Beer festivals have something for everyone. However, trying to experience all the fun by sampling every brew available isn't recommended. Nor is it physically possible.
Rambling around the 17th Annual San Antonio Beer Festival and sampling randomly from 410 offerings from 82 booths and three tents can be good time, but given the event's size it can be better to plan ahead. SABF, which takes place Saturday, Oct. 21, is one of the state's largest single-day beer festivals, after all.
One good way to maximize your enjoyment is to pick a theme to guide your tasting — for example, a quest for barrel-aged brews, a hunt for all the hazy IPAs or the pursuit of the perfect pils.
Here are some hints to help strategize time spent at the city's biggest beer event.
Stick to a style
Hazy IPAs, West Coast IPAs, fruited sours, pastry stouts and German-style lagers are all favorites that festival-goers frequently seek out. They're also a good place to seek out styles that are a little off the beaten path — and the grocery shelf.
Look for American interpretations of Belgian ales such as Longtab Brewing's Belgian Amber, Blue Star Brewing's Brother X Belgian pale ale and Gather Brewing's cheekily named Jean Blonde Van Damme, a Belgian blonde ale.
Dos Sirenos Brewing and Vista Brewing are trotting out their takes on Belgian tripels for the occasion. Real-deal Belgian goodness comes in the form of the Delirium line of beers — you know, the ones with the pink elephant on the label — from Melle, Belgium. That brewer's offerings include a blonde, dark strong, golden, red and fruited ale.
For those who have a strained relationship with beer because of an intolerance for barley and wheat, use the fest to seek out gluten-free options. Gluten-free is more a lifestyle than a beer style, and craft breweries have improved both the varieties and flavors in this category. Colorado-based Holidaily Brewing Co. is bringing its gut-friendly blonde, American IPA and hazy IPA to the party.
German-style fest beers, especially this time of year, are finding their way into the lineup of more American craft breweries. The style is the golden elixir you see hefted in liter masskrugs, or big mugs, by attendees of Oktoberfest in Munich. They're also considerably different from the sweetish amber maerzen-style we call Oktoberfest in the United States.
New in town
Some of the Lone Star State breweries represented at the festival don't have a presence in San Antonio, or they're so new to the market they can't be readily found. This is a good opportunity to see if a drive to visit the brewery is worthwhile.
Bear King Brewing of Marble Falls opened in 2019, but its southernmost distribution point is in Kyle. Most of its beers are classic styles or popular American variations, but the Dreamboat orange creamsicle IPA shows that Bear King is willing to have a little fun in the brewhouse.
Texas Cannon Brewing Co., which opened in 2021, is relatively new to the beer festival circuit. The little brewery and restaurant in Blanco is sampling several classic styles, including the crisp Lost Leg Lager named for General Santa Anna's abandoned prosthetic leg.
Rare brews
Finding rare beers from various breweries' series, small batches and one-offs is worth the hunt at the San Antonio Beer Festival, and it makes a good way to try exotic flavors. The caveat is that some of these hard-to-find brews will be exclusive offerings only available to early arrivers with VIP tickets.
A highlight is a host of special beers from Blanco's Real Ale Brewing Co., which has a tent dedicated to VIP exclusives. That includes spontaneously fermented brews in the long-running Mysterium Verum series, which includes the Codex Triplex and Imperium wild ales and the Tenabrate Aeterna porter.
Also look for goodies in the H-E-B Beer Experience tent. On the rare side, keep an eye out for Second Pitch Brewing's Aggressively Texas pepper lager, Freetail Brewing's La Muerta imperial stout variant aged in Blanton's bourbon barrels and Dallas-based Lakewood Brewing's Moody Tongue, a caramelized chocolate churro porter.
Highs and lows
A couple of beers on the San Antonio Beer Festival list give wine a run for its money when it comes to alcohol content, and a few more want to see how low they can go.
The showstopper on the high-alcohol side is the Habitual Line Stepper imperial stout from SA's Weathered Souls Brewing Co., which comes in at 16.4% alcohol by volume. The 2020 version of Chicago-based Goose Island Brewing Co.'s Bourbon County Stout is 14.6% ABV and at one time was a rare beer find.
Other bold standouts are the Coffee Imperial Stout from Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling. Part of the brewer's Texas Bourbon-barrel series, it clocks in at 13.3% ABV. Also look for the fall favorite Saint Arnold Pumpkinator Imperial Stout from Houston and Real Ale's old-school, barleywine-style ale, Sisyphus.
Those who like it with a little sugar and spice may want to sample New Holland Brewing Co.'s Dragon's Milk Imperial Stout and the Mexican Hot Chocolate Imperial Stout from Weathered Souls. Both weigh in at 11% ABV.
There's also something for the designated drivers in the crowd or those who want to audition beers for their next Dry January. Just the Haze, a non-alcoholic brew from Boston Beer Co., celebrates the tropical hop flavors and low bitterness of a hazy IPA. Other buzz-free beers on tap include Budweiser Zero and a crisp Stella Artois Liberte lager from Leuven, Belgium.
Low-alcohol beers are on the menu too. Some to seek out include the tasty raspberry notes of Lindeman's Framboise Belgian lambic, which weighs in at 2.5% ABV, and local Blue Star Brewing's sour Raspberry Geyser at 3.8% ABV. Alamo Beer Co. brings a favorite thirst quencher to the party with its 3.2% ABV Premium Light.
Michelada-inspired beers from Mexico also offer low-alcohol refreshment. Some available at the festival include Estrella Mango Chelada, Sol Limon y Sal Chelada, Sol Mango y Chamoy and the Cerveza Sol Chelada. All of them come in at 3.5% to 3.7%.
Award winners
The awards at the annual Great American Beer Festival remains the U.S. brewing industry's most sought-after recognitions. Last month, Texas breweries brought home 19 medals from the Denver-based festival. Those award-winning beers may warrant seeking out at SABF.
Start by looking for the two gold medal-winning beers produced by San Antonio breweries.
Check out Second Pitch's Hometown Lager and Longtab's DOL American-Belgo ale for a taste of gold. Sadly, Roadmap Brewing Co's silver-winning Derby Day Kentucky Common will have run dry by the time the festival rolls around.
17th Annual San Antonio Beer Festival, $45-$110, noon-6:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, Crockett Park, 1300 N. Main Ave., sanantoniobeerfestival.com.
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