Festival Prep

The beer form submission is closed. All information below will be the same for future fests.

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Deadline: Friday, September 29

Attendees at Guild festivals are excited to explore Minnesota craft beer. One of the most common requests we’ve gotten is to connect our beer list to Untappd so that attendees could rate fest beers and refer back to them after the festival. We did this for the first time at Autumn Brew Review last year, and it was a hit!

Do you have flagship beers that you know will be at ABR this fall? You can enter those beers now, then re-submit the form later to update the list once you finalize what you’re bringing.

Note: THC/CBD beverages cannot be poured at Autumn Brew Review. 

Beer Submission FAQs

Why Should I Upload Our Beers?

In addition to the feedback you’ll receive from the ratings and reviews during the fest, listing your beers in the festival beer list also provides your brewery and beers with promotion before, during, and after the festival.

Pre-Fest: Having the beer list early allows ticketholders to browse all the selections and note which beers they want to try. Influencers and beer blogs also refer to the beer list as they promote the fest, so having your beers listed increases the chances that you’ll be mentioned.

The earlier, the better! The sooner you share your fest beers with us, the sooner attendees will be able to see you. Untappd gets 20,000 users each month in the metro alone, and we’re promoting our fest to all of them!

At the Fest: Attendees will be able to share drinks, ratings, and photos in real-time with their friends in the app, increasing your brand awareness much further than just the attendees of the festival.

Post-Fest: The festival beer list will be available indefinitely, and attendees will be able to refer back to their ratings and photos as long as they keep their account. This increases your exposure well past the festival date!

How Does It Work?
Once your beers are in Untappd, and you’ve filled out the beer list form, Untappd creates an Autumn Brew Review beer list. (See last year’s Autumn Brew Review list to get an idea of what it looks like.) Anyone visiting our Untappd page will be able to see what you’re bringing to ABR, and when they try your beers, they’ll be able to rate them right in the app.

All Our Beers Are Already in Untappd. Do We Need To Use the Form?
Yes! Submitting your beers to our form is the only way to get your beers on our festival app. By submitting the form, Untappd can connect your existing beer to our festival list.

Should We Submit Our NA Product Too?
Yes! NA beverages can be loaded into the NA submission form. This way, attendees can try your NA product at our booth AND at your booth, for maximum reach!

Will Attendees Have to Download Untappd for This to Work?
No. Our festival page will be viewable in a browser. (See last year’s Autumn Brew Review list to get an idea of what it looks like.) Attendees will not need to download an app or have an account to use it; however, an account will be needed if they want to rate/review your beers in the app.

What if My Brewery Doesn’t Have an Untappd Account?
No problem! Just claim your brewery to create a free Untappd account.

How much beer should we bring?
There will be between 2,500-3,000 people at ABR. We suggest bringing 3-5 half-barrels worth, depending on style, ABV, etc. If you are bringing many styles, we recommend 1/6 bbl kegs. Package is okay.

I Have Another Question!
Please email the Guild Events Coordinator Lindsey. This is only our second year using Untappd for our ABR beer list, so we want to make sure it’s providing a better promotional experience for you!

Like All Pints North, Autumn Brew Review typically sells out every year. It brings over 3,000 people together to Boom Island Park, and attendees love trying samples from new-to-them breweries, chatting with brewers, owners, and fellow attendees about craft beer, and supporting a robust Minnesota craft brewing industry.

How the Guild Promotes the Fest (And You!)

Pouring at the festival is a great way for your brewery to get exposure to the public before, during, and after the fest. With our full brewery list on the ticketing page as well as the festival page, we aim to promote member breweries and brewpubs as much as possible through:

• Radio promotions
• Social media posts and Facebook event
• Newsletters
• Digital ads
• Partnerships and sponsorships
• Press releases
• And more!

Upload Your Beer List

Attendees love browsing the beer list and making notes of what breweries they want to visit and what beers they want to try. Having the beer list early is a great way for us to help promote both you and the fest! See the “Upload Your Beer List” tab for all the details, and start uploading your list here.

Alert Your Social Media Followers!

Help spread the word! Tell your followers that you’ll see them at ABR. Use the hashtag #AutumnBrewReview when posting – and remember to tag the Guild so we can share it to our followers as well!

When members posts about the fest, it helps promote not only the fest but also fellow brewery and brewpub members, increasing awareness about the variety and quality of craft beer statewide.

Use the images below for your posts or stories.

Sample Social Posts

These are just a few ideas of posts you could share to your followers. Feel free to be creative and make your own! Promote your beers or your booth activities, and be sure to tag the Guild so we can share your post to our followers as well.

