Fiesta Gardens under the operation of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild since 2011. “We currently feature more than 80 breweries each year and proudly boast the tagline of ‘the state's largest celebration of small and independent Texas craft breweries,’ ” says Caroline Wallace, executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. • tickets.TexasCraftBrewersFestival.org/e/texas-craft-brewers-festival-2023/tickets.

Best Little Brewfest

» October 21, Old Town Lewisville

Craft beer lovers will find many beverages ranging from light and summery to exotic and barrel-aged brews at the Best Little Brewfest, a 100 percent charity beer festival showcasing more than 40 craft breweries from around Texas, the U.S., and the world. Grab a drink—wine, seltzers, and ciders are also included—and check out 25 retail vendors, local musicians, food trucks, and a new Artist Alley full of art and crafts. • BestLittleBrewFestInTexas.com

San Antonio Beer Festival

» October 21, Crockett Park in San Antonio

The San Antonio Beer Festival pours more than 400 premium and craft beers from 100+ breweries from around the world. The festival will be jam-packed with unique casks, one-of-a-kind collaborations, and your favorite porters, stouts, pilsners, ales, wheats, sours, Belgians, ciders, and lagers to name a few. Beyond beer, the event features music, games, wines, ciders, food trucks, food booths, local vendors, and more. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a beautiful fall day at the park in the heart of downtown San Antonio. • SanAntonioBeerFestival.com

Wild West Brewfest

» March 21-24, 2024, Typhoon TX in Katy

Named the No. 1 Beer Festival in North America by BeerYeti.com, Wild West Brewfest will delight brew buffs at the Typhoon Texas Water Park. The event is hosted by the Rotary Club of Katy and 100 percent run by volunteers, with all proceeds benefiting local charities and student scholarships. WildWestBrewFest.com

Big Texas Beer Fest

» April 6, 2024, Grand Place and Tower Building, Dallas

The Big Texas Beer Fest is known as the go-to festival for exclusive and rare beers, one-offs, and special beers not found on grocery store shelves. The festival will feature 90+ breweries and 450+ beers, ciders, hard seltzers, hard kombuchas, meads and more, not only from brewers across Texas but around the United States and internationally. Be sure to check out the many food trucks and local food vendors as well as local music acts on the outdoor stage. Tickets typically go on sale in late December or early January at BigTexasBeerFest.com.

TUNES, TAILS & ALES

» First Saturday of May (subject to change), Murphy Central Park in Murphy

Enjoy a celebration of craft beer, crawfish, and live music in the North Texas city of Murphy. Patrons can sample from 150+ beers, purchase from a crawfish boil, visit one of the many food trucks, attend a free concert, and enjoy tons of activities for people of all ages. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Murphy Chamber Scholarship Fund. murphycraftbeerfest.com

Finding a dog to join your family is such an exciting time! And, by choosing a shelter dog, you are literally saving a life. What could make this even better? A simple way to make it all happen. That’s where the Wilco Regional Animal Shelter’s Best Match program comes in. Adopters can meet available candidates, chat with a caretaker, visit with potential matches in person or virtually, and receive help with the paperwork. “Using the Best Match system focuses on compatibility between you and our dogs,” Shelter Community Programs Coordinator April Peiffer says. “We know you want a match that’s for keeps! Let us introduce you to your favorites in one of our play yards. We want to help you create a meeting for the memory books.”

The program just started recently, but she expects it to benefit all involved – the adopter, the dogs, and the shelter. “We anticipate people will find this program to be of great help when selecting their new family member because it is a means to learn which pup at the shelter is good with other dogs, may do well with cats, enjoys the company of kids, and would make an outstanding companion in apartment life,” April says.

Photos by Brewvolution and City of Murphy