Great Taste of the Midwest Beer Festival to Proceed Despite Brewer Absences

Strategic Insights -

The Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival at Olin Park, scheduled to open on Saturday, will still feature a wide selection of beers despite the recent losses of several out-of-state brewers. According to Doug Randall, the event's chairman, the festival initially lost 60 breweries from out of state due to the increased permit fees, but through backfilling, 40 breweries that brew or sell their products in Wisconsin have agreed to participate. This has helped mitigate the impact of the losses, which were a result of the new legislative hurdles created by Act 73, Wisconsin's new regime of alcohol regulation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival will feature 169 breweries, with 40 taking part after backfilling efforts.
  • The festival initially lost 60 breweries from out of state due to increased permit fees, but this number has been partially offset by the 40 Wisconsin breweries that have agreed to participate.
  • The losses were a result of the new legislative hurdles created by Act 73, which increased the permit fee for out-of-state brewers to $1,000.
  • The Wisconsin Brewers Guild and beer distributors helped facilitate the participation of the 40 Wisconsin breweries.
  • About 1,400 beers will be available for sampling, down from the original 1,800, due to the losses of several out-of-state brewers.
  • The festival, one of the largest in the country, is expected to attract a crowd of about 5,000 people.

Statistics:

  • 169 breweries have committed to the festival.
  • 40 breweries that brew or sell their products in Wisconsin agreed to take part after backfilling efforts.
  • 60 breweries from out of state had pulled out of the festival due to increased permit fees.
  • 1,400 beers will be available for sampling.
  • 5,000 people are expected to attend the festival.

Sources:

  • The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) - "Beer Baron: Some brewers leaving Great Taste over permit changes" (no date provided)
  • Wikipedia - "Great Taste of the Midwest" (no date provided)
  • Great Taste of the Midwest website - About page (no date provided)