It may still be 258 days away, but if you’re thinking of taking part in the fourth Good Beer Week and haven’t started thinking about your events yet then now’s the time. Event registrations open for a month from October 1. Anyone interested in taking part in what has been described by visiting international brewers as “the best beer week in the world” will have until October 31 to submit their concepts for consideration by the Good Beer Week team.
All submissions will be taken via the festival website, which is currently undergoing a major upgrade from the 2013 site to ensure it is even more user-friendly, both for those holding events and attendees.
The festival has grown almost 300 per cent since making its debut in 2011, and this year attracted brewers and beer lovers from North and South American, Europe, the Middle East, Japan and New Zealand as well as the breadth of Australia. But, despite the festival’s rapid growth, organisers have capped next year’s program at a similar level to the 141 events that took place in 2013.
âWe’re delighted with the success of Good Beer Week 2013,â says festival director James Smith. âBut rather than expand and oversaturate the week, we plan to run a similar number of events and make sure they are of a standard befitting the festival’s national and international reputation.â
According to the the organisers: “Good Beer Week is looking for events that are innovative and creative. They should take beer outside its usual haunts and place it in front of new audiences; they should excite craft beer lovers as well as appeal to newcomers to craft beer.”
âNo idea is too outlandish for Good Beer Week,â says Smith. âIt’s an opportunity for venues to stretch themselves and run incredible events that celebrate the amazing renaissance that beer is enjoying globally.â
The event categories or streams that were introduced in 2013 are being tweaked slightly to make the program more easily navigable and to allow for more events in the spirit of this year’s Rockstar Brews, walking tours and Scavenger Hunt; in other words, events where entertainment is first and foremost and craft beer is part of the package. These events should appeal to a broad audience and help Good Beer Week achieve its goal of spreading the enjoyment of better beer.
The fourth Good Beer Week runs from May 17 to 25. Anyone planning to come to Melbourne from interstate or overseas can already take advantage of great deals at the festival’s five-star hotel partner, The Blackman. Quote “Good Beer Week” when booking for huge discounts.
Also, make sure you keep an eye on Good Beer Week’s Twitter and Facebook this week too for news of a new event coming soon.
Good Beer Week festival director and Crafty Pint founder James Smith was a guest on Eat It on Melbourne’s 3RRR radio station on September 15. You can listen to the interview on Good Beer Week 2014, reverse engineering Tap King dispensers, truffles and the need for more saisons in Australia via this link. It’s in the last 15 minutes of the show.
