Naperville Ale Fest

I am only giving two stars based upon the vast range of brews which were available at the event. As far as the money we spent for the «VIP EXPERIENCE «we could not have been more disappointed. I see reviews of the 2015 fest casting a positive review and I could not disagree more. You had more volunteers than actual brewery reps, nothing against the volunteers at all but, even I couldn’t pour a proper beer into a SHOT GLASS ! We came expecting so much more and received nothing more than a cigar/​cigarette infested carnival… I’m only writing this because 2013 and 2014 were so well put together that I only want 2016 to be better…

This was our 3^rd year attending, 2^nd year as VIP ticket holders. I am not saying this to be mean, I am just hoping they get it right for next time.
This year was such a disappointment! You were given a juice glass, again! Has anyone every tried to pour a draft into a juice glass??? FOAMY! Where was the pint glass from 2 years ago?
Where were the directory books? They were hidden at the «apparel sales» tent instead of when you entered. There was no way to tell where breweries were.
The nice thing about being a VIP is the 1 hour entry without the long lines to talk with the breweries, the secluded area and the «special» brews that were available.
It was so disappointing that a lot of breweries were not in attendance, only their beer was. We would ask a question and the answer was always «I don’t work for the brewery». Well then, Why are you here? At the very least, they should be able to answer simple questions like «Where can I purchase
This?
As a VIP, what did your double ticket price give you? A disappointing VIP area, with no extra shade or seating and the «special» taps, you were stuck waiting for. At least a t-​shirt? Nope, not this year… Go buy it! So, I am not really sure what I actually got for my double ticket price. An extra hour of drinking? Well, we were there for the experience, and this year was a fail!
Overall, I feel taken advantage of.
If I decide to give them my money next year, it will not be for the «VIP» experience. There is no real benefit.

This was our 3^rd year attending Naperville Ale Fest, unfortunately, it was also our worst year. We have always purchased the VIP package because we enjoy talking with the brewers. This year, the «VIP» tent area was extremely limited on shade and seating. Previous years the VIP area was filled with umbrella tables so that you could be out of the sun. I was extremely disappointed that this was changed — especially when you factor in that the price was raised this year.
Previous years, cigar and cigarette smokers were given a designated area. This year, cigar smokers were walking around the fest with no one stopping them from blowing smoke into everyone’s faces. I was disgusted. I don’t mind if you want to smoke, but I do mind that in a crowded area you are being inconsiderate of others. What’s worse is that the Fest did nothing to stop this.
Finally, though weather can never be predicted, planning needed to be improved in anticipation of a hot July day. The volunteers were getting drunk instead of maintaining a safe atmosphere for the fest. A cooling area was not widely advertised to attendees — in fact I didn’t find out about it until the next day. They did offer free water, but for a festival as large as this one they needed to provide more relief. Large fans would have been an easy solution to the very crowded and uncomfortable environment that everyone was standing in.
I can say that they have a wide variety of brewers with great brews, multiple food trucks, and a beautiful setting. However, we don’t feel that the fest itself was run as well as previous years. Very disappointing.

Soooooo many great beers to choose from!!! Everyone in our party of 6 enjoyed the beer, music and food. Even though there were many people there it was not overly crowded and there were not long lines for beer. It was a very nice time. Our only complaint was we spent the extra money for the VIP admission which doubled the ticket price. The VIP area was a roped off open area near the food trucks. There was 1 beer vendor, a guy playing a guitar (who played very well) seperate port-​a-​pities and a few standing tables. No tent and no seating. The doubled ticket price also got you a free sandwich from the food trucks and admission to the event 1 hour early.
I look forward to attending next year but will not waste the money for the VIP admission.

Had a great time at Naperville Ale Fest! So many great beers in one place! Can’t wait for the summer fest!

I’ve been to several of Lou Dog’s Events — most notably, the 2013 Naperville and Lisle Ale fests, as well as the 2014 Winter and Summer Naperville Ale fests.
Clearly, I dislike the events.
Ha! But seriously though, other than the lack of port-​o-​potties at the other events (Summer events have been great, that’s a reference to the others), I can’t complain much (okay one more. Stop advertising that we’re getting a collector’s pint glass, when you give us a piddly little tasting glass that we can’t use after the event for any reason). The food selection is great, the service is fantastic… and the beer!
I’ll let you in on a secret: don’t buy extra tickets. You’ll be plenty full at the end, and that’s if you even get marked off for all the drinks. I use every «taste» every time, and typically leave with less than 10 marks off my card.
Every time, I say I’m going to study the book and know ahead of time where I want to go… but I don’t take beer that seriously, and it’s small enough that there’s enough time to hit all the spots.
Have fun, and make friends. This is the best of the Lou Dog Events!

