A great benefit of living in the land of red rocks is the plethora of beer festivals, and any given calendar year gives locals and visitors alike a near constant carousel of craft-beer get-togethers. Crazy Mountain Brewing Company's Ed Fest, which takes place on August 20 from 3 PM - 10 PM to benefit the Eagle River Watershed Council, offers a distinctive combination of mountain-born craft beers, a national music act, and a location in the Rocky Mountains.

So far, 30 breweries have agreed to pour their fermentables at EdFest, including Denver notables such as Renegade, Station 26 and Mockery. National brewers include Lagunitas, Firestone Walker, Stone, Oskar Blues and Alaskan, and the mountain brewmasters include Telluride, Eddyline and Dillon Dam.

But wait, there’s more. This year’s music headliner is Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, a New Orleans-based group that’s won funky acclaim around the world, so between the beer and the music, there’s probably not a better beer-festival value. “What better way to escape the city heat and smog than attending the best beer festival all summer in the Vail Valley,” says Crazy Mountain Marketing Manager Kayleigh Armitage.

Another thing that makes EdFest a bit different is its “Free Beer for a Year” contest. One lucky imbiber who purchases an EdFest ticket and likes Crazy Mountain’s Facebook page before the festival will win a free beer a year from Crazy Mountain. Last year, Armitage says, there were more than 1,500 entries. (Winners can also get their free beer for a year at Crazy Mountain’s Speakeasy here in Denver or at the taproom in Edwards, Colorado.)

The Eagle River Watershed Council is a local nonprofit dedicated to protecting rivers through educational programs, special events, restoration projects, monitoring, research and community volunteer projects. “Since clean water equals good beer, we couldn't think of a better beneficiary for the festival,” Armitage says.

Tickets are $39 general admission and $79 for the VIP package. For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the EdFest website.

Photo via Flickr user adambarhan 

Add to Calendar 2016-08-20 3 PM 2016-08-20 10 PM 9 Check Out Ed Fest in Edwards, August 20 Website: http://www.edfestbeer.com/ Crazy Mountain Brewing false YYYY-MM-DD
Event Date: 08/20
Event Time: 3 PM - 10 PM
Location: Crazy Mountain Brewing
Price: GA: $39; VIP: $79
Website: http://www.edfestbeer.com/