The Cincinnati Winter Beerfest is approaching fast! Luckily this event always falls on the week after my birthday every year so I happen to be a veteran of the event. Not to mention the countless summer beerfests, octoberfests, and other huge beer events throughout the year that I attend.

With all this beer drinking experience under my belt I decided to put together a little 10 step guide on how to survive a beerfest!

Plan ahead! – Look at the beer list and mark off what beers that you have to try. If they release a map beforehand study it or even print out a copy and mark your path out. Once your feet hit the festival ground it will be chaos in the crowd.

Print the beer list – Along with mapping out your path and the beers you want to try, bringing a copy of the beer list could be very helpful. If you are a huge beer fan like myself you probably use Untappd to keep track of the awesome beers that you’ve drank. The thing is pulling your phone out after every taste can get old and tiresome after a while. Plus who wants their face burred in their phone the whole evening! So with a list and a pen you can write your ratings and notes to check in later.

Eat before you get there – Now this is a tough one because you need to hit the right window. You don’t want to eat too early or too close to the event. About 3-4 hours beforehand eat something heavy, but don’t overeat. You want to save room for beer!

Hydrate hydrate hydrate! – Some venues may have water to drink, but you should plan ahead and at least bring a small water bottle. If it’s at a place with a water fountain you can refill it. If there are regular vendors there that sell water you’ll probably have to pay a premium for it. Drink often in order to keep your dehydration in check.

Eat more! – My number one tip would be to make a pretzel necklace….and don’t let

anyone else show you up. Make it awesome and people will be complimenting you and asking where you got it all night. Most people don’t even think about this! If you don’t make a pretzel necklace then most likely there will be food trucks or concessions at the festival. I would eat a couple small things throughout the night to keep the alcohol at bay. Or a couple pretzels per beer if you made a necklace!

Pace yourself – Take your time. You might be in a rush to make sure you try everything you want to try, but if you planned your night right from step one you should be good. If you drink faster than your body can absorb the alcohol you’re going to have a bad time. Also don’t be afraid to dump the beers that don’t live up to your expectation. Wasting some tolerance just to drink the beer might cause you to tap out early. Wasting alcohol is a sin, but if it’s to prolong your night of drinking more beer it can be forgiven!

Take breaks – If time allows it take a little extra time when eating or hydrating just to let everything settle. This isn’t a marathon, you are here to have fun. Of course if you have a group of friends (which almost always somehow become separated) this could be a couple set times throughout the evening to rendezvous back up together and talk about your finds.

Have fun! – Why are you here? To have fun of course! Bring a group of friends, dress up, do your beard, mustache, or hair in a crazy way! Make new friends!

Have a DD or place to crash near by – Nothing is worth driving home intoxicated so make sure you have a DD with you or at least a plan to stay nearby. Uber is also your friend. Most big events will even have a discount code for Uber. Check their event page for details. If they don’t then try to contact the organizer and they could try to get a discount set up!

Before you go to sleep – Drink some more water or a sports drink to help hydrate you once again. The more water in your body the better you will feel in the morning. Trust me! You could also have a light snack to take the edge off. I know you might be pretzled to death, but that or some bread can do you well. Also take some asprin as well. You’ll thank me later!

With these tips in mind you will be unstoppable at your next beerfest! Please share these with your friends!

Cheers!