Decade of drinks: Brewfest turns 10
Rain or shine, there will be beer.
On June 3 and 4, thousands of people are expected to gather at Sloss Furnaces for the 10th annual Magic City Brewfest.
Breweries from around the state and country come together at the event, presented by Free the Hops, to offer a variety of beers and samples for attendees. For seven of the last nine years, the festival has sold out, meaning more than 2,500 tickets were sold per session, said event coordinator Nick Hudson.
General admission tickets are $38 per session in advance and $45 at the gate.
“For the price, it’s the best value to try a beer you may or may not have tried before,” Hudson said.
This year’s event will have two sessions — Friday, June 3 from 7-11 p.m. and Saturday, June 4 from 4-8 p.m. — and tickets are available per session, meaning anyone who wants to attend both days would purchase two tickets. On Friday, the crowd is typically made up of younger attendees, Hudson said, while on Saturday there will be a more laid-back atmosphere and more families.
At the festival, samples for more than 200 beers will be available. Because of Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board regulations, the beer samples cannot be “free,” Hudson said, so there is a penny-a-pour charge. If someone dropped in a dollar at the start of the session, that equates to 100 samples, and all money raised from the penny-a-pour cost is donated to charity.
Beers are poured by Free the Hops volunteers, which Hudson said helps free up brewery and distributor representatives to talk with attendees about the beer they are drinking.
Instead of live music, Magic City Brewfest has partnered with Birmingham Mountain Radio, which will provide the entertainment for this year’s event. Another change at this year’s festival includes the Magic City Brewfest app.
The app includes a list of all participating breweries and beers, a map of the event space and a wishlist feature, where attendees can build ahead of time a list of what they hope to try at Magic City Brewfest.
“We tried to make the experience easier and more planned out,” Hudson said of this year’s tweaks.
For more information, visit magiccitybrewfest.com.
Magic City Brewfest
WHERE: Sloss Furnaces
WHEN: June 3 (7-11 p.m.), June 4 (4-8 p.m.)
COST: $38 in advance; $45 at the gate