• Will we see you at Autumn Brew Review? Stop by our tent at ABR on October 14 in Minneapolis for some of our favorite fall selections. Tickets are limited! Get yours at www.mncraftbrew.org/ABR! #AutumnBrewReview
• We’re looking forward to the #AutumnBrewReview fest on October 14! We’ll be bringing [beer list]. Stop by to try them out! Tickets are limited; get yours at www.mncraftbrew.org/ABR!
• We have a blast at #AutumnBrewReview every year! Will you be joining us? Stop by our tent at ABR on October 14 in Minneapolis for some of our favorite fall selections. Tickets here: www.mncraftbrew.org/ABR

NEW THIS YEAR: Promotion of Wet Hopped Beers by the MN Hops Growers Association. Are you featuring a wet hopped beer at ABR? Please reach out to Eric Anderson of the MN Hops Growers Association to let him know! the MHGA will have a booth at ABR highlighting local hops and any wet hopped beers at the fest!

LOAD-IN & PARKING

• Download the Festival Map for Breweries & Vendors
• Bring your own hand trucks/carts and staff for all load in/out. No vehicles can drive on the park grounds.
• Saturday load-in opens at 8:30 AM and must be complete by 12:30 PM.
  • You may start setting up your booth Friday afternoon, but there is minimal park security overnight. Set up early at your own risk.
• Get free Metro Transit rides to and from the fest by taking this survey.

Saturday Set Up

• Arrival & Parking: The MNCBG has reserved a limited amount of space at three parking lots for brewers, sponsors, vendors, and volunteers. These lots open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and will be monitored by security for check-in.
  • Boom Island Lot: ONE VEHICLE may park in this lot. Use this lot for unloading your kegs and equipment. A parking pass is given at entry.
  • Marshall St. & NE 9th Ave Lot and Broadway St. & Marshall St. Lot should primarily be used for event staff, sponsors, and volunteers.
• Walk directly to your booth to begin setting up.
  • Need a paper map of the fest? Swing by the Brewery Check-In Tent to grab one!
  • Your booth will have a Booth Bag taped to it. Your Booth Bag contains a card with your brewery name on it, 4 wristbands, ice tickets, instructions, and more!
• Glassware: Bring the card with your name on it to the Brewery Check-In Tent. We’ll give you four glasses in exchange for your card.
  • Bring additional purchased tickets to this table at this time. We will scan additional staff tickets and issue you more wristbands and glassware.
• Ice: Starting at 11:00 AM, volunteers will begin delivering ice to booths in golf carts. Ice can also be picked up directly at the ice truck. You must exchange an ice ticket for a bag of ice at the cart or truck. Ice tickets are in your booth bags.
• Water: Water for booth use is located at the three picnic shelters (blue water drops on map). Please get all needed water from one of these locations BEFORE the festival starts. The water truck taps are for drinking ONLY, and will not be open until the festival starts.
• NA Tent: If you volunteered to bring NA beverages to ABR, please drop them off at our NA tent on Saturday by 12:30 PM. Please return to the booth at the end of the fest to collect unopened product!

THE FEST

Sampling

• ABR will have ~3,000 attendees, plan your samples accordingly.
• The legal beer sampling size is 2oz. DO NOT OVERPOUR.
• NO THC products can be sampled or sold at ABR.
• DD/Sober ticket holders will be wearing a [ pink wristband ]. DO NOT SERVE these attendees alcohol.
• We will announce “Last Call” at 4:45 PM. Pouring must stop at 5:00 PM SHARP. Please set an alarm on your phones!!

Merchandise Sales
Merchandise sales are now allowed at Guild festivals. Reminder: NO THC or alcohol sales of any type (vouchers, coupons, etc.). There will not be an ATM at the festival; please provide your own hotspots/internet if you plan to accept cards.

(Not)Voting
For ABR 2023, the Guild will not be conducting our usual festival voting. Attendees will still be rating beers via Untappd, which we hope provides many more participating breweries feedback and marketing opportunities on their beers than the old voting system.

Brewery Food and Hospitality Tent

• Catered food will be available in the Hospitality Tent starting at 11:00 a.m. The Hospitality Tent will also have water, coolers for shared beer, and private bathrooms. Please bring beer to share!
• Only people with a brewer/vendor wristband will be allowed to enter the Hospitality Tent.

AFTER THE FEST

Clean Up

• Please dispose of any trash/recycling in the containers provided throughout the fest.
• All breweries must be loaded out by 6:00 PM. Plan to cart your equipment/kegs back to your vehicle: you cannot drive onto the park grass for load-out.
• Vehicles CANNOT be left overnight in any nearby parking lots. Please plan safe transportation for your staff, gear, and vehicles after the fest.
• NA Tent: If you brought NA beverages to our NA tent, please return to the booth at the end of the fest to collect unopened product!

