With San Francisco Beer Week coming up, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of what you can expect from a beer festival. The scene has been growing tremendously each year, with lots of unprepared newbies checking out the activites. This list is by no means in any particular order.

1. Really Good Food!

The foodie scene has become an integral part of the craft beer scene. You can expect to have your beer of choice paired with some delicious food prepared by a gourmet food truck or a famous restaurateur who has partnered with one of your favorite local breweries.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a Fried Egg courtesy of fivetenburger

2. Long Lines

With more and more people attending beer events, you can expect to stand in line A LOT. From the entrance line, to getting a pour of a highly anticipated beer and to the most annoying....bathroom line. There really is no way around this so deal and have a good time.

3. New Friends

As the beer flows, so does the passion. Talking about beer is a great way to strike up a conversation and you will find yourself trading Instagram or Twitter handles for sure. Make sure your smart phone is fully charged when you arrive.

4. Sausage Fest

Sorry Bro's, if you're looking to hook up, this isn't the right venue. You'll find yourself outnumbered.

5. Delicious Beer

There's more than Pale Ale's or IPA's these days. Try checking out a few sour beers, an Imperial Coffee Stout or Saison.

6. Beards

Ladies - the beards are not a fad and are definitely here to stay.

7. Beer Spills

Be prepared to get knocked into a some point and have some beer spilled on you or your beer knocked to the ground. Don't get too upset. These events can get crowded and I can almost guarantee it wasn't intentional.

8. People Taking Pictures of Beer

It's 2015 and everyone's on Social Media. You may see a ton of selfie's being taken, but you will definitely catch a lot of people trying to get that perfect shot of their beer, at just the right angle. Find out if the event you're attending has a specific hash tag and tag your post with it. Better yet, take a photo of your friend, taking a picture of their beer and post it using the events hash tag. LOL.

Hopefully you found this resourceful and are ready to hit up your next local craft beer festival. Whichever events you end up choosing to attend, remember to be safe & responsible and simply have a great time.

If you're looking for someone to shoot your next event, feel free to reach me through my CONTACT page.