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(Courtesy Vail Craft Beer Classic)
COVID-19 has effectively put an end to beer festivals throughout the nation. So word that there’s going to be an in-person beer event in Colorado is BIG NEWS.
Billed as Colorado’s highest altitude beer tasting, The Vail Craft Beer Classic is forgoing the virtual festival concept and moving ahead with an actual in-person drinking event on August 14-15.
But understandably it’s going to look different this year and some of those changes might even make for a better experience.
Rather than continuing its hours-long “grand tasting” model, this year’s Vail Craft Beer Classic will feature four sessions of 1.5 hours each and capped at 175 (the limit for outdoor gatherings per the Town of Vail’s current health order).
Sessions will take place Friday from 4-5:30 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m., and Saturday from 1-2:30 p.m. and 3-4:30 p.m.
“A summer without beer festivals is a sad thought for Coloradans. We have been working on a way to bring people together safely to enjoy the beers and atmosphere they love,” says Jason Ornstein, owner of Team Player Productions, who produces the event…
“The COVID-19 adjustments will actually make for a pretty great festival experience for our beer loving patrons. Most festivals allow for one brewery per 50-100 people; at this year’s Vail Craft Beer Classic, we’ll have about one brewery per 10 guests. We’re looking at the silver linings of physical distancing here – no lines!”
Now in its fourth year, Vail Craft Beer Classic organizers worked hard to both implement health standards required by Eagle County and go “above and beyond” to protect patrons.
Brewers and event staff are required to wear masks and gloves for the entirety of each session. Single use cups will be enforced in order to avoid cross-contaminations. Hand sanitizer will be supplied and restrooms for handwashing will be readily available throughout the venue.
And to encourage physical distancing while collecting beer samples, space markers of six-feet will guide any lines that may form at a brewer’s booth, and booths will be strategically spread out across the venue.
Guests will be required to wear masks while collecting beer samples and moving about the event space, but thankfully are invited to remove them on the lawn, once re-settled with their own group.
Attendees are being encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to stake out personal space to serve as a “home base” for the session…a place to relax, enjoy live music and indulge in unlimited craft beer samples.
The 2020 Vail Craft Beer Festival will once again benefit the Vail Valley Mountain Bike Association, a Colorado nonprofit that aims to establish Eagle County, Colo., as a premier mountain biking and hiking destination
