The fourth annual Edmonton International Beer Fest revs up tomorrow and Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre. Most Canadian cities have a beer festival of some kind, and for a number of years Edmonton had two competing festivals. However, not all beer fests are created equal. Some, like Victoria’s Great Canadian Beer Festival or Montreal’s Mondiale de la Biere exemplify the celebration of quality craft beer, and both are must-go-to destinations at some point in your adult life. Edmonton’s young festival in no way reaches such lofty heights, but that is not surprising.

However, it is the largest beer event in Edmonton, at least by sheer numbers of participants (about 5000 over two days), which means it needs to be considered seriously. I have attended all three years of its existence, writing up a review of the 2008 version. I must say the 2009 edition disappointed – rather than demonstrating a gradual growth in beer quality and range, it shrunk last year, with noticeable absences. That left me worried about where the Fest was going.

One of the problems is the tension between offering a beer education event, where people can leisurely talk about what they are drinking and develop their beer palate, and creating traffic volume, which suggests shooter booths, scantily clad women serving beer and a more frat-boy party atmosphere. I know on which side of that spectrum I fit, but, hey, I don’t have to find a way to pay for such an event.

I’ll admit I debated what to do about Beerfest this year – whether to attend and whether to talk about it here. In the end I have decided to do both. I am going to pop in on Saturday (and will maybe post my findings) to see how it is evolving. And this post is to respect that people need to know about beer events. It is a fairly good deal ($20 at the door, with samples ranging between $1 and $3), and you will undoubtedly find a large number of beers you have never tried before. More info on it here. So, pop in if you are so inclined. And maybe email me to tell me what YOU thought of it. I would like to hear what others think.

My one suggestion – go earlier when the atmosphere is more relaxed and you can avoid the “bang it back” college kids who dominate later.