All Over Albany

Spring beer festival season will be here soon

The natural rhythms of late February through April: melting snow, the first green shoots, and migrating packs of beer nerds.

Yes, spring beer fest season will soon be here, and again there are a handful of festivals around the region...

It's not unusual for these sorts of events to sell out, so it's not a bad idea to snag a ticket earlier rather than later.

February 24: Saratoga Beer Summit
It's part of the annual Saratoga Beer Week. Includes two three-hour sessions at the Saratoga City Center. "Sip the day away and try 160+ craft beer samples from more than 80 breweries in the Spa City area and beyond while enjoying live music entertainment and snacks available for purchase!" Saturday, February 24 -- early bird tickets are currently $40 for general admission ($45 after February 18) / $60 for VIP early access / $10 designated driver ticket at the door

There's also a Saratoga Whiskey Night February 22 at the Canfield Casino and a Saratoga Cider Night at the City Center February 23.

March 3: New York Craft Brewers Festival
This is the fifth year for the festival organized by the New York State Brewers Association at the Desmond in Colonie. "The New York Craft Brewers Festival brings together Over 60 New York Breweries (and brewers) from every region of the state featuring up to 150+ hard to find and award winning beers. This is a great opportunity to meet the NYS brewers that make the beer, and the owners of the local food scene in the Capital District that are such an important part of the community." Saturday, March 3 -- $40 ahead ($50 at door) / VIP tickets sold out / $15 designated drivers

March 10: Snommegang Invitational Beer Festival
It's in downtown Oneonta. And it's presented by Brewery Ommegang, thus the name, with American On Tap. "Come join us on Main Street for great beer and music from around the country. Food will be available for purchase from the fantastic restaurants on Main Street." Saturday, March 10 -- $50 / $10 designated driver ticket at the door

March 10: Southern Vermont Wings and Winter HomeBrew Festival
This is the second year for the festival, which is at the Bennington Brush building in Bennington this year. "We had a Sell Out crowd last year and have big plans for 2018. Bigger Venue, More Wings, More HomeBrewers, and LIVE Music! Enjoy plentiful samples of wings from the areas top restaurants and over 100 unique HomeBrewed Beverages (to include Beer, Wine, Cider, and Mead!)" Saturday, March 10 -- $30 general admission / $45 VIP

April 7: Albany Craft Beer Festival
This is the second year for the festival, which is at the Washington Ave Armory in two sessions. It's organized by Oliver's in Albany and Westmere Beverage in Guilderland. "Rather than accumulate a beer list and draw a line through it, charging more for the upper tier, we wanted to make a beer fest that consisted only of the upper tier! If you remember our beer list from last year, you know what we mean. If you don't, trust us...it was 'woah'-worthy. And we're not a syndicated, traveling entertainment company; we're The Brew Crew - cornerstone beer stores proudly providing Albany's home refrigerators with craft beer since day one." Food from City Beer Hall. Saturday, April 22 -- $65

April 28-20: TAP New York
TAP New York is at Hunter Mountain each year, and it touts itself as "largest craft beer festival in the number of brewers attending." More blurbage: "Many of the invited brewers produce their beer for sale only in their location.... whether it is a restaurant, a brewpub or a small brewery. Others are breweries large enough to distribute on a larger scale, but maintain an excellent quality through their commitment to hands-on, craft-brewing their product." Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 -- $67 and up

photo via Albany Craft Beer Festival Facebook