If you’ve been dragging your feet waiting to decide if you’re going to the 18th annual San Juan Brewfest on Saturday, you’d best stop your dragging and get to buying your tickets.
“The Brewfest for the past two years has sold out at the gate, and so each year we’ve had a dwindling number of tickets available day-of,” said Tim Walsworth, executive director at the Durango Business Improvement District and coordinator of the Brewfest. “We will have tickets available this year, how many depends on how many we sell. And when they’re gone, they are gone. So people can show up at the gate, but they are taking a risk. And it really (stinks) to be that person who is the first one who doesn’t get in.”
Along with sampling the offerings of 53 craft breweries (including all of our local breweries) and a craft distillery (Durango Craft Spirits), you’ll be treated to an afternoon of live music from Sweetwater String Band, Liver Down the River and Hog Magundy as well.
“It’s always music and beer,” Walsworth said. “We always have music and we try to up our game every single year.”
And speaking of sampling: Don’t expect to be given an 80-ounce cup to take from booth to booth. Participants will be drinking out of a 5 ounce glass.
“This is a tasting event, so guests will get that entry and they can fill it up as many times as they want within their own limits,” Walsworth said. “The point of this is not to chug down as many beers as you can, the point is to try beers and find what you like and don’t like.”
And it’s not a place for those who are underage, Walsworth said.
“This event is no longer appropriate for anyone under 21,” he said. ”It gets very crowded. At the height of the event; when everyone’s there, and the first wave hasn’t left yet, it will be very crowded ... it’s too big and too alcohol-intensive for kids any longer.”
The same holds true for our furry (or, apparently, scaly) friends as well.
“No one under 21. No exceptions, not a baby strapped to you, not a kid, not a 20-year-old designated driver,” Walsworth said. “And no pets of any kind are allowed.”
Walsworth also said that if you’re going as someone’s designated driver, it’s not going to be a boring afternoon of flat Diet Coke or water. He said that this year, there will be a special booth serving up special non-alcoholic drinks for those not partaking.
For those without a safe ride home, Brewfest has you covered there, too, with free buses and trolleys and deals through Buck Horn Limousine. Reservations are required for Buck Horn, so call 769-0933.
The event is for charity, United Way of Southwest Colorado, an organization that keeps money in the community for the community. Walsworth said that last year, the Brewfest raised $25,000 for United Way of Southwest Colorado.
katie@durangoherald.com
If you go
The 18th annual San Juan Brewfest will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. in Buckley Park, 12 Street and Main Avenue in Durango.
General admission tickets are $30, $15 for desdignated drivers and are available at http://sanjuanbrewfest.com/tickets/. Tickets will also be available at the gate on Saturday, but it’s not a good idea to wait because this event does sell out.
This is a 21 and older event, no one younger than 21 will be admitted. No pets of any type will be admitted.
