CRAFT BEER COMES TO TOWN

FESTIBIÈRE DE GENÈVE

by Vivian Holding

The craft beer festival Festibière de Genève returns for its second year to Carouge and promises to be even better than the last with over 25 breweries participating in this 3-day event which includes live music, a OneFM party night, a special ladies night and some great food trucks.

With over 150 beers to choose from, the choice may seem overwhelming (but whoever said too much choice is a bad thing?). Our pick of the best of the festival will help guide you through.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

To take part in the festival, you need to firstly buy your tasting access pass. This can be done online until the 14^thJune 2018 (click here) or alternatively buy your pass at the entrance to the festival on your chosen day. The tasting access pass costs 20CHF and includes a 2018 souvenir glass and 12 tasting tokens, as well as free delivery in Geneva of any order of 12 beers or more and fast-pass access to the beer, avoiding the queues.

The large majority of 1dl tastings will cost you 2 tokens each, with only the exceptional products being sold for 3 tokens or more. Additional tokens can then be purchased at a cost of 10CHF for ten.

LINE YOUR STOMACH

A great mix of tasty internationally themed food will make sure your stomach is well and truly lined in preparation for your beer tasting – from Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, Thai, Turkish, Japanese. as well as burgers and grills.

OUR TOP 3 BEERS TO TRY

A TRUE GENÈVOIS BEER

Pére Jakob is a true Genevois beer, a cooperative of seven local farmers based in Soral. 95% of the malt they use in their brewing process is as close to being organic as possible, their beers are unfiltered and contain no additives in the brewing process, using only water, malt, hops and yeast. They have a great choice of lager, bitter, stout or darker beers – try their Ambree– a slightly bitter amber lager with notes of copper, toast, fresh hops and a rounded malt body. An easy to drink and tasty pint

TRADITIONAL BEER MADE WITH PASSION

Totally Beer was set up by a Brazilian couple inspired by traditional brewing cultures (with their preference being Belgian beers), but with the added touch of joy, creativity and exoticism from their native Brazil. They brew high quality preservative free beers, which are a real taste experience – why not try their Blanche de la Passion– a lager with the fruity touch of passion fruit and Timut pepper, Black Out– a dark beer with a complex combination and subtle malt flavour with aromatic notes of coffee and chocolate, or Tripel du Léman, a Belgian style beer with a fruity flavour?

BEER FOR THE CAREFREE

The White Frontier Brewery from the Valais with its funky beer names and cool looking beer labels will draw you in instantly – try Pillows, said to be a beer born from lucid dreams, carefree and audacious – the perfect balance between being soft and juicy on the palate, or Log-Out and Live – an APA with its hint of caramel re-interpreting the American classic whilst inviting you to connect with the good things in life or FWT a New England Pale Ale brewed with Vermont Ale Yeast that creates a super hazy brew with a delectable flavour and aroma its exclusive Citra hops.