This is my second year attending/working Great Lakes Brew Fest and Curt Foreman and his crew are awesome! The only thing I could see for improvement is more help checking in the beer vendors, other than that the venue at the Racine Zoo is beautiful, there are plenty of bathrooms available and more than enough beer and food to make your day last! It is a well organized event and I would highly recommend craftbeer lover's attend in 2014. There are so many great breweries that it is hard to list them all. read more

Great Lakes Brew Fest - Ford and Brenda enjoyed pouring beer for Rock Bottom Brewery - Milwaukee - Festivals Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

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As far as brew fests go, this one is ok. There are a decent number of breweries, but not many new or unique beers. Brewers also tend to run out of any new and interesting beers they brought early on, so you need to find out the beer list ahead of time and plan accordingly. The fest takes place at the Racine Zoo along the lake, which is a nice setting. If you don't get to try a lot of micro brews or don't get to many brew fests, then you'll appreciate this event. read more

The Great Lakes Beer Festival was a lot of fun and I tried some incredible beers. I ended up asking for 1 ounce pours instead of the 3 ounce pours because there were so many brews. Even then, I cut myself off about an hour before the festival ended. If you're looking for a huge selection of sampling, this is your festival. I was a little disappointed that more than a few of the pourers didn't know anything about the beers or the breweries because they were "just volunteer pourers". One of my favorite parts of beer festivals is getting to know the brewery reps and the brewers and I missed that experience. I also thought it was a pretty dick move to charge for water unless you had a designated driver wristband. Overall, it was a fun experience and I'm glad I was able to attend. read more

I have been attending the Great Lakes Brew Fest for 4 years. It is a fantastic opportunity to drink a huge variety of beers in a festive atmosphere. The peopel You pay $40 which gets you unlimited samples of beer from 3PM - 7PM. There is some VIP package that gets you another hour of festing and some other perks, but I have never paid for that privilege. Pros: -Many beers from all over the country, not just the Great Lakes states. -Many beers from home brewers. This is a highlight of the fest for me, and I was glad that it came back after a 1 year hiatus due to state law. -There were many examples of what I will call A-list beers. Bold, strong, and unique examples. Not just the easy drinking crossover beers, although those were present as well. -Nice location at the Racine Zoo. Scattered mature trees provided welcome shade. -Full size glass pint. Glass is the best way to drink beer and it is worth taking home to remember the great time you had. -For an extra charge you can catch a shuttle bus from the Marriott-Racine (and other hotels I think) that takes you directly to the fest.- -Most of the breweries brought kegs which is my preferred method of beer delivery. Bottles are OK for that rare beer that I have never tried before, but I can also buy those at the store. -Even though it sells out, they don't get too greedy with the number of attendees. I feel it is nicely sized because the lines for beer were very reasonable. Rarely more than a minute or two of waiting. Cons: -Drinking water is not readily available. I did see vendors charging $3 a bottle for water, which is immoral. We should be encouraging water drinking, not ripping people off. - Rinsing stations filled with hose water were inconsistently available. I felt bad handing over a glass with lacing from my previous beer to get the next one. -Porta-Johns - I know it is common for festivals, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. -The multiple stages of entering the fest can be confusing. One line to check IDs for 21ness. Another to get ticket confirmed. Another guy gives you a wrist band. Then finally you pick up your tasting glass from another set of people. This was not a big problem for me, but I remember thinking that it could be streamlined. Overall, I enjoy the Great Lakes Brew Fest and I will continue to attend until my liver tells me to stop. Due to the open nature of the beer sampling I feel like it is a good value. I can drink as much or as little of each beer as I wish without counting tickets. If they could address the drinking water situation, I would have very little to complain about. Maybe they could get some businesses to sponsor fresh water in return for some signage or something. For now I lug along a few bottles of water in a backpack, but it is not really enough. Despite this I went with 5 stars because I do have a great time. I hope they fully earn that 5th star next year. read more

Best Beer festival in the Midwest. If there's one to check out, it's this one. I've been to a few since in the Chicago area and they're all so disappointing compared to this. read more

Greatlakesbrewfest is one of the permeir brewfests in the Midwest. Great beer in a great setting overlooking the lake.

There is a reason I visit Racine every fall from CO. Brewfest. Every year they seem to take comments from festival goers and make it better. Long lines at the entrance- more workers. Slow to get in a portapot? More pots! So many beers, great location at the zoo and on the lake. Although there are 4000+ people! there are rarely any long lines except for a special tapping. This is one of the most professionally run, smoothest festivals I have seen, but it is also the fastest 4 hours of the year. This year there was much more water for rinsing glasses and pour buckets emptied often. Gets better every time and always adds new brews. read more