All the best beers are here! So many samples and just enough time. Sours, IPA's, stouts, pilsners, ciders, you name it, it's here. A fantastic variety of microbreweries across Wisconsin and even representation from Minnesota and Illinois! Not even the gloomy weather and short showers could sway away these beer loving folks! I started by standing in the gold line because I saw a line and jumped in, not knowing there were different entrances. Something to note for next year. The food selection that I took note of included grilled cheeses and the sausage cart. Gruber offered free pretzels and N/A beverages if you happened to stop by his booth, which I thought was awesome. Firkinfest veterans were spotted wearing pretzel necklaces, aka "palate cleansers." The walking musicians were awesome as well! There were many more tents and breweries here than I had imagined. The water to clean out your glass came in handy a few times. Police presence was here but no one was noticeably drunk or obnoxiously rowdy, just good conversations and good beers. The bonus pint glass on the way out was nice too! read more

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Firkin awesome. As the glass said. had to upgrade this year we were blessed with a wonderful break in the heat wave and blessed with gentle cool breezes off Lake Michigan. A day later, on Sunday we get a steady pm shower to hopefully green up cathedral square park. Improved processing of the the lines to get in were moving quite quickly. I'm guessing they found a way to card people and get them in quickly. The band was extra crispy brass band, a very entertaining group. Parking was a plentiful near by unlike Bastille day. The firkin style of beers were plentiful and I found 5 that I really enjoyed. It is Good to see the family of Yelpers grow every year, even had a chance to chit chat about stuff not beer related. Lol. And guess who got red sunglasses for checking in at the YELP Booth?? Me!! Thank you Rachel and Jessica S. read more

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This was our first year going to firkin fest. We got to go thanks to a Yelp giveaway. So first off - this was a super mellow fest at Cathedral Square. Easy to find. Quick entry. We arrived around 4pm, and headed straight to the cider tent. There were several really delicious ciders I tried, and will definitely purchase in the future. We then went around to sample various beers - which were okay. Some of the breweries had cans they were popping to sample instead of kegs - which were less appealing. Others had kegs, and some had bottles. The samples were generous. A major disappointment: the food!!! Why aren't there food vendors here?! There was one tiny tent serving grilled cheese and cheese curds, cash only, and that is it! What a bummer. Get some food trucks over here - nothing worse than catching a buzz super fast because your stomach is empty. We were totally expecting food so didn't eat before hand. All in all, it was okay. The samples were good, but the entertainment and food factors fell flat. read more

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I went for the first time 2 years ago and wasn't impressed with the beers. This year I enjoyed more of the beers and thought many of them were very creative and well executed. I thought there were sufficient food vendors and everyone seemed to have a great time. I volunteered at one of the beer tents this year, but still had plenty of time to enjoy the fest. The weather presented a challenge, but the fest organizers seemed to be on top of things and looked out for the safety of the guests. I would attend or volunteer again. read more

I made it. Thanks YelpMKE! We got there about a half hour early and walked around the entirely wrong way. It would have been helpful if there were signs for the beginning of the line. We went to the ViP entrance and were directed to a line that wrapped around the block. ID's and tickets checked and we were ushered inside the fence to pick up our glasses and corral ourselves behind some police tape. Finally they released the tape and we ran to the nearest booth like a bunch of speed dating drunkies. The trend was fruity this year which I am not a fan of. One was so sour I had to spit it out right away. They have fancy buckets for that and not just the grass. They also had water to rinse out your glass. The firkins go fast so I suggest trying those first. My favorites were Lightening Bug a chocolate stout from Brenner. (not because George and Mark were there) a beer from Title Town which the name escapes me, the new Lust with cranberry from St. Francis Brewery, and another which I got their business card. I will update later. There were local celebrities there too like Katrina from Master Chef. Everyone was quiet drunk and not rowdy drunk which was a plus. The port-o-potties were of course nasty.... We had the grilled cheese which was pretty unremarkable. No special bread and $5.00 to boot. They also had prepackaged soft pretzels and cheese for $2.00 along with a taco stand. I really enjoyed talking to the brewers and learning more about the beer. I regret sampling so much. We all know what too much beer does. Anywhoo, it was a fun time and I would do it again! I am a people watcher and there was certainly some good entertainment along with a great band that walked around. It was a great chance to try some of the all so many micro breweries. read more