Below is the Autumn Brew Review festival map! We have two versions for you, both of which include brewery layout and booth numbers.

• The parking area
• The Brewery Check-In Tent, where you get your wristbands and glasses (do this AFTER grabbing your registration bag on your booth table)
• The Hospitality Tent, where you can grab refreshments before and during the fest (bring beer to share!)
• The water spigots in the pavilions (please get all water needed BEFORE the fest starts; the water trucks are for attendees only!)

Answers to FAQs

Can we still register?
We cannot accept late registrations at this time; we are at capacity at the festival, and maps have been finalized.

When will we receive fest details?
All planning info we usually provide via emails to fest main contacts will live on this page. Click through each tab on this page to learn more. Each time we add more details, we will email your festival main contact with a notification. Timing for new updates is as follows:
1) Initial Planning Details – mid-September
2) Full Fest Details – late September/early October
3) Final Reminder – week before fest

How much beer should we plan to bring to ABR?
There will be between 2,500-3,000 people at ABR. We suggest bringing 3-5 half-barrels worth, depending on style, ABV, etc. If you are bringing many styles, we recommend 1/6 bbl kegs. Package is okay.

Can our distributor deliver our kegs to the reefer truck?
Yes, as long as your distributor checks in the kegs under your brewery name at the reefer truck. Distributors can also deliver to the park if you have a staff member on site to meet them at the parking lot; vehicles are not allowed to drive on the grass. Breweries are responsible for any costs associated with working with the distributors. All kegs must be removed from the reefer truck before festival end. Breweries/distributors are responsible for ensuring all kegs are removed.

Will there be help unloading my kegs/prepping my booth on Friday and Saturday?
No. Your staff is responsible for loading/unloading your kegs from the Reefer Truck and setting up your booth. Please bring all people/carts/gear needed.

Can we pull our van up on the grass to unload our booth materials/kegs?
No. Driving on the park grass is strictly prohibited by the park; vehicle weight can damage the in-ground sprinkler system, resulting in a large fine and potential loss of the venue for the Guild in the future. You must park in the Boom Island lot (there is only room for one vehicle per brewery) and unload using your own gear. Additional parking is available in the overflow lots indicated here.

How do we know where to set-up when we get to the fest?
Check the festival map for your placement (here is the brewer map; you can also view the public map). Maps can also be picked up at the Brewery Check-In tent before you begin setting up. Your booth table will contain a bag that shows your business name and booth number (and also contains all your day-of info, ice tickets, wristbands, etc.).

How much space will we have?
Unless you are a Creative Booth, you have a 10×10 designated space at the festival. You can set up within this space however you like, but please do not bring additional 10×10 tents or other decor/materials that impact your neighboring tents. Creative Booths have a 20×20 space.

How do attendees find us/our beer?
The festival map will be available in the fest program at entry, via the QR code placed throughout the fest, and in the ABR Untappd app. The beer list will be within the ABR Untappd app, which will be linked in the QR code throughout the fest.

Are there any staff-only perks?
There will be a Hospitality Tent marked on the festival map. There will be free food, beer to share, seating, and bathrooms in this tent for brewery, vendor, and sponsor staff.

Conditions for Festival Cancellation

The health and safety of festival workers and attendees is of utmost importance to the Guild. The following conditions would cause us to cancel a festival: 

• Extreme Weather: Our festivals are rain or shine. But extreme weather that risks injury would cause of us potentially cancel (or delay) a festival. 
• Hazardous Air Quality: The festival will automatically be canceled if air quality is anticipated at 300+ AQI for the date/location of an outdoor event. Guild staff and board may also decide to cancel an event at 200-300 AQI. Air quality cannot be assessed very far in advance, but we will warn event contacts and the public if conditions are concerning in the days prior to the event. The final assessments and communication will take place the morning of the event. You can monitor the AQI for an area using this tool.
• Communicable Disease or similar Public Health Emergency
• City or State Declaration: The Guild will comply with any state of emergency or other declaration from city or state officials that requires the cancellation of our event for the safety of attendees or the community.

If any of these conditions are anticipated in the days leading up to the festival, the Guild will communicate with all festival main contacts via email to warn them of the specific conditions that would cause cancellation. If we have to cancel a festival, the Guild will communicate first using social media, followed by emails to all festival main contacts and other stakeholders.

Festival Terms & Conditions

Please read the ABR Terms and Conditions below and our General Event Terms and Conditions and save them for your records. When you registered, you should also have received an email titled “ABR Registration: For Your Records” that includes this information as well.

