Brand new festivals can have a tough time receiving notoriety and getting patronship. These are not obstacles for Milwaukee, Wisconsin's newest beer festival, the Wisconsin Craft Beer Festival. This festival is unique when it comes to beer festivals because they are featuring 10 different educational seminars and classes where you’ll learn all about beer, how's it made and so much more. The classes are perfect for homebrewers looking for tips or people who are curious about beer making in general. Aside from the classes there are 50 different breweries showcasing their delicious brews. In addition you’ll find a number of vendors who aren't selling beer, instead they have cool trinkets, speciality food and beer themed items.
This unique festival needed a location to match the vibe of the festival. They found the perfect accommodations in the Harley Davidson Museum®. This building is laid out like a campus and gives the festival a layout with enough room for everyone to enjoy their beer and/or classes in aesthetic comfort. The event planners want everyone to have a fully immersive experience, so each tasting session has limited capacity. If you're a fan of beer and beer making, this is the ultimate festival for you. We interviewed CEO and Co-Founder of the Unfiltered Media Group, LLC John Bolton about this new festival and the excitement around it.
RAL: Tell me about the festival.
JB: This is the first year of the Wisconsin Craft Beer Festival. This is a two day tasting and learning event with 50 breweries and 10 educational seminars. On Friday we’ll have 8 brewing classes and then a tasting session in the evening. On Saturday we’ll have two more educational classes in the morning and an afternoon tasting session and evening tasting session. All the sessions will have a VIP area with food and special beer.
RAL: How many people do you expect and who are they?
JB: We expect about 1,500 people per session and there will be three tasting sessions. So, about 4,500 people total. In addition we’ll have about 400 folks there for the educational seminars. Overall, we’ll have close to 5,000 attendees.
It’s a great environment for anyone that loves craft beer and wants to learn about craft beer, regardless of their age and gender. It goes without saying that you need to be 21 to enter.
RAL: What makes this festival unique?
JB: The 10 brewing educational seminars are being taught by some of the most respected educators in brewing including John Palmer, Randy Mosher, Stan Hieronymus and Brad Smith.
We used our connections in the craft beer world to invite some of the most well respected breweries in Wisconsin and the entire country. In addition, we’ve asked every brewery to bring a taproom only or speciality beer for each of the three sessions. The venue is really unique and cool too. The Harley Davidson Museum has a great campus like environment with a fantastic vibe.
RAL: Take me through a day at the event.
JB: You can start the day by going to a few brewing seminars. You’ll be taught from the best. You then can enter the main festival area and have access to some great food and 3oz tasters from 50 breweries and over 150 different craft beers and ciders. You can also visit the 14 non-beer vendors. You’ll create new memories and experience amazing craft beer with like minded folks.
RAL: What can visitors expect for local lodging, are there any specials set up specifically for the event?
JB: The Iron Horse Hotel is only a few blocks away and the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is with a mile. Both are very unique in their own way. The Iron Horse Hotel was designed with the Harley Davidson culture in mind. http://www.wisconsincraftbeerfestival.com/#accommodations
Yes, the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has a discount code "WISBEER2015" and the Iron Horse is Code "Wisconsin Craft Beer Festival".
RAL: What does the event mean to the community?
JB: The event will mean a lot to the community. It further establishes Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a beer Mecca. Beer has been part of the Wisconsin community’s culture for generations. The Wisconsin Craft Beer Festival honors this tradition.
RAL: Does the festival drive business to the local economy?
JB: Yes, we purchase ten of thousands of dollars of beer from local breweries. The beer bars and hotels will see a considerable amount of business from folks both local and traveling from afar who are attending the festival.
RAL: Why should people come to your festival?
JB: This would be an experience of a life-time for the craft beer lover. There has never been an event quite like this in the midwest. Where else can you be educated on several aspects of brewing and sample some of the best craft beers in the country. We are so happy to provide this amazing craft beer area a first class festival and experience.
For more information on this unique and new festival please visit their website.