World Beer Festival returns on Saturday

WHAT: 14th annual World Beer Festival

WHEN: Saturday. There are two sessions, from noon to 4 p.m., and 6 to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Durham Athletic Park

ADMISSION: Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 day of event. To purchase, visit www.allaboutbeer.com

By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

DURHAM -- The World Beer Festival, where a refined level of brew consumption is encouraged, returns to the renovated Durham Athletic Park for its 14th year Saturday. Beer lovers will be able to sample beers from some 128 brewers -- from Abita Brewing Company of Louisiana to Carolina Brewery of Chapel Hill and Pittsboro, to Yuengling of Pennsylvania.

This year's festival also falls on the 30th anniversary of Durham-based All About Beer Magazine, which sponsors the annual tasting festival. Beer culture and variety have seen extensive changes in this country over those three decades, said Julie Johnson, editor of All About Beer and a co-owner (along with Daniel Bradford, president and publisher) of the publication.

Decades ago, Americans who had traveled abroad were frustrated by the lack of variety of beers in the United States -- a few imports were the exception. About 30 years ago people began brewing in their homes. "Often at the urging of friends they decided to go into a completely new area of business, which was the microbrewery," said Johnson, who spoke by phone from the National Beer Wholesalers Convention in Las Vegas.

The smaller microbreweries began crafting beers with a wide diversity of ingredients, and pub breweries -- like Carolina Brewery and Weeping Radish Brewery in Jarvisburg, N.C. -- began emerging.

Now, the diversity of styles "has gone mainstream," she said. "Today in Durham, you will find a greater range of beer styles than you would in many of the bigger cities in Europe," she said. Now, drinkers expect to have a wide variety of offerings at their local bars, and if they do not, it's not too far a drive to find that variety, Johnson said.

The changes have come from both drinkers and producers, said Ola Nilbrink, the event manager for the beer festival. "It's a little bit of a quest for something that's a little bit better than what I have right now," Nilbrink said. "The breweries are experimenting with traditional beers and coming up with new things. ... I think it's a combination of the brewers wanting to experiment and find the perfect beer, and the drinkers wanting to find something new and interesting."

The organizers say the annual festival is a chance to stretch your palate and learn more about beers. Visitors not only will get to taste the beers; they also may ask the brewers questions about the beer and the breweries, Nilbrink said. Seminars in pairing with food also will be available.

In recent years, the festival has sold out quickly. To encourage a wider audience, the magazine has staggered the sales this year, Johnson said. (As this was being written, tickets were still available, but the festival appeared on its way to repeating past history and selling out, organizers said.) All About Beer first made tickets available to subscribers, then to different ticket outlets and finally via the Internet. About 8,000 people are expected at the festival, Johnson said.

The Durham festival draws from a good distance, Johnson said. "Were really quite proud of that because there are a lot of beer festivals." She added: "We really try to present the beer in the best possible atmosphere so people can learn about it."