This review is for the 2014 Fest. My wife and I just left and really loved the experience we had. Great brewers, great beers, terrific live music, excellent setting, superb food truck selection, manageable lines, lots of tables for eating and plentiful water. Some great ideas too: lanyards with cards on which brewers checked boxes (no sheet of tickets to awkwardly use), cigar tent with local cigar vendor, cider alley, lots of porta-​potties (don’t underestimate this one). One of the best beer fests I’ve attended.

The Naperville Ale Fest turned out to be a good time and was impressively well run for a first time event of this sort. The time of day, location, and layout were good.
I spoke with a friend who purchased the upgrade to VIP and he paid $ 30 to get in earlier and for somewhat shorter lines-​not necessary.
I didn’t try any of the food options, but Tom and Eddie’s burgers smelled and looked good and I’m now determined to finally try Crosstown’s wings, which every person who has ever mentioned the place raves about.
Vendors were for the most part friendly and enjoying themselves. The Sam Adams booth was very good-​friendly workers, swag, and good cold options (Rebel IPA was solid). Greenbush and Revolution were also good in terms of the service, options, and beer temperature and quality.
Founders on the other hand-​their reps seemed annoyed to be there and would grab your pint glass, fill near the 3 oz. line, mark your sample card, and move on without eye contact (not just my observation).
A good time for a Saturday afternoon and brilliant on the timing and location-1−5 on a Saturday afternoon in Naper Settlement. The nearby downtown dining and drinking establishments probably had a good day and evening take thanks to this event. I look forward to next year and the Lisle event advertised in the map book.

Went to the Naperville Ale Fest with a couple of friends. Didn’t know what to expect, but found it similar to the Naperville Wine Fest. You’re given a punch card and a glass. The promoters did well, as they had the brewers and a beer listing on the website. A little research and I had a list of which tents I wanted to hit first. Some of the breweries had reps and some didn’t, which was a little disappointing, but fellow fest goers were able to provide info which more than made up for it. Food was good too. I had a hot sausage from the Wurst Kitchen which was excellent. Lines moved fast, plenty of shade and plenty of beer (and some ciders too). Overall we had a great time and will be back next year.

Last year the Wheaton Ale Fest was the first beer festival I had been to and I was planning on going to that one again, until I found out it was cancelled. I can only compare Naperville Ale Fest to Wheaton, because those are the only 2 that I have been to. Including the service fee and everything, the tickets for this were about $ 50 for general admission. That price included a pint glass (yes real glass), a 15 punch card and access to about 50 different breweries, each with 2 – 3 beers available. It was nice that they held it at Naper Settlement, it made a nice backdrop to the drinking. I think next year they might want to spread out the tents a little more, just to give people more room to maneuver. For being the first ale fest in Naperville it was way more organized than I thought it would be. I’ll definitely be going again next year, it was a lot of fun and there was so much beer to try. A lot of the tents were staffed with people associated with the breweries and not just volunteers, which was great for asking questions. My beer of the day award goes to Mendocino White Ale, which was great.

I hope this becomes an annual event moving forward. It was very well organized. The line to get in moved fast and the location was terrific with a mix of well shaded spots to get out of the sun. The brewery selection was very impressive.
By late afternoon I don’t think many of the vendors were punching tickets or even minding the 3 oz. mark on our glasses. Everyone was just enjoying the event and it became one big party.
Given the crowd size this will probably only get more popular, bigger and expensive. The $ 45 general admission was well worth it.

My husband and I loved this festival. It was busy, but we didn’t have to wait in any long lines. The beer selection was great and there was a variety for every type of beer lover.
The location for this festival is great because there a tons of trees and it was actually comfortable in the shade. The food selection was small but there was variety.
The hand washing stations were nice, except for the fact that they ran out of water.
Overall, a great festival. Do your research before you go so you can have a plan of attack.