Sprung! Spring Beer Festival

This event was so much better than I could have ever imagined.
Initially when I told people I was going I was told this list of things to watch out for and things to do and not do.
I was told that the lines would be out of hand– they weren’t.
I was told the beer would run out– it didn’t.
I was told parking would be a nightmare– I parked a block away without having to search.
It was organized well and all the volunteers did a great job of getting everyone through the door.
I loved the wrecking ball area for wasted white girls to take aggression out on each other. The band was decent. Some great eats and of course, the reason we were all there– the beer.
I loved being about to sample so many beers I’ve never heard of or would have never have tried had it not been for the event. I am in love with the Keybilly because of this event, and of course Miami BBQ.
The only downside to this event was the rain. I can’t wait for next year!

Someone told me Sprung! is the little sister of Grovetoberfest, but I’d say it’s more like its twin sister. Last Saturday, a group of friends and I headed to Peacock Park for my second Sprung! experience. When all is said and done, I’d say this was the best beer festival experience I’ve had in Miami.
We bought «Beer Socialite» tickets upon first announcement of the festival which scored us a little bit of a discount. This pass includes one hour early entry and a complimentary beer glass upon exit. I’d say that extra hour is a real blessing so you can try some of the more coveted brews before the crowds descend.
Overall, I was thrilled to try some local breweries I haven’t had a chance to check out like J Wakefield, while also discovering some coming our way soon like Descarga. I never had to wait too long for any given brewery and was able to leisurely make my way around the entire thing (almost twice), before it ended.
This year the weather wasn’t superb but drinking has this crazy way of allowing you to forget all about that. Can’t wait for the next go around!

This review is for the 2015 event.
This was my first attendance to a beer festival, although I’ve been to plenty of wine & food ones and I found the setup and concepts to be similar. Tickets for this event were sold in three different packages; VIP (earliest entrance time at 2pm, access to VIP area with more beer samples…), Socialite (3pm entrance time plus some swag) and General Admission (4pm entrance).
My boyfriend and I were a little worried that the event might have been over sold since we had seen tickets available on Groupon (that’s where we got our tickets) and Living Social, luckily it wasn’t. I was very surprised at how well the event was organized, they definitely got people in quickly and all the vendors were well supplied. They had a good mix of well known breweries, up and coming ones (Spanish Marie was so good, hope they find a location soon) as well as some ciders available.
Plenty of port a potties available, but it’s a beer festival so lines are going to develop. A tip, there’s two rows of port a potties and most people forget about the second row ones. There were a few food vendors at the event, it smelled good but we had eaten prior at one of the numerous restaurants outside the park.
Parking lots and garages abound, so that wasn’t a problem. We happened to park right near the event and paid $ 25. Although after walking around and grabbing lunch we saw several other parking areas for less.
My boyfriend who is a beer fanatic and has been to a few festivals thought this one was great. I’m not a beer fan but even I was able to find ones that I liked and having the ciders really helped too. We would definitely do this festival again.

2015 Sprung Beer Festival
This was a whole lot of unexpected fun. Not at all what I was expecting.
I was here in the early afternoon. By the time we left, around 5ish or so, I don’t know really, I was already drunk by the time I left, it was starting to get more crowded. There were lots of people there but not as much as when we left.
It’s a simple procedure. When you walk in you are given a small plastic cup. That cup is what you use to drink your samples. You want to hold onto it while there.
Lots of beer choices. Plenty of food. Some drunk people games. It was GREAT and I can’t wait until next year to go.
Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving. Before you know it though, you are nicely buzzed.
Things to note and blah, blah, blahs:
Parking — Believe it or not, it wasn’t an issue. We parked inside the garage right next to Cocowalk. When the Grove is in full swing, though, expect a more crowded space.
* Bathrooms — Plenty of port a potties with the expected lines. Remember, people are drinking beer. Beer makes people do #1. When you first feel you have to go, go make that line.
* Kids — Leave them at home with a baby sitter. This is not for them at all.
* This has been one of the best organized events I have been to. Everything was running smoothly.

