'MUGnificient' beer festivals that are a must visit

Beer might be a four letter word but plethora of feelings are attached to it. It can be the life of a party, a cheerful nudge to a friend, an excitement pump to a sport match and the list goes on. As far as the written history goes, beer dates back to at least 5th Millennium BC andtill date is one of the most popular and widely celebrated drinks around the world. It has managed to surround itself with various cultures, communities and festivals that aim at getting you sloshed in many ways.

So grab a beer, sit back and discover the list of beer festivals around the world that are must visit once in a lifetime if you are a beer lover.

1. Oktoberfest.

No list which includes the word beer is complete without mentioning Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest is world's largest folk festival held in Munich, Germany. The fest hosts around 6 million people every year from around the globe who altogether consume around 7 million liters of beer in the 16-18 day run of the fest. Although the fest is called Oktoberfest it usually begins in September every year and allows beers which are only brewed in Munich.

Fun Fact: The beer brewed for this fest is extra strong and nobody raises their mugs until the mayor says so. Locals call this fests 'Weisn' pronounced as 'Vizen'. Germany also has a strict legislation to preserve the high standards of German beer called Reinheitsgebot according to which the beers can only be made of hops, malt and water. 

 2. Great Australian Beer Festival.

The great Australian beer festival is one of the biggest beer festivals in Sydney. This beer festival serves a wide variety of beer from craft to ciders. From the moment you step into this beer lover's paradise, you'll feel compelled to explore, wander through pop up bars or chill out on the luscious lawns while savoring their way through 100s of hand-crafted beers and ciders. 100s of brewers from the country attend this festivals giving an opportunity to the visitors to taste beers and ciders from across different regions. The beer festival also includes a wide variety of non-stop live entertainment from local and national performers, together with a selection of vaudeville and roving performers. The festival will take place on 19th October 2019. Australians happens to have a rather interesting beer drinking tradition called 'shou't' with one person buying the round and the next person following suit, until the whole group is covered. Not participating in this tradition can be considered as a rude social behavior.

3. Great American Beer Festival.

The Great American Beer Festival is the biggest beer festival in United States which takes place in Denver, Colorado. This is a three day annual festival which hosts around 60,000 people every year from around the world. The fest offers over 2,000 American craft beers and 1300 foreign beers. The beers are sourced from over 500 different breweries. A competition is also held across 83 beer categories with over 100 judges to award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. The beer festival is usually held in October. Americans love beer, In 2018 they spent nearly $120 billion on beers which is more than the GDP of Ukraine.

4. Great British Beer Festival.

The Great British Beer Festival is one of the biggest beer festivals in The UK which includes Beer tastings, variety of food and games and events such as live music to keep you entertained throughout. The beer festival is held in August every year and was established in 1977. The fest is organized by the Campaign of Real Ale and presents a selection of cask ales from not only UK but United States, Belgium and Germany as well. The festival is also home to champion beer of Britain, which is the most prestigious beer competition in the world and is participated by around 71 breweries. Judges choose the winner based on aroma, appearance, taste and aftertaste across 10 different categories. While ordering beer in traditional pub in Britain, one must not shout but grab the attention of serving staff non-verbally and then place your order.

5. National Winter Ales festival.

The National Winter Ales festival is contrary to the above mentioned Great British Beer Festivals and is also hosted by The UK. The focus of this fest is to promote the stouts and porter beer which are only available during the winter months. The fest is arguably the second largest beer festival in The UK and is held in January every year. Brits think you cannot appreciate the taste of beer if your drink it icy cold therefore they drink beer at a cellar temperature, not too warm but not too cold either.

6. Belgian Beer Weekend.

The Belgian Beer Weekend takes place in Grand Brussels every year during the first weekend of September. The festival is held annually and accompanied by live music shows. The festival has more than 400 varieties of beer to offer and promises visitors the pleasure of high quality European Beer. It features wide variety of beers from 51 local, large and small breweries. Germany has a certain beer called Kolsch which is forbidden to brew outside the Cologne region, you're only supposed to drink Kolsch at a temperature of 10 degree Celsius in a specific glass called Stange or pole.