Midwinter Brewfest

Really a 3.5, I’ll be generous and say 4!
Drinking for charity is always great, no matter how you spin it. The ticket includes unlimited tastings from 30+ breweries, a mini tasting glass, and free brats/​hotdogs/​pizza from local vendors.
The beer lists may not seem overly exotic if you’re already a beer geek. But the spirit of the event makes it fun, and the programs helped me make my beverage selections. This event didn’t seem for aficionados as much as for just a bunch of people who want to drink and do it for MACC.
There is room for improvement…
1) Get rid of all the seating tables in the main area, it’s just too much. I’ve been to plenty standing room only beer festivals.
2) With 900 attendees, I’d suggest two waves of tastings throughout the day. What if there was a 11 – 2:30 slot and a 3 – 6:30 slot? It was so packed it was hard to tell if people were waiting in line for beers or just standing in front of tables because there was nowhere else to go.
3) For the love of God, ask all your beer vendors to swirl patron’s glasses out with water before pouring. From what I saw only Vintage and MKE Brewing were doing so. Or provide a water station.

This is a solid, solid beerfest for a solid, solid cause.
Midwinter Brewfest rocks MKE the day after Food & Froth every single year and has been doing so for eighteen now. Held at the MKE Ale House, it’s upstairs, downstairs and in the connected underground parking garage… they make it work!
You’ll see local, regional, and national brews repped at this fest, and at $ 45/​ticket you def get your money’s worth. The event ran from 1−5pm this year and it was PACKED, my friends. (And w/​many of the same vendors/​breweries as at F&F, too.)
Highlights this year:
–New Holland’s sour (yum, not too sweet, very awesome!)
–Three Sheeps’ IPA (YES PLEASE)
–Pearl St.‘s coffee stout
The UW marching band plays in the basement every year and this adds to the festive good time vibezzz.
A few observations:
–bathrooms (man oh man, the wait at peak attendance is rough even w/​the portable toilets downstairs in the parking garage… maybe more of them and on the patio outside would help?)
–speaking of outside, a heated tent to break up the density might be a good idea? It’s clearly packed to the gills in there, so finding a way to keep attendees AND vendors a little more spaced out would be rad. Just a thought!
–the volume on the main stage: those poor vendors in front of the main Ale House stage… the volume was out of control! I think having stand up comedy could be fun in that space, and that would allow beer vendors to still converse with the attendees/​save their eardrums.