17 St. Louis beer festivals to hit in 2018

Grab your calendar, prepare your liver and save the dates. St. Louis is awash in beer festivals this year.

1.Buzz’d Beer Festival
March 4 – The Old Bakery Beer Co., Alton, oldbakerybeer.com
Alton is abuzz about this festival that coincides with the third anniversary of The Old Bakery Beer Co. More than 20 breweries feature beer with flowers, honey and fruit that celebrate local pollinators. Tickets available online and at Old Bakery Beer.

2. Ales for Tails
March 10 – American Czech Educational Center, St. Louis, ales4tails.eventbrite.com
Support Tenth Life Cat Rescue and Needy Paws Dog Rescue while enjoying beer from places like Burr Oak Brewery and Crown Valley brewery, dozens of homebrews, and a pet-themed marketplace. Tickets available online.

3. FestivAle
March 23 – Union Station, St. Louis, festivalestl.com
Get your ale fix and support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at this event featuring more than 40 brewers like Boulevard Brewing Co. and WellBeing Brewing. Then, chow down on food provided by vendors like Café Piazza. Tickets available online.

4. Schlafly Stout & Oyster Festival
March 23 and 24 – Schlafly Tap Room, St. Louis, schlafly.com
Few things are better than bivalves and beer. Schlafly flies in 80,000 oysters and more than 20 shuckers for this free event where guests can slurp and sip more than 15 Schlafly stouts.

5. Columbia Trails Homebrew Festival
April 14 – Borsch Park, Valmeyer, Illinois, Facebook: Columbia Trails Homebrew Festival
Sample more than 60 beers from more than 25 homebrewers and vote for your favorite – the winner will have their beer on tap at Stubborn German Brewing Co. Tickets available online or at the event.

6. St. Louis Microfest
May 4 and 5 – Upper Muny Parking Lot, St. Louis, stlmicrofest.org
This two-day festival features more than 125 craft and international breweries like Old Bakery Beer Co., Kirkwood Station Brewing Co. and Peel Brewing Co. Stick around for live music, food from Mission Taco Joint, Bogart’s Smokehouse and The Dam. Tickets available online.

7. Manchester Craft Beer Festival
May 12 – Paul A. Schroeder Park, Manchester, manchestermo.gov/beerfest
Sample more than 20 local and national craft breweries including Civil Life Brewing Co., Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. and Goose Island, and dig into food provided by vendors like Nothing Bundt Cakes and Philly Pretzel Factory. Tickets available online or at Circle 7 Ranch.

8. Lupulin Carnival
May 19 – Union Station, St. Louis, lupulincarnival.com
More than 70 national and local breweries join 4 Hands Brewing Co.’s annual carnival, including 2nd Shift Brewing, Six Mile Bridge Beer, Against the Grain and Transient Artisan Ales. Don’t miss the aerial acrobatics and Ferris wheel. Tickets available online.

9. Daniel Boone Homebrew Fest
May 19 – Historic Daniel Boone Home, Defiance, Facebook: Daniel Boone Home Brew Fest
History meets homebrew at this festival featuring local clubs like STL Brewminati and Garage Brewers Society, in addition to breweries like Third Wheel Brewing and Augusta Brewing Co. Tickets available online.

10. IndiHop
June 2 – The Grove and Cherokee Street, indihopstl.com
One festival, two neighborhoods, 50 different beers – 25 storefronts in The Grove and Cherokee Street host local breweries. Stop, sip, shop and then hop on the trolley to the other neighborhood. Tickets will be available online.

11. Criderfest
June 9 – 2nd Shift Brewing Co, St. Louis, 2ndshiftbrewing.com
Around 50 local and regional breweries pour at this Pink Floyd-themed festival at 2nd Shift Brewing. Dig into food by Guerrilla Street Food and coffee by Blueprint Coffee and Dark Matter Coffee. A cover band provides the tunes. Tickets will be available online.

12. Heritage Festival
July 14 – Forest Park Grand Basin, St. Louis, stlbeer.org
Heritage Festival returns to Forest Park for a single four-hour event. Enjoy pours from more than 50 St. Louis Brewers Guild members like Square One Brewing Co., Urban Chestnut and Charleville Brewing Co. Tickets will be available online in April.

13. St. Louis Craft Beer Week
July 27 to Aug. 4 – St. Louis, stlbeerweek.com
Celebrate our city’s rich beer heritage with nine days of events, from beer dinners to trivia nights to tap takeovers. Don’t miss one of the week’s highlights, the Midwest Belgian Beer Fest on July 28. Tickets and complete schedule will be available online.

14. Hop in the City
Sept. 15 – The Schlafly Tap Room, St. Louis, schlafly.com
Sample all that Schlafly has to offer at its annual outdoor festival with unlimited pours of almost everything, from the hoppiest brews to the darkest stouts. Food is also available for purchase. Tickets will be available online.

15. Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival
Oct. 6 – Mel L. Fuhr Memorial Ball Field, Augusta, Facebook: Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival
Sip on brews and spirits from more than 40 breweries, homebrew associations and distilleries. Look for Two Plumbers Brewing Co., 4204 Main Street Brewing Co. and host Augusta Brewing Co. Tickets will be available online.

16. Brewers Guild Halloween Party
Oct. 27 – Lafayette Park, St. Louis, stlbeer.org
Don your most impressive Halloween costume and join the St. Louis Brewers Guild for a scary-good time. Sample beers, enter the costume contest and take a ride on the haunted Hefe Ride. Tickets will be available online.

17. The Great St. Louis Czech Beer Festival
Dec. 8 – American Czech Education Center, St. Louis, eventbrite.com
With more than 20 local breweries in attendance, this festival is worth Czech­-ing out. Previous attendees have included Schlafly, Firestone Walker and Leaky Road Meadery. Tickets will be available online.

Claire Ma is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.