There are literally hundreds of festivals in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs throughout the summer. Whether they’re showcasing a specific neighborhood, food, or beer, these festivals bring people together from all over the city. Our Special Events team is often the unsung heroes at many of these events, making sure the beverage operations run smoothly and that the beer continues to flow. We went behind-the-scenes to see what happens in order to make these festivals happen.
Festival Prep
Well before the festival gates open, the beer has to be picked in our warehouse and then loaded into a Waymatic, which is a refrigerated beer trailer. Our Special Events team works in tandem with our Operations team to ensure all the correct beer is collected for each individual event.
“We have the list, we find them all, and then just mark them off one by one,” Andy, one of our Special Events and Venues reps, tells me. He and Jordan are working together to gather all the beer for the Chicago Ale Fest, being held in Grant Park.
“Are there any more 1/6 barrels?” Jordan asks.
“Do you have all the BCS?” Andy replies
“Yep, I got Prop, Reserve, Coffee, Northwoods, and the Halia.”
“Cool, we also need [Virtue] Michigan Brut and Cherry.”
After the beer is pulled, it’s staged and double-checked before getting loaded into the freshly washed Waymatic.
On this particular weekend, the team is prepping for several events: Chicago Ale Fest, Taste of Mexico, Do Division Street Fest, the Bon Iver concert at Millennium Park, and the Hyde Park Brew Fest.
Delivery
Next up, the delivery. Oftentimes our Operations team will deliver beer straight to the festival but today, I’m riding with Jordan as he drops off a Waymatic at the Chicago Ale Fest in Grant Park. Upon arrival, we’re greeted by Josh Seago, Owner and Founder of Lou Dog Events which puts on several different beer festivals throughout Chicagoland.
“What do you think of the setup?” asks Josh.
“Looks perfect,” Jordan replies.
“I think this is one of the best views in Chicago because you have grass with the park, you see the skyline, and then the lake’s right there,” says Josh.
Josh turns to me with a grin and says, “did you see what’s on the list from Goose?”
“You’re going to have some happy festival goers I think,” I reply.
Setup
Depending on the festival, there are varying amounts of setup our team does to ensure the beer is flowing. Across town over in Wicker Park at the Do Division Street Fest, one of our Special Event Reps, Jesse, is making sure the Goose Island kegs are pouring properly.
The “Fun” Stuff
So once the beer has been delivered and setup, it’s time to start pouring for the festival itself. Back at the Chicago Ale Fest, I post up at the Founders tent where Paul and Jeff are serving up Solid Gold, Dank Wood, Green Zebra, and PC Pils.
“I like beer fests because you get to have candid, face-to-face interactions with fans of your beer,” Paul tells me. “You also get to see which beers are rockin’ for you — you get a gauge for how your beers will do in the market.”
“It’s just a fun thing to do,” Paul continues. “Some of these folks are beer connoisseurs, others are just discovering craft beer and it’s great to talk to both.”
Over in the tent next to us, Goose Island kicks things off with, you guessed it, Bourbon County Stout Reserve.
So as you’re out and about at the different summer festivals this year, give a little shout out to those working the event. They’re the ones making it all happen. Cheers and happy fest-ing!
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