Barrington Brew Fest

An Afternoon of Beer in the Heart of Barrington

The Barrington Brew Fest is a one-day craft beer festival held each July in downtown Barrington, Illinois, roughly forty miles northwest of Chicago. The setting is one of the things people remember first: the festival fills the parking lot beside the Barrington Metra station, right by the tracks in the center of town. Rather than an out-of-the-way fairground, the Brew Fest happens where people already live, shop and catch their morning train. Guests walk in from the surrounding streets, pour stations sit under open sky, and the whole afternoon has the feel of a neighborhood gathering that happens to have a few dozen breweries in it.

The 17th Annual Barrington Brew Fest is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2020. General admission runs from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., and VIP ticket holders are admitted an hour early at 2:00 p.m. The event is strictly for adults 21 and over, and photo identification is checked at the gate. Every guest receives a commemorative tasting glass and a T-shirt, then works their way through samples from the participating breweries. Pour sizes are intentionally small, which is the point: the format rewards curiosity and lets you try a dozen styles you would never order a full pint of.

Who Runs the Festival

For its first sixteen years the Brew Fest was run by a local volunteer committee, and it built its reputation on short lines, a well-curated brewery list and a relaxed atmosphere. In 2020 the event is being hosted for the first time by Let It Be Us, an Illinois nonprofit whose work centers on foster care and adoption in the state. The change of hands does not change the character of the afternoon. The same volunteer-driven spirit remains, the same emphasis on local breweries, food vendors and live music, and the same commitment to keeping the money in the community.

That last point is worth spelling out. All funds raised from the festival go directly to Let It Be Us programs that support children in foster care and the families who take them in. Ticket sales, sponsorship dollars and on-site raffles all feed into that work. In practical terms it means your $40 admission does two things at once: it buys you an afternoon of tasting, and it supports an organization working with some of the most vulnerable kids in Illinois. Guests who want to learn more about the mission can read about it on the Let It Be Us website, linked from this site.

What a Ticket Gets You

Tickets are kept deliberately simple. There are three ways to attend:

• General Admission, $40. Entry at 3:00 p.m., the 17th Annual BBF T-shirt, a tasting glass and samples from every featured brewery. Food is sold separately by local vendors.
• VIP Admission, $80. Everything in general admission plus entry at 2:00 p.m., access to the VIP-only tent and complimentary food. The early hour is also when specialty and small-batch beers are poured, so VIP guests get first shot at the rarest kegs on the grounds.
• Designated Driver, $20 general admission or $40 VIP. Same glass and T-shirt, no beer samples, and complimentary food if you take the VIP option. If you are the one driving friends home, the festival would rather reward that than charge you full price for it.

Tickets can be bought online in advance, at local establishments announced closer to the date, and at the door while supplies last. Buying early is the safer bet, since the grounds are capped and the festival does sell out in some years.

How the Day Runs

Gates open to VIP guests at 2:00 p.m. and to everyone else at 3:00. Breweries pour steadily through the afternoon, and most tables are staffed by people who actually brewed the beer, which makes it easy to ask what is in a barrel-aged stout or why a particular saison tastes the way it does. Food vendors set up alongside the beer, with barbecue, sandwiches and non-alcoholic options among the usual lineup, and live music plays through the afternoon. Seating areas are scattered around the lot for anyone who wants to sit with a plate and take a break between samples.

The festival runs rain or shine, so check the forecast and dress for a summer afternoon on your feet. Sunscreen, a hat and comfortable shoes are all sensible. Because the grounds sit in the middle of downtown Barrington and next to the Metra station, getting there without a car is genuinely easy, and ride-sharing, carpools and designated drivers are all encouraged. Guests are welcome to come and go during their session, and staff are on hand throughout the day to answer questions.

Getting Involved

The Brew Fest only works because a lot of local people pitch in. Volunteers staff the entrance, the pour stations and the information tables, and the organizing committee is always looking for more hands. Breweries interested in pouring at the festival, businesses interested in sponsoring, and anyone who wants to volunteer can reach the committee through the contact page on this site. Sponsorship from Barrington-area businesses is what keeps ticket prices reasonable while still sending a healthy share of every dollar to the cause.

Whether you come for the beer list, the music, the food or simply to support the work Let It Be Us does, you are stepping into a tradition that has been building in Barrington for nearly two decades. We look forward to raising a glass with you on Saturday, July 11, 2020.