Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer 2024: Largest Barrel-Aged Beer Festival in US Takes Flight in Chicago

For more than 20 years, the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB) has convened the nation’s top barrel-aged brewing programs—brewers who have perfected the balance of art and science, of wood and bourbon, of timing and technique—for the largest and most prestigious barrel-aged beer festival and competition in North America.

An Elevated Festival

Now in its 22nd year, the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer will once again welcome thousands of craft beer’s biggest fans to Chicago, one of the top craft beer destinations on the planet. FoBAB takes flight November 22 and 23 and invites attendees to experience 350+ small-batch beer, cider, mead and perry from 175 participating breweries across two distinct tasting sessions.

Guests at the festival will have four hours to explore meticulously crafted beer from 13 style categories, each aged in contact with wood—sometimes for years—creating depth, flavor and texture that is impossible to achieve otherwise. From rich, deep notes of bourbon-soaked oak to the delicate hints of wine casks, every sip at FoBAB promises a unique tasting adventure.

What’s more, many of the pours at FoBAB are brewed specifically for the festival—and often not available anywhere else. And since FoBAB is entirely poured by volunteers, the brewers and their representatives attend the festival as guests, mingling with attendees and other brewers and further building the sense of community that defines the craft beer industry.

“FoBAB is a unique proposition for craft beer fans who appreciate the complexity of wood- and barrel-aged beer,” said Ray Stout, executive director for the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, which has hosted FoBAB since its inception. “There is no other festival on the continent where this level of brewing craftsmanship and innovation is more visible, so it’s no surprise that FoBAB has solidified its reputation as a can’t-miss legacy festival and competition.”

A Fierce Competition

Breweries from more than two dozen states, from California to New York, Florida to Minnesota, descend on Chicago, not only for the festival, but also for world-class competition it promises, which is a cornerstone of the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer.

Before the first beer is poured, a panel of expert judges and industry stewards evaluate all FoBAB entries, awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in each of the 13 style categories and naming ‘Best in Show’ honors. The 2024 FoBAB style categories are as follows:

1. Strong Porter & Stout

2. Specialty Strong Porter & Stout

3. Barleywine/Wheatwine

4. Other Pale Beer

5. Lagers

6. Other Dark Beer

7. Fruit Beer

8. Specialty & Experimental Beer

9. Wild Beer-Brett

10. Wild Beer-Mixed Culture/Acidic

11. Wild Beer-Mixed Culture/Acidic with Fruit

12. Cider/Perry Mead

13. Blended Beer

During the Saturday afternoon session, attendees from across the country will cheer for their local breweries as they compete for hardware and bragging rights. The FoBAB award ceremony is streamed live on www.fobab.com, and results are released in real time by PorchDrinking.com.

This year, for the first time ever, FoBAB is inviting attendees to step into the judging seat by nominating their “Fan Favorite” FoBAB pour. Attendees can nominate FoBAB entries on Facebook, Instagram or X by sharing the name and photo of their favorite beer, tagging @FoBAB, and including #FoBABFanFav. Nominations will open at the kickoff of Session 1 and remain open through Session 2 at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Fan Favorite Award will be announced at the end of the FoBAB award ceremony.

Beyond the Barrels

At FoBAB, there’s a beer for every palate. In addition to the hundreds of pours available throughout the event, attendees are invited to explore two distinct, second-floor festival spaces offering bird’s-eye views of the venue and a reprieve from the traditional higher-ABV samples that take center stage at FoBAB. Making its third annual appearance at FoBAB is the Lager Lounge, the second-floor lounge space packed with lighter beers from more than 20 Illinois breweries. Additionally, Revolution Brewery’s Super-Zero Lounge will be stocked with the brewery’s Super-Zero Hop Water for those seeking a non-alcoholic option.

Outdoors, guests can sip from the taps of Goose Island while Bardstown Bourbon Co. will be pouring samples of three unique bourbon blends straight from their award-winning Kentucky distillery. Additionally, concession-style food and nonalcoholic beverages are available for purchase throughout the venue.

Ticketing + VIP Raffle Experiences

New this year, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to skip the line and be named the “ultimate FoBAB VIP.” Five winners each session (plus a friend) will get a special badge to skip any line throughout the festival. One grand prize winner each session (and a friend) will be named Ultimate FoBAB VIP for an experience that includes one-hour early entry to the festival, a skip-the-line badge, and access to the Brewers and Sponsors Lounges, which are stocked with beer and catered food!

Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased with tickets through November 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be randomly selected and notified the week of the festival.

Outside of these raffles, early entry tickets are made available exclusively to members of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild’s enthusiast program, ImBIBE (I’m A Big Illinois Beer Enthusiast). Each year, ImBIBE members have the opportunity to purchase FoBAB pre-sale tickets with one-hour early entry, solidifying their spot at the front of the line for the one-of-a-kind pours at FoBAB. Additionally, ImBIBE members get exclusive pre-sale tickets and discounts to other events as well as home delivery of the Guild’s quarterly magazine, Illinois Brewing.

A Festival with Impact

Every ticket purchased to the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer supports the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, the nonprofit trade association that supports and defends Illinois craft breweries. Since its founding in 1997, the Guild has focused its efforts on member and consumer education, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and the promotion of its member craft breweries. The Guild plays a critical role in supporting and strengthening the state’s craft beer community and connecting member breweries with resources to support growth, expansion and modernization.

FoBAB would not be possible except through the support of our dedicated sponsors. Thank you to all the organizations whose support is integral to producing North America’s largest, most prestigious barrel-aged beer festival and competition: CMG/One Circle, Revolution Brewing, Firewater BBQ/Whiskey Hill, Altus Works, Hopsteiner, Omega Yeast, Prairie Malt, Goose Island, Bardstown Brewing Company, AJ Maka, Bigfoot Media, Haas, MacCARB, Acrisure, Leaders Beverage, Thermos, Blink Tees Tucker Ellis, Ecolab, Beer On The Wall, Midwest Barrel Co., Oznr, TBI Pro Brew Supply, CH Distillery/Malort, BSG/Rahr, Guinness, Clark Hill, Buck Creek Distributing and Creative Oak.

Don’t miss visiting FoBAB on November 22 and 23 at UIC Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now at www.fobab.com.

22nd Annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer

Tasting Session I: Friday Nov. 22 - 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. CT
Tasting Session II: Saturday Nov. 23 - 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. CT
UIC Credit Union 1 Arena | Chicago
General Admission | $85 plus processing

www.fobab.com

Photos Courtesy FoBAB