I think I get the numbers thing from my Dad. I am not sure where I got the beer thing.

So, two things about this Blog were obvious from the beginning. First, it would be about beer. And second I would find a way of introducing numbers into it. So please welcome the Beer Festival Ratio! You will find the Beer Festival Ratio in the sidebar under the three featured sponsors (of which I currently have one featured sponsor. So if anyone wants to take a spot then drop me a line using the About page).

The Beer Festival Ratio is a highly sophisticated and complex algorithm that measures the degree of a society’s advancement into the world of craft beer. So here it is (I hope you have a beer in your hand):

The population of the country relative to the number of Beer Festivals held in that country each year.

The results are written in this format: 5.5M : 1 and can be interpreted as 1 Beer Festival for every 5.5 Million people. The lower the ratio the more advanced a country is in the creation and celebration of craft beers!

Now, I will admit the obvious – my measure of the number of Beer Festivals per country is taken from the database within Festival of Beer. Therefore, the results reflect the contents of the database rather than real life. But I am doing my best to ensure that as many Beer Festivals as possible are contained within the database.

This is where I need your help. If you know of a Beer Festival or Beer Tasting event that isn’t in the Festival of Beer database then please add it using the following Beer Festival Submission Form. That way we can not only promote Beer Festivals but also get an accurate measure of which country is the most advanced in the celebration of craft beer!

The Most Advanced Craft Beer Nation in the World is…

…the USA!

How can the land of mass-produced-chemically-induced beer be the most advanced craft beer country in the world? What about the UK with its century’s of beer production and drinking? What about GERMANY? This is like saying…well, like saying that America produces some of the best beer in the world! it’s absurd. Or is it?

Well, I can tell you that having spent 3 years living in the USA the days of crap beer and great beer commercials are over. The USA has a thriving and fantastic craft beer industry that is producing some world class beers. So, for me it is no surprise that America is at the top of the ladder.

The rest of the world, it would seem, has some catching up to do!  This is great news, for it means that the craft beer industry is growing. And that can only mean one thing…

…more great beers and more festivals to celebrate them!

Cheers!

photo credit: Xenocryst @ Antares Scorpii

Not that big necessarily means best, for there are countless Beer Festivals taking place around the world every day (well, maybe not every day!). Check out our Festival Search Box at the top of this page to find Beer Festivals that are occurring near you!

This is a multi-post article on Beer Festivals that are being planned for 2009.

photo credit: josef.stuefer

North America

Mondial de la Biere is Canada’s largest Beer Festival. It takes place 3-7 June 2009 at the Windsor Station and Courtyard, 1160, De la Gauchetiere Street West, Montreal.

Toronto’s Festival of Beer is a relatively young festival but is growing in popularity. It takes place 6-9 August 2009 at Historic Fort York, 100 Garrison Road.

The Great American Beer Festival is to be held on 24-26 September 2009 in the Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO.

The Great World Beer Festival is to be held in New York City. Date and location to be advised.

United Kingdom

The Farnham Beer Exhibition will take place 23-25 April 2009 at the Farnham Maltings.

The Great British Beer Festival takes place in Earls Court, London on 4-8 August 2009.

The Peterborough Beer Festival will take place 25-29 August 2009 at The Embankment, Bishops Road.

Germany

Arguably the best of the best is Oktoberfest! Held in Munich on 19 September to 4 October 2009. Sixteen days of pure heaven!

The Cannstatter Volksfest is a 2 week festival held in Stuttgart over the period 25 September to 11 October 2009.

The Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing is another Bavarian Beer Festival. It takes place from 7 to 17 August 2009.

photo credit: moominsean

Australia and New Zealand

The Tasmanian Beerfest is held in Hobart. The date is to be advised.

The New Zealand Beer Festival is taking place in Wellington on 28 February 2009 and Auckland on 14 March 2009.

BrewNZ takes place at the Wellington Town Hall on 28 and 29 August 2009.

photo credit: eürodäna

This is by no means a complete list but just a snap shot of some of the larger Beer Festivals that are being planned for this year. I will be posting more in-depth articles on the major (as well as some of the smaller) Beer Festivals from around the world.

Do you enjoy Beer Festivals? Do you want to keep up to date with all the Beer Festivals that are taking place near where you live? Then why not subscribe to my RSS feed as well as using the Festival Search Box?

Cheers!

“Airdale Brewing wants to contribute more than just good beer to our community, we want to educate our customers about good beer in the hopes that people will be able to make a more informed decision on what they drink in the future,” says Tony Clarke, President of Airdale Brewing Company.

From 21 Jan 09, Airdale Brewing will be offering a series of “pint night” events focused on introducing beer consumers to their unique products, as well as offering insight into the process of making craft beer. Brewmaster David Lusk will be leading this effort, as he is the mastermind behind Airdale’s product line and has been brewing in southern California for over a decade.

These Beer Tasting events, with an education twist, are taking place at The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole in downtown San Diego (find on Google Maps). “The Local is a great place to learn about quality beer,” says Lusk, referring to the wide selection of craft beers available here. People will be able to try Airdale’s lineup of beers, including their newly released “Dark & Stormy” Imperial Stout.

What a great opportunity to drink some quality beer with like-minded people whilst learning a few things about how beer is made!

Cheers!

photo credit: Thomas Hawk