Each year, it seems the U.P. Fall Beer Festival grows bigger and better, and this year is no exception for the young event. It's only the third time the festival has been held by the Michigan Brewers Guild, one of four annual festivals around the state.
The U.P. Fall Beer Festival will be held at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette, from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. Among the offerings are more than 200 U.P. and Michigan craft beers, as well as food from local restaurants and live music from local groups.
(If you're a Guild Enthusiast member, you can get in at noon, an hour earlier; see the guild's
membership information for details.)
It's good to see that, as in past years, the festival is eco-friendly, with recycling and compost bins on site and recyclable or compostable cups, plates, cutlery and napkins provided to attendees. Attendees are asked to make sure they put their trash in the right bins, and volunteers will help sort, which should ultimately reduce the overall waste at the event to below 10 percent, a goal for Guild festivals.
Tickets are $30 in advance, available
online, at member breweries (like the Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton) and at
some retail outlets. They go up to $35 at the gate, if tickets are still available. The ticket gets you 15 drink tokens, each good for a three-ounce sample of beer. If you need more beer after that, additional tokens can be purchased at the festival.
As you might imagine, you must be 21 to attend, with a valid ID. Designated drivers are encouraged to attend, and their tickets are just $5, but it's against the rules for DDs to drink beer at the festival. Rain won't stop the festival; its held under tents for the most part, and drizzle last year didn't hurt attendance at all.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Brewers Guild
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.