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I like Firkin Fest. This is my second year in a row working the yelp! booth at the festival, but I've had full reign to enjoy the suds. VIPs get in an hour early then the general admission crowds (3pm vs 4pm), and use the additional time to run around and try everything before lines start. The thing that makes this festival stand out is the MKE pride - this is specifically a Milwaukee Craft Beer festival. While it is a sanctioned 1 block x 1 block area, the size still manages to fit tons of beer vendors. There are also some historic tents set up as not many other cities can boast of the beer pride and knowledge that Milwaukee does. There are also a couple vendors like Fyxation selling their leather branded "bike drink holders" and a vendor who sold candles made from beer bottles and coasters made from the labels. Cool stuff, but limited. The lack of the fifth star is due to the lack of FOOD options. I get it, this is a beer festival, but packing a bunch of flip-flop wearing, beer guzzling Wisconsinites into a tiny cube and providing a grilled cheese/cheese curd tent for stomach lining just seems irresponsible. **In their defense, a couple food vendors packed up and quit due to questionable weather this year (which turned out to be awesome!) so maybe they did work on that a little. read more

Firkin Fest - Business. - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I really, really like this fest. For three years now I've attended to rep Yelp, but have a blast meeting fun brewery folks and attendees alike. The demographic is a good one... people that hit up Firkin do so because they know and love beer, generally speaking. The breweries bring their A game with interesting craft options and stellar line-ups, and the number and depth of breweries repped is solid, too. You'll see Oskar Blues next to Big Bay, Potosi and Ommegang and Lakefront and Bell's. It's all over the map in the best way possible. The fest itself - both in terms of attendance as well as spatially - is big enough to boast tons of unique options, but small enough to be navigable, too. I enjoy this. It's the biggest small beer festival, if that makes any sense. I'd love to dole out five stars, but can't because having more food vendors/options would be nice. It's also good for beer drinking folks to eat a food after the sample a few too many brews. Just sayin'. As I noted previously, I'd definitely spring for this festival were I not on-hand in a Yelp capacity. It's tons of fun! If you like/love beer and like/love MKE, this one's for you. read more

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The weather was quite beautiful, and much cooler, for this year's Firkin Fest in Milwaukee. It made for an enjoyable evening with food, froth, friends and of course, firkins. What is a firkin? About fourty of the breweries bring special 1/4 barrels of new or existing brews they have altered, aged or infused with fruit, tea, squid ink...you name it. Most brought to the fest are science experiments gone very right. These rare and delicious treats are highly coveted in the beer nerd society. This was my first Firkin Fest experience. It is a fairly young festival in the scheme of things but this one is here to stay. A variety of notable and up-and-coming breweries setup camp in Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee. There is a general area as well as a VIP area with additional samples and tables, based on your ticket selection. The will call ticket pickup was efficient, as well as the line. Security came around in line to check identification and scan in tickets to make for a speedy and efficient entry into the fest. Once in, there were enough people to make it interesting but it was by no means crowded. There were plenty of places to stand at a bistro table or rest in the grass in between imbibes. Beer memorabilia/historical exhibits, vendor/sponsor booths (like Yelp!) and food vendors were also scattered around the grounds to enjoy with live music to boot. I enjoyed a Banh Mi sandwich and Sprecher Beer Kettle Chips from Rumpus Room - not too spicy and very delicious. Now the beer. There were plenty of different breweries and styles present to please any palate. Standouts from the 2013 fest were: Burnheart's firkin of Central Waters Fat Elvis, 3 Sheeps firkin of Really Squiddy Waterslides (featuring squid ink), Sweet Mullet's firkin of Jalapeno Jorge and Founders Frangelic Mountain Brown. I also saw that New Glarus had several 750ml bottles of the new Strawberry Rhubarb, but alas, I was not VIP and the bottles were empty. Sad face. What would I change to make this festival even better? First and foremost - glassware. This is the first time I have ever been to a beer festival and was handed a pint glass. It may seem like a "good idea" at first but not when trying to sample a wide variety of beers with less waste. The pour line was 3 ounces, which was one to two too many for "tasting". With the larger glasses, the staff had a tendency to over pour. Once the festival grows, more beer will run out faster. Not to mention, it also helps to not over serve your festival guests and keep things solid. Second, more rinse areas. Many festivals have a rinse station at each brewery or side of the tent. There were a few times were I had to go hunting. I observed many other folks pouring on the ground, which can just get messy. This would help keep the ground dry and less sticky and allow for more hydrating and rinsing. Third, more restrooms. At one point the line was about ten minutes. A few more would do the trick. Lastly, a few more food options would not hurt. I did not see many vegetarian options (aside from deep fried pickles and cheese curds) and nothing much in the way of vegan cuisine. Perhaps stir fry with rice, tamales or crepes would work. I am an omnivore, but there were few items that were not fried or very heavy, which is why I chose the Banh Mi. It was delicious, but I may have also indulged in another treat too. Overall, I was impressed. I enjoyed talking and getting to know more of my Yelp friends. A special shout out to Yelp for the tickets as well. From reading past reviews, the festival keeps improving and evolving every year. With that being said, I am already looking forward to next year and plan to spread the word among my ber nerd companions. read more

