How to navigate 275 beers in 3 hours

Beer festivals can be amazing, a place to gather with friends, make new ones while sampling and discovering the best or the newest or the most experimental beers the mad genius’ behind the table can imagine.  But beer festivals, especially the big ones can be a bit overwhelming.

The Centennial Beer Festival, (February 26-27), now in its 8th year, is held in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis and will feature 80+ breweries and more than 275 beers.  That is a lot of brew.

The festival is broken into three, 3-hour sessions over two days.  Tickets for all three are still available.  The math alone is enough to make you need a beer.  Or two.

So before your mouth begins watering at the thought of all that beer, here are some ideas to help navigate the Centennial.  We asked festival founder Jason Arnold to help us create a strategy that will allow you to maximize your experience.

1. Look at the list  for the most up to date beer list. (See below)
2. Get here early.  We will start checking in before the session begins and even if the beer is not flowing, you can get in and get a look around.
3. Eat a couple hours before you arrive so your stomach has something to soak up the beer.
4. Start at the farthest point from registration (2nd Floor) and taste against the current of festival goers.
5. Start with the pilsners and lagers and belgians.  Then move to the IPAs and hoppy beers then to the porters and stouts last if you can hold yourself.
6. If you don’t like a beer, dump.  It’s okay.  We understand you have to save your palette.

Current Centennial Beer and Brewery List

This should work out to be more than 275 beers when it is all said and done.