The provided source material details several avenues for obtaining complimentary beer in 2017, primarily through attendance at craft beer festivals, participation in local community activities, and leveraging specific promotional deals on designated days. The information is drawn from articles focused on U.S. events and offers, and while the specific brands, dates, and locations are primarily American, the underlying principles of accessing free samples and promotional offers are broadly applicable. This article outlines these opportunities as described in the source documents, focusing on the methods of access and the nature of the offers available.
Beer Festivals as a Source of Complimentary Samples
Craft beer festivals in 2017 offered attendees significant opportunities to sample a wide variety of beers at no additional cost beyond the price of a ticket. These events functioned as large-scale sampling programmes, where the cost of entry covered unlimited pours of numerous beers from participating breweries. The source material highlights several notable festivals that exemplified this model.
SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, held in Washington D.C. on June 2-3, 2017, was described not as a festival but as an experience. Ticket holders gained access to craft beer and small plate food pairings, allowing them to sample beers and food that highlighted the craft of making beer and creating dishes. The breweries that poured at SAVOR were selected via a lottery system. Tickets were available for purchase to the public, granting access to this curated sampling event.
The Burning CAN Beer Festival, hosted by Oskar Blues Brewery, took place in Lyons, Colorado (June 3) and Brevard, North Carolina (July 21-22). As an annual event hosted by a specific brewery, it offered a "fun-loving" atmosphere where attendees could sample the brewery's offerings. The festival is positioned as a traditional event where the cost of entry provides access to the brewery's beers.
RateBeer Best, held in Santa Rosa, California in January 2017, combined an awards program with a festival. The event was born from the idea of bringing together some of the best brewers in the world for a weekend, allowing attendees to sample beers from a curated selection of top-tier breweries.
WakeFest, the inaugural anniversary event for J. Wakefield Brewing in Florida (February), featured a lineup of incredible brews from John Wakefield himself and some of the best beers from around the country. For its second installment in February 2017, the festival expanded significantly, with nearly 90 breweries scheduled to attend from both the U.S. and Europe. Ticket options included a general admission ticket that provided a guaranteed bottle of J. Wake’s Anniversary Imperial Stout, a commemorative glass, and unlimited pours from beers in the general admission area. A cheaper ticket option was also being developed that did not include the bottle package. Proxies were allowed for late ticket purchasers.
Hunahpu’s Day, named after Cigar City’s spiced stout, was a bucket-list beer festival in Florida (March). The event had grown since its inception in 2010. Ticket prices were pricier but included four bottles of Cigar City's Dark Lord Stout, $40 for food and drinks, and a guaranteed Dark Lord variant. This structure moved away from a lottery or chance system for rare variants, providing guaranteed access to specific beers as part of the ticket.
The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest, in its sixth year in California (June), offered festival-goers the opportunity to mingle with important brewers and drink fine brews. As an invitational, it featured a wide selection of beers, including special tappings from the festival’s hosts every hour. The event was known for an "embarrassment of riches" in terms of rare, barrel-aged, and sour beers.
Local Events and Community Activities for Free Beer
Beyond large festivals, the source material identifies local community engagement as a key method for obtaining free beer. This involves participating in organised activities where beverages are offered as prizes or as a benefit of volunteering.
Participating in local contests is highlighted as a direct route to free beer. Breweries and bars frequently host competitions for activities such as trivia nights or creative challenges. To find these opportunities, one should monitor local events calendars, brewery websites, and social media pages. Active participation in these contests can lead to free drinks or merchandise as prizes. For example, winning a trivia night at a local pub might reward participants with a round of free beers.
Volunteering at beer-related events, such as festivals or brewery events, is another method for receiving complimentary beverages. Many organisations rely on volunteers to manage operations during busy events. In exchange for volunteering time, individuals may receive free beer, food, or merchandise. This provides a way to enjoy samples and gain insider knowledge about upcoming products while contributing to community events.
Promotional Deals on National Beer Day
Specific promotional offers for free or heavily discounted beer were available on National Beer Day in 2017, as reported by various establishments across the United States. These deals were often time-limited and location-specific.
In New York City, Grand Central Terminal’s website offered a full list of participating venues. Bierhaus NYC provided free beer at 7 p.m. EDT, with reservations required.
In San Antonio, Texas, Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery hosted a unique happy hour where beer prices started at $1 per pint at 3 p.m. local time.
In Florida, bars and restaurants in West Palm Beach often had special beer deals on National Beer Day, with a list of participating bars available for scope.
In Pennsylvania, Red Star Craft House in Exton, Pennsylvania, was giving out free amber ale.
In California, the FresYes website published a list of places in Fresno where free beer could be found starting on Thursday.
Nationally, the chain restaurant On The Border offered two deals from 4 to 7 p.m.: $3 Dos Equis drafts and $5 CoronaRitas. Other national chains such as Houlihan’s, Chili’s, Applebee’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings offered cheap beer during happy hour regularly, though National Beer Day deals varied by location. Consumers were advised to call their local restaurant or check its Facebook page for specific deals.
Conclusion
The source material for 2017 outlines a multifaceted approach to accessing free beer. The primary avenue was through ticketed craft beer festivals, which provided unlimited sampling of numerous beers for a fixed entry fee. Events like SAVOR, RateBeer Best, WakeFest, Hunahpu’s Day, and the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest exemplified this model, offering curated experiences with access to rare and unique brews. A secondary, more localised method involved community engagement through contests and volunteering at beer-related events, where free beer served as a prize or a thank-you for service. Finally, specific promotional deals, particularly those coordinated around National Beer Day, offered free or deeply discounted beer at various bars and restaurants, though these were often limited in time and location. For consumers interested in free samples and promotional offers, these channels—large-scale festivals, local community activities, and targeted promotional days—represented the most direct methods for obtaining complimentary beer in 2017.