SINGAPORE – With the weekend approaching, beer enthusiasts thronged Marina Promenade for the second evening of Beerfest Asia 2016 on Friday (June 17).
The eighth edition of Asia’s largest beer festival, which is being held over four days from June 16 to 19, gives fans the chance to savour a mind-boggling variety of over 500 beers.
It is organised by Beerfest Asia Pte Ltd, owned by Sphere Exhibits, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings and presented by United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOB).
Beerfest Asia 2016 festival director Ian Lim said that the