Details from the registration form:

TICKETS
Participating breweries can bring 4 people to staff your booth. Additional staff tickets will be available at a 50% discount for members. Tickets will go on sale in June/July, and your discount code will be sent in our newsletter. We recommend buying additional staff tickets before by mid-September; once we sell out of staff tickets, you will not be able to purchase more and will need to purchase General Admission tickets for any remaining staff.

REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION
Only MNCBG members are allowed to pour at ABR. Not currently a member? When you’re done registering for ABR, join or renew here.

After you complete this form, the confirmation page and email will include a link to our Festival Prep page, which will have all the details you’ll need to participate. This page will be updated periodically as we get closer to the fest date, and the Festival Main Contact you provide on this form will get regular updates.

Please note: No THC will be allowed at Autumn Brew Review in 2023.

NO STIPENDS FOR 2023
The Guild is not able to offer participation stipends at our festivals this year, the same as in 2022. We appreciate your support as we try to make up significant revenue losses from 2020/2021 and ensure the Guild can continue our work to protect, promote, and grow the MN craft beer industry.

Details from the Terms & Conditions:

Space Reservation:
Reservations for exhibit space at this event will be accepted upon submission of this form. The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild shall endeavor to assign exhibition space that best suits the layout at the event site, subject to availability. We reserve the right, and have sole discretion, to assign exhibition space in accordance with the overall effectiveness of the event. Brewery/brewpubs may not assign or sublease their space to any person or entity.

Participation:
Brewery/brewpub participation in Autumn Brew Review 2023 is contingent on active MNCBG membership status and up-to-date membership dues. The MNCBG reserves the right to terminate brewery/brewpub booth reservations and reopen brewery/brewpub booth space available to other interested MNCBG members if your membership is not active.

Set-up, Staffing & Tear-down:
Autumn Brew Review is open to guests from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Saturday, October 14. The brewery/brewpub must be set up and ready to serve early-entry guests by 1:00 PM; General Admission will open at 1:30. There will be designated setup times, so please see the Festival Prep page for details.

Brewery/brewpub exhibit must be staffed during all active hours; in no instance can a booth be left unattended. No brewery/brewpub will be able to leave before the official end of the event at 5 PM. Breweries/brewpubs must be moved out no later than 6 PM.

Breweries/brewpubs are responsible for communicating all requirements for participation to the staff that will be manning the festival, including set-up/tear-down policies. Brewery booths that do not abide by festival rules may be removed from the festival and barred from future festivals. 

Care of Exhibit:
The brewery/brewpub is responsible for the orderly presentation of its exhibit and for cleaning within its exhibition space. Brewery/brewpub is also responsible for booth cleanup at the end of the festival.

Alcohol Samples:
Alcohol samples must come into the event with an invoice from a licensed brewery, brewpub, or distributor indicating that the alcohol samples are for the specific MNCBG event. No THC products are allowed in 2023.

Beverage Rules:
Every brewery/brewpub sampling beverages must comply with all governmental regulations (including Federal/State/County/City/Town health departments) concerning the storage, preparation, and distribution of beverage items. Additionally, such breweries/brewpubs must provide a hand-washing station in their booth or supply booth workers with rubber gloves and require them to be worn at all times that a worker may handle open beverages. Individual servings must not exceed 2 ounces of beverage.

The brewery/brewpub may only distribute free samples of a beverage that is made or sold in the ordinary course of business of that brewery/brewpub. MNCBG reserves the right to terminate the distribution of any sample should it be in violation of Federal/State/County/City/Town laws relating to food-and-beverage handling or if deemed necessary for public safety reasons.

Cancellation:
If an MNCBG event or any part of an MNCBG event is canceled or rescheduled, under no circumstances shall MNCBG be liable for costs or damages incurred by the brewery/brewpub as a result of such cancellation or rescheduling, whether due to cause(s) beyond or within the control of MNCBG.

Code of Conduct:
Discrimination, intolerance, harassment, or violence of any kind will not be tolerated within our organization, membership, or events. Attendees, volunteers, or event staff who create an unsafe environment for others may be removed from the event at the discretion of the event organizers. Please read our MNCBG Code of Conduct. A reporting tool will be made available to all attendees, staff, and volunteers at the festival via a QR code/link in the fest program, app, and signage.

Photography, Audio, and Video:
By signing this contract, the brewery/brewpub grants MNCBG permission to photograph and/or record audio and/or video of the brewery/brewpub exhibit and staff, both inside and outside of the brewery/brewpub booth, and to interview the brewery/brewpub or their staff about this MNCBG event. Brewery/brewpub grants MNCBG a perpetual nonexclusive license to use this content containing brewery/brewpubs likenesses and/or statements in all MNCBG products in print and online, in promotional materials, and in audio and video advertising.