Firkin Fest - Snack time! - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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With this being my first Beer Festival, I have to say I was overall very satisfied. If anything it has lit the fire within to try other festivals! There were nice variety of breweries on tap.. Especially appreciated all the local breweries in attendance, but I kinda felt the placement and layout of it all was a bit odd. Another thing i definitely wanted was more food vendors... and actually I have to point out George T.'s review which compares it to the Beer Lovers Fest in Glendale. Nicely said George. My favorite part - getting to hang with my bro for a relaxing afternoon, the featured Home Brewers tent and well... the Yelp tent! They provided some beer pong, corn hole, and ring toss... FUN stuff for sure! Will I attend again? Not sure. I have been eyeing up the Beer Lovers Fest in Glendale for a few years now - and I think I'd like to try that out next time around. Firkin I think (like Rachel F.) is well on it's way to being a bit hit. Gotta start somewhere! read more

Firkin Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Beer, Beer and more Beer! We had a freakin good time at yesterday's Firkin Fest. The rain could not stop us. There were so many samples to try, it's hard to pick favorites, but that won't stop me from trying. My favorite of the day was the Bell's Sparkle Berry. Full of berry flavor, but not the sweetness. It was perfect. I'm so sad that it's not one we can get normally. It was so bright and refreshing that we went back for several tastes. Another standout for me was the Chocolate Stout from Central Waters, It was clearly the best stout of the fest. Other favorites breweries included Mob Craft, Brenner, and 3 Sheeps. With so much beer, it would be nice to have a few more food options. Honestly, the best food on site was the Fritos I brought in my purse. The bathroom situation was about as good as it can get for an outdoor festival in the park, and there was never a line. All in all, it was a great time, and I hope to be back again next year. So many beers, so little time read more

Firkin Fest - Before beer - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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This was my first Fikin - thnks to the fine people at Yelp we scored free tickets. (Thanks!) I would definitely go next year and happily pay the entrance fee because it's a completely different experience from your regular beer fest. First, I love that it's in Cathedral Square Park. We had a gorgeous day and being outside definitely added something to the experience. I don't know if there is a contingency plan for rain or not though. Second, the breweries get really creative. For example, I've never really thought much about St Francis Brewery's beer at the restaurant but they did some amazing things here - a cucumber infused saison (refreshing), a spice infused saison (peppery) and a lovely red tea infused beer. I wasn't brave enough to try the squid ink beer, but I kind of loved the jalapeño ale. Third, the crowd is pretty great too. Mostly folks who are really into beer, and not so many drunk bros. On the minus side, they really need more bathrooms (the lines were crazy long) and more food vendors (there were only 3-4). The positives far outweigh the negatives though. In conclusion: I had a great time, drank a bunch of really creative beer and got a little Firked up. Thanks Yelp! read more

