I've attended the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival in previous years and always enjoyed…read morethe experience--but this year was a total letdown and felt deceptive. The event was advertised from 3:00-10:00 PM, but beer service ended abruptly at 6:00 PM, something only mentioned in small print on their website. I had two tasting tickets left and no way to use them. Even vendors we know personally were unaware of the early cutoff and were forced to stop serving. Instead of the usual token system (which could be reused), they switched to dated paper tickets to prevent carryover--making leftover tickets worthless. After 6 PM, there was a massive line at a single tent charging 5-7 tickets for a can of beer, and the rest of the event was just a concert most people weren't there for. The crowd quickly left, including us. To top it off, the event organizer was hiding behind a fence in a trailer rather than being available at the main entrance/exit to address concerns--where guests and even volunteers were openly expressing their disappointment. When I raised my concerns afterward, I received an incredibly unprofessional and personal response from someone on staff who actually insulted me in writing rather than take feedback seriously. Bottom line: If you're expecting a beer festival experience like years past, you may be disappointed. What used to feel like a fun, community-focused event now feels like a cash grab concert series with poor communication and little concern for the guest experience.

Summer Beer Fest is my favorite of all the Michigan Brewer's Guild Festivals and has become a…read moresummer tradition. The weather is great, and the delicious craft beer is plentiful. All of your favorite Michigan craft breweries in one place bringing their A-game! What's not to love?! The atmosphere is great in Ypsilanti's large Riverside Park which is perfect for the event. You are allowed to bring in lawn chairs and people set up "camp" along the Riverfront. Tickets bought in advance online are $45 with $5 service fee for Friday night and $50 with $5 service fee for Saturday. Ticket prices go up the day of the event by $5 but are only sold until around 3 pm online. You can also buy your ticket at the gate, the day of the event for $50, fee free. Tickets often sell out but more likely will sell out for Saturday. Friday night runs from 5-9 pm and Saturday runs from 1 -6 pm giving you an extra hour to taste beers. A large line runs around the park as gates open. You can bring in bottled water and snacks and trust me you will want to stay hydrated so definitely bring water. Every year someone makes everyone in our group pretzel necklaces which are not only a great snack but also a palate cleanser, lol. This year we added Payday candy bars to our pretzel necklaces. There is plenty of parking in lots nearby and parking usually cost $5-$10 With admission to the fest, you receive 15 tokens, a cup, and program listing all the breweries, beers, and map. The program is also posted early online so you can map out which beers you want to try and believe me, as a pro beer snob, I always scope out the program early to strategize which beers I'll try. I even downloaded a beer fest app. All the breweries bring their best, highly sought after and often hard to find beers, to the fest. Founder's CBS, KBS, and almost every variety of New Holland's Dragon's Milk is there. There are also experimental beers just for the festival. There are over 145 breweries and over 1,140 varieties of beer on tap ranging from your tried and true faves to interesting unusual flavors. Over the years I have tried a taco flavored beer, key lime pie, Thai peanut, blueberry pie, maple pancake, French toast, peanut butter bacon, s'mores, and a lot more interesting flavors. Batch usually has beer slushies which I would highly recommend. Their raspberry lemonade gose beer slushie is super refreshing. They had two varieties of beer slushies last year and only tap them at certain times and run out quickly. Another brewery made a porter ice cream beer float. Bell's always has lots of free swag-stickers and buttons and in past year breweries have given out lots of free swag like frisbees and sunglasses and koozies but it seemed like most breweries were only selling merch this year. In past years each brewery had a box where you placed your coin for your beer but this year each brewery had us hand a coin directly to them. Usually the breweries never even ask for a coin but they were very adamant about collecting coins this year. Most beers are one coin, while some beers are two coins and the program specifies which ones. If you need a break from the beer, there is live music. Stone Clover and other bands have played there, and there are bleachers near the music stage. They also have great food there. There are a bunch of tents with food vendors and lots of seating. I love their tacos and the street corn is amazing! I get it every year. Food vendors vary, some are cash only and some will take cash or credit. We also saw contortionists, stilt walkers, and of course the infamous Hop Man who we definitely had to take a picture with. The MBG Summer Beer Fest is a blast! Don't be fooled by other beer fest imitators, the MBG fests are the real deal, and a definite must if you are a beer connoisseur.