My husband enjoying a taste at the Festival of Beers at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, FL

So I thought today I would do something a little different. I thought I would write about an event held here in Fort Myers every winter and summer– The Festival of Beers at Hammond Stadium.  This is the third year of the event and each time it gets a bit better and a bit more popular.  I enjoy these events because for a reasonable price, $30, you can enjoy about 80 different beers that you might not taste otherwise.  The down side to this event is that it tends to now concentrate on the same beers and breweries each time.  The winter event is bit more crowded because of the snowbirds. I actually enjoy the summer event more because you can also stay for a baseball game with the price of admission.

This year’s event featured many of the old standbys and a few new beers.  I am a fan of Kona and enjoyed Firerock. The RedBridge gluten free was actually quite good for a gluten free beer. Green Flash was present and their West Coast IPA was quite refreshing as were the Southern Tier 2XIPA and Terrapin’s Hopsecutioner.  Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing Company is also quite tasty. Some of my old standbys were there and never fail like Harpoon’s IPA; Dogfish both 60 and 90 minute; Victory’s Hopdevil and Golden Monkey; and Bluepoint’s Toasted Lager. Of course, with the good come the bad.  I would not recommend Magic Hat’s Pistil, and I love all of their beers usually.  I was also disappointed by Southern Tier’s Phin and Matts. For some reason, Bahama Breeze was there with their Aruba Red– they don’t have a brewery so I am sure it is a cheap Killian’s knock off that they buy.  Worst beer for me was Green Flash’s Rayon Vert– this literally made me gag.

The next Festival of Beers will probably be this August and I really suggest if you get a chance to attend that you do. It is worth the admission price. They also have a band to provide entertainment.