Firkin A, this event is pretty firkin insane! A fantastic little craft beer fest in Downtown Milwaukee at Cathedral Square Park. Plenty of options for any beer lover out there, well over a hundred craft beers, even meads and hard cider. Well worth the price of admission. I want to second everything on Jennifer B.'s review. Her description of the event is spot on. As far as the beer went, I had some of the most delicious beers I have ever tasted at this event. There was a really good mix of smaller to mid-size brewers, along a small few of the large breweries. A good showing of most of our local breweries, along with breweries from the UK, Massachusetts, Cali, the Midwest, Brooklyn and many other spots. Here are my highlights- 3 Sheep's Really Cool Waterslides with Squid Ink Firkin- Holy cow, a beer with great citrus notes, followed by the slight sting of squid ink. An absolutely incredible infused craft beer. Milwaukee Brewing Company's Polish Moon- With that name, how can you go wrong? I love my sweet beers, and this one hits the spot. Sixpoint's Apollo- Where was this brewery the last time I was in NY? If I would have caught wind of it, it would have took a tour! Anyways, I'm going to hunt down a pack of these bad boys this week. The fruity tartness makes for a unique beer. Potosi's Belgian Tripel with Strawberries Firkin- Second favorite of the day. The Belgian Tripel would have been good alone, the added strawberries blew it out of this atmosphere. And my favorite, Titletown's Green 19 IPA. I have a real love/hate relationship with IPA's, but I'm loving this one. The only beer I went for a second helping, this IPA is slightly spicy but has some bold citrus notes. Awesome. Beers were definitely the highlight of this event, along with the Extra Crispy Brass Band, who ditched the stage for a little bit during the evening and played throughout the crowd. Very Cool. A very special shout out to Yelp, who not only gave out tickets to this as an Elite Ticket Giveaway (which I was a very grateful recipient of), but also had Rachel and friends giving out swag such as koozies and pretzel necklaces. Thanks to them, after my fellow beer nerd friend had to cancel last minute, I got to spend some quality father-son time with the old man. It was great to be able to bring him to an event like this, considering he took me on my first craft brewery tour long before I was of legal age. Yelp is the truth. Keeping this event from a five stars is a couple things. One is the rinsing stations. Like Jennifer B. said, they could benefit from more stations. Even if someone would just go around and refill the water containers and dump the pails, that would be just fine. After about a hour in, my glass went without rinsing through many tastes and I got carpal tunnel from shaking out my glass so much to get those last little drops out before the next glass. Good thing I started off with the squid ink beer. Another thing was the food. While they had some good options, I had my first bit of trouble in my new life as a Pesco-Vegetarian. I try to stay away from meat totally, but it was almost impossible. I keep my eating of fish to a minimum, but I would have settled for some if they had it. Almost everything had non-fish meat in it, from all 5 vendors represented. I ended up eating beer battered cheese curds and cheese pizza (how's that for clogging the arteries). While I wasn't expecting much in the way of food, it could have been a little more diverse than it was. If you don't eat meat, make sure to fill up before the fest. This fest is the real deal, and I'll be back! read more

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There once was a time that a drank from a Firkin Cathedral Square, some birds were a chirpin' All before Miley Cyrus was Twerkin' Oh what a wonderful beer fest it be. Craft beer from breweries is what we were drinking Is anyone sober? What the hell were we thinking? Plenty of cheers and beer glasses for clinking Oh what a wonderful beer fest it be. Four hours of imbibing has caused us to stumble "LETS GET REAL CHILLI!!" the masses did mumble One bowl of Spicy and my stomach did rumble Oh what a wonderful beerfest it be. For me it is now made abundantly clear My liver now lives in perpetual fear For it counts down the minutes until next year Oh what a wonderful beerfest it be. read more

Hollaaaaaaaaa this is dope. Shout out to Yelp for the free tix. I showed up a little late, having to accommodate the boyfriend's work schedule, but that was okay. My recommendation is to get there when it opened, or at least before it's already been going on for 2 hours. We showed up around 6 and had our fair share of drinks to consume, but a lot of breweries had run out. Major props to Mershon in Stoughton for giving me the best cider I have ever tasted. District 14 had some awesome brews too. Lots of other great Wisco breweries represented (even some from the motherland aka Green Bay!). The vendors actually had some really neat products to showcase, especially Fyxation with their neato bike beverage holders. And of course, I grabbed a bunch of free swag from the Yelp tent. Gonna be honest here, and it's not going to be surprising if you've been to this event: it's a bunch of drunk people roped into a square city block. If that's not your jam, maybe stay away. That being said, the people were actually nice drunks instead of predatory/creepy drunks (got compliments on my earrings and no one tried to ask me for my number). The tickets are kinda steep, but it's worth it. Full disclosure- Had I actually had to pay for tickets, I would have gotten my money's worth. I was constantly throwing back delicious IPAs. Apparently, I passed out on my kitchen floor at 8:30pm upon returning home. *thumbs up emoji* read more

What I remember from Firkin Fest was drinking beer. A lot of it. I vaguely recall that most of the beer was very, very good. I was very enthusiastic about drinking the beer. If my glass was ever empty, I don't remember. But I do remember getting picked up by my wife and singing songs while I rode home. Firkin Fest is awesome. read more

I love that they limit the number of tickets and I never was more than two people away from the tap. I love that there was a wide variety of ciders mixed in with the beers and that the best Firkin I had all day (and the judges agreed) was from Crispin - sweet mother let me have more of that honey lavender something something goodness. I love that we're out in Cathedral Square, enjoying spectacular weather, tons of other Yelpers and gorgeous Milwaukee downtown. I think it's ridiculous that they charge $15 for designated drivers to get in. Sorry, but this is why people drive drunk. You should be encouraging folks to DD - let 'em in free to give them more than a soda and some pretzels. The first music option was destined to make me want a nap - I mean, I know I'm not there for the music, per se, but you've got me out in the sun and drinking, so maybe mellow moods isn't the best choice. Tons of food vendors, a beeriana history section and that kick butt soul singing ukelele girl. Also a post-fest trip to Real Chili. How could you go wrong? read more

