Every year we try to bring you incredible musical performances and this year we have outdone ourselves! Take a look at the performers we have lined up for this years BeerFest.
THE DRYLAND BAND
Beer Fest 2014 is happy to welcome back THE DRYLAND BAND! These guys bring the intimacy of a campfire ballad fused with the power of tribal percussion, sax, violin and guitars. They have had many great performances at many different festivals, and this year’s Beer Fest will be no exception!
http://www.reverbnation.com/drylandband
https://www.facebook.com/drylandband
THE ORCHARD
Beer Fest 2014 is happy to welcome THE ORCHARD to its lineup!!! Their new single ‘Southern Ground’ just hit number one yesterday on 790 CFCW’s Top Canadian Singles chart, and has had over 32,000 spins on Soundcloud! Beer tastes even better when consumed with sweet melodies… don’t miss The Orchard!!!
http://theorchardmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheOrchardMusic
MITCHMATIC
THE ELECTRIC RELIGIOUS
These guys are an extremely tight and talented group of musicians. Don’t be surprised to hear an energetic rock original followed by a flawless Hendrix cover.
The Electric Religious just received a $10,000 recording grant from Rawlco Radio and we can’t wait to hear that next album! Don’t miss their set at Beer Fest.
https://www.facebook.com/theelectricreligious
JESSICA DENISE
The 2014 Edmonton Beer Fest is proud to add the truly unique talent of JESSICA DENISE to its musical lineup! Jessica is trained as a classical vocalist and has some formidable piano chops, and she now merges that background with her love of contemporary styles – creating a compelling “theatrical pop” sound that’s all her own. Her songwriting is very impressive, and her talent needs to be seen and heard to be believed. You can do just that at this year’s Beer Fest!
http://www.reverbnation.com/jessicadenise
SEAN BREWER
Another great addition to our 2014 musical lineup is local folk/country/bluegrass phenom SEAN BREWER!!! Sean’s songs are full of honesty and integrity, and he is a true Alberta original. Sean is a member of many local bands including The Uncas, The Switchmen, and Red Ram – among others. But it is when he performs solo that his heartfelt songs about the prairies and life’s ups and downs truly hit home. He even has an album called ‘Prairie Sentimentalist’ – recorded with Lethbridge’s own Treeline. You will want to tip a few beers when Sean hits the stage at the 2014 Beer Fest!
http://www.reverbnation.com/seanbrewer
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sean-Brewer-The-Switchmen/86822465840
http://www.theuncas.com/
The performance schedule is listed below:
Friday April 4 (4pm – 1030 pm)
5:45 – 6:30 – Jessica Denise
7:00 – 7:45 – The Orchard
8:15 – 9:00 – The Electric Religious
Saturday April 5 (3pm – 1030 pm)
5:45 – 6:30 – Sean Brewer
7:00 – 7:45: – Mitchmatic
8:15 – 9:00 – The Dryland Band
We hope to see you all there enjoying the incredible performances we have lined up this year. We know these amazing artists will put on good show!
If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
If you have ever seen wine tasters at work, you will notice that they do not actually drink the stuff. After swilling it around their mouths for a few seconds, they spit it out. What a waste that is. They should take a leaf out of beer tasters books and actually drink what they are tasting. If you are lucky enough to get to some of the world’s largest beer festivals, you will see what I mean.
In fact, anybody caught spitting the beer out would probably be escorted to the door, and rightly so. Beer festivals are a wonderful invention. You get the opportunity to join up with loads of other people who share your tastes. You can try a whole variety of different beers while enjoying the entertainment. The entertainment usually includes the live bands that festival organizers recruit. It also includes other festival attendees who have slightly over-sampled and might be unintentionally putting on a show by making fools of themselves.
There are famous and great beer festivals all over the world. Here are a few of the better known ones:
- The Great British Beer Festival, London (United Kingdom)
- Pilsner Fest, Pilsen (Czech Republic)
- The New England Beer Festival, Auckland (New Zealand)
- The Great American Beer Festival, Denver (USA)
- Quindao International Beer Festival, Shandong Province (China)
- Belgian Beer Weekend, Brussels (Belgium)
- National Winter Ales Festival, Manchester (United Kingdom)
- Mondial del la Biere, Montreal (Canada)
- Biermeile Berliner, Berlin (Germany)
- Wasen Cannstatt, Stuttgart (Germany)
- Great World Beer Festival, United Nations of Beer, New York (USA)
The largest of all beer festivals by a long shot though is the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. After a few beers, people have been known to get a little befuddled. Clearly the originators of Oktoberfest did, bless them, because most of the festival takes place in September. Oktoberfest is not really about sampling beer. It is all about having fun drinking it. If you get the opportunity to visit this festival, grab it with both hands. It is an unforgettable, fun-filled experience.
Every year, Canadians get a great chance to try out a range of beers at our Edmonton Beer Festival. We are on a smaller scale than Munich, but definitely worth a visit. In 2013, festival-goers could choose from over 200 beers and we hope to add more this year. How many of those could you get through in 2 days?
If you are traveling to a beer festival, don’t forget to carry at all times a piece of paper with the address of your accommodation written on it. In a strange place, remembering where you are living temporarily after a “few” drinks can be tricky.
