Old Pueblo Winterfest @ Barrio Brewing

I’ve been excited for this festival for a few weeks and I didn’t walk away disappointed. The tickets were 35 dollars in advance and beer-​wise I definitely got my money’s worth. There were a lot of Arizona breweries and I enjoyed tasting a variety of beers. They were also offering short tours of the brewery, so it was nice to be informed about the brewing process and take a break from the beer drinking.
The 6 oz. glass was surprisingly large and I didn’t finish all of my tastings. I kind of wish the event was longer, so I could have used all of my tickets without rushing through the drinking process.
The food was okay. Not particularly good or bad. They offered a vegetarian quesadilla option, which was really nice because vegetarian food is normally lacking at these events. The regular options were a sonoran dog and a bbq chicken sandwich. Each red ticket got two of those. I appreciate that they were giving enough food, especially with the amount of beer, but I suggest that next year they give two food tickets if you can get two items. It would be better if you could spread out the eating through the day and efficiently soak up all the booze.

How fun!!!
First off, I had no idea this event existed. I’m glad I know someone in Scottsdale who is totally more down with beer than I am! It was really cool. Over 100 breweries sampled their ales to a pretty hefty crowd for such a blustery day. High winds didn’t keep those serious about beer away though. It was nice to also see some Unilocal elites and some new members to the online community. I do wish there was a bit more food, but I don’t think they planned that peeps would be so «scarfy». Total side note, Barrio Brewing Co where the event was held just wrapped up a re-​model. They have a killer new IPA room that you can rent out for parties and work functions.
Know Before You Go:
Parking was rough for those that showed up late, if you plan to park it there next year, arrive early!