I had never been to a beer festival before, can you believe it?? Firkin Fest does it right in my eyes. Over 50 breweries were there. I saw at least 2 from San Diego (big craft brew town, so I was super excited to try their stuff) and a bunch from Colorado. I loved the homebrew tent, and in general the layout of the fest was amazing. The tents were spread out enough that you could easily take a breather from alll the beer, which can be drunkenly overwhelming. We had a great time, but after 5, needed some grub to soak it all up. The choices were a little limited. We went the generic cheese curd tent, which was good, but 6 dollars for 10 cheese curds seems almost scam-like. Firkin Beer Organizers- dp your patrons well and offer decently priced food! Thats my only suggestion. I'll do my part and eat for two before I go next year. All in all, such an awesome event. I felt lucky to participate and see what it was all about. read more

If you're a beer person, this fest is a MUST go-to! It's way more unique than a lot of beer festivals because breweries bring in specialty brews (their "firkins"), so while you may have had some of the breweries that are present, but not these specialty beers. Basically, it's a lot of unique beers, plus the great staples & is definitely worth the ticket price!! If you want more one on one time with the brewers/reps.. I recommend buying VIP! read more

Great festival with dozens of beers to sample including some cask conditioned ales. It was a big crowd but never felt crowded. Even when a few hundred people line up around the block at the beginning, they move you in quickly. This is a well run event. read more

Great beer fest easy to get to each tasting tent. Love the unique beer offerings read more

Firkin Fest - I love firkin - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was okay for a local beer festival. However, given the name... "Firkin Fest"... I expected more firkins. Each brewery had an average of about 4-5 beers, but only one or two in a firkin. All others were bottles. While the atmosphere is still fun, I don't want to pay $45+ for a small sample of bottled beer. On the plus side, it was not very busy at all. read more

Firkin Fest is well worth the price ($46 for General Admission a $79 for VIP - Unlimited beer either way, just an extra hour and bonuses as a VIP). Unlike most other beer festivals I've been to, this one starts in the early evening and lets out around 8pm rather than running mid-day under the hot sun. Before arriving to the event, my friends and I thought it would be a made dash to try everything before it ran out - this was not the case, even as GA. The tents are well laid out so that you can try everything with a degree of organization, working around the park in a circle (though that will get tougher as you sample more). As the night went on, I think there may have been a band on the main stage, I think. If you are really into beer or want to get really into beer, this is a great event. There are well over 50+ beers to sample (~3oz) and you can come back for the same beers as many times as you like. It is a great event for people who want to try new stuff but are afraid to take the risk on buying something new and unfamiliar. It is inevitable that you will get drunk at this event. There is no way around that. The food options are good but limited and kind of pricey (cheese curds, brats, popcorn, etc.) but you are allowed to leave the park, grab food from one of the many local restaurants, and come back in with your bracelet. Well worth the money. Does not get overcrowded. And as the night goes on everyone continued to have a great time together, there did not seem to be anyone drunkenly causing trouble. read more

Firkin is hands down my favorite beer fest of the summer. A beer fest I always a good time, but the Firkin brings out unusual small batch beers aged in firkins. You get beer here that only exists for this one day. It is an awesome geek out for beer nerds and lovers. The home brew tent is pretty amazing too. The passion the clubs bring to this event results in fun experiments and some great sharing. read more

This is pretty great fun for beer lovers. Unlimited tasting with a variety of things to try. There was a wonderful hard apple cider just starting to be sold in the states from Europe. Also beer with chocolate, dill, banana bread and bacon flavors. The lines to get in and for the port-a are long but the beer is great and the servers are cheerful. This festival is all about TASTE. Not just Wisconsin beer but from beyond as well, like Michigan and the UK. We found only one food booth, with grilled cheese and cheese curds, so I wouldn't come here expecting a feast. But again, tasting everything was great fun. read more

It was a blast, great weather, generous pours and good breweries. Don't forget to bring a pretzel to wash down the beer and clear your palate. Better yet, put a bunch on a string and wear them as a necklace! read more

Great opportunity to taste different styles of beers and hang with friends! Many Brewers from Wisconsin and even home brewers!