Pacing Yourself at a Beer Festival

Listen, everyone has had a point where they should have paced themselves a little better during a night of drinking. Beer festivals seem a prime example for the importance of pacing. When there is as much beer as you can drink, it is important to take a step back and evaluate the situation, event, crowd and your company.

When you first arrive at the festival, take careful consideration of the breweries and bars present. Make a few mental notes about which ones you definitely want to try, and hit them first. This is especially important at large-scale events, like the Summer Ale Fest at the Philadelphia Zoo. This festival, for example, separates breweries into their own isolated sections, with anywhere from four to 12 breweries at a location. At festivals like these, it is easy to hunker down, forget about a specific beer you wanted to try and indulge.

Make a habit of evaluating how you feel. Everyone is able to handle different amounts of alcohol, but make sure you aren’t passing your own limits. Keeping a level head and your wits can help keep you, and your friends, safe and make sure everyone gets home safely. Besides, no one wants to follow you into the bathroom while you throw up.

Keep an eye on your friends. Especially if you know them to be rather light drinkers, it is easy to lose track of how much beer you actually consumed, and a light reminder can go a long way toward making sure everyone continues to have a nice night.

Most brewery stations will be equipped with water. Make sure to keep yourself hydrated throughout the night. A lack of water combined with a lack of awareness for how much you actually consumed is a recipe for a splitting headache and nausea in the morning.

Beer festivals are supposed to be fun ways to try a multitude of breweries and beers in a central location. Keep an eye on how you feel, drink lots of water and look out for each other, and you will be planning to attend another beer festival before you know it.