United Nations of Beer

2008 Mountain Brewers Festival-Idaho Falls, Idaho

by UtahSteve
(Ogden, Utah)

Puffy rain clouds dot the sky while thousands of beer lovers dot the grounds at the 14th Annual Mountain Brewers Beer Festival in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Cool temperatures and the chance of rain didn’t dampen the spirits of festival goers who were able to enjoy several beers from each of about 50 different brewers. Most of the Idaho, Wyoming and Utah and Montana brewers had booths as well as brewers from as far away as Alaska, Colorado and Oregon. Local distributors supplied Budweiser, Miller, Lindemans, Ayinger Celebrator and Samuel Smith’s.

This festival is one of the premier beer events in the US. Usually held on the first Saturday in June the brewer participation and beer lover attendance rival that of the some of the more well known fests in the US. This is also a premier judging event and winning an award from the North American Brewers Association, who host the Mountain Brewers Beer Fest, is prestigious enough to warrant entries from all over the world even though most of the entries are not available to festival goers.

Any beer lover will find something here to suit their tastes: stouts and porters, light lagers and light ales, IPA’s and IIPA’s, bocks and browns, hefe’s and barleywines, sodas and 1 cider; there should be something for everyone.

My favorite was an Imperial Stout from Bottoms Up Brewery in Pinedale, Wyoming though there were a couple of great pales and browns. Several of the brewers also attend and due to the casual nature of this festival are able to take some time to answer questions about their product or philosophy.

The focus of the Mountain Brewers Fest is not only to provide a diverse and enjoyable experience for the beer lover but to provide a significant charitable contribution to several local charities in Idaho Falls.

Proceeds from ticket sales and items donated by local businesses for a silent auction and raffle have helped the NABA donate almost 300,000 dollars to charity over the last 13 years. The most unique auction items are large coolers full of the extra judging samples. The ‘Gold Medal’ cooler had about 50 bottles in it and sold for over 600 dollars. The ‘Silver’, ‘Bronze’, and several other mixed coolers went for between 150 and 500 each. Yours truly purchased the ‘Ales’ cooler for 200.

Several local bands provide entertainment during the festival and there are also various food booths offering Cajun, BBQ, burgers and brats. Busses are provided from various locations in Idaho Falls to the festival free of charge. These busses run every 30 minutes during the festival and the ride back to the hotel on the bus can be really interesting.

The fact that they are school buses and drivers makes me wonder if a load of 8 year olds is better or worse. We were very rowdy and for some reason there was an almost continuous chant of ‘tits, tits, tits.’

Idaho Falls has lots of hotel rooms and is less than 90 minutes from Jackson, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The Snake River runs right through town and if you are a climber the Tetons offer technical challenges and Craters Of The Moon offers world class bouldering. Sightseeing, fishing and other activities abound. The Salt Lake International Airport is about three hours away by car and just a few minutes by a connecting flight.

Tickets for the Festival this year were $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include unlimited 3 ounce samples. Idaho Law prohibits glass on festival grounds so no souvenir glass is available.

Make your plans now for 2009.
http://www.mbbf.org
208-528-6223