Great beer festival,
A lot of great beers to sample. Fun games. Perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Awesome event! Excellent selections of beers. The human bowling event was fun to watch. It could have been a little longer. Overall I had a great time!

Sprung! Spring Beer Festival Rocked it in the Grove!
First appeared on
Beer festivals are a lot like open-​minded college girls & South Beach guys — they can go either way. Sometimes they blow (as did a recent local beer festival that shall remain nameless) — or as is the case with, Sprung! Spring Beer Festival, they can kick major ass. This past Saturday, March 9^th Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park hosted 150 spring and summer craft beers from well-​known, talented breweries like Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn Brewery, Kona, Magic Hat, Shiner, Shipyard and many more. We at
love to support small businesses as well as people doing what they are truly passionate about. That is why we were very pleased to see Sprung! supporting the very impressive local craft beer movement here in South Florida.
A very reasonable $ 39 general admission ticket gave you access to an unlimited delectable beer selection in a festive, fun and friendly environment. VIP tickets granted you access to air-​conditioned private bathrooms and an awesome buffet by Le Fragole which offered tasty three cheese mushroom rissoto, ceviche, savory empanadas, and perfectly cooked tuna-​topped plantains.
As if that were not enough, the event also had human bowling (which was tons of fun), beer pong, and cornhole. In addition, four great chefs and the team from B.R.E.W. FIU held sessions on pairing food with beer. Also in attendance were Miami’s Vice City Rollers promoting their badass roller derby team and selling bacon infused treats. Executive Fantasy Hotel provided a mechanical bull, naughty cages for photos and hotties on hand promoting their lustful hotel getaway. Bougainvillea’s sponsored the stage where local hip hop ensemble, ArtOficial ripped it up.
There is something about beer festivals that always bring out the most down-​to-​earth and chillest of South Florida’s crowds. We enjoyed the effervescent libations, mingled with the crowd and could not stop laughing and smiling with random inebriated strangers. While we are in concurrence with Homer Simpson that all beer is mmmmmmm, we were pleased that most of our favorites were from our very own, local South Florida craft beer makers. Highlighted are our favorite specimens in no particular order:
Schnebly Winery & Brewery — Big Rod Coconut Ale — Contains utterly delicious, rich coconut and caramel bursts. A smooth crisp masterpiece.
Scofferhofer — Grapefruit — A unique combination of sparkling wheat beer and refreshing tangy fruit juice. Mix of 50% Schofferhofer wheat beer and 50% grapefruit juice was a superb experiment and very tasty.
Most Wanted Brewery — High Noon Sweet Orange Hefeweizen — Similar to the previous fruit combo but slightly different and just as good.
Opus Ales South Florida — Melo-​coton Wit — The sensational, peachy and crispy Belguim wit ale was a refreshing treat.
Fourth Age Brewing Flan — Sweet Stout — A dark, yet smooth and sweet concoction that blew us away with its addictive nature & sweet 9% alcohol potency.
Fourth Age Brewing — Lost City — This 6.5% Golden Ale is brewed with lemongrass for a delightfully unique and smooth finish.
Red Hook — Audible — Redhook teamed up with Dan Patrick from ESPN to brew the ultimate Pale ale with plenty of flavor and aroma.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. — Ovila Abbey Dubbel — This has been a favorite of ours throughout the wine and food festivals we’ve been to. It has a rich and malty sweetness with caramelized sugar. It is truly a complex and stunning beer.
Miami Beer & Wine Makers Warehouse — Strawberry White Merlot — We are so thankful these guys snuck some wine into this beer extravaganza. The «make-​your-​own» wine was one of the smoothest and most delicious we have ever tasted. We will definitely take a stab at making our own.
In short, we had a freaking blast and can’t wait to get our lederhosen ready for Grovetoberfest in October.
Until the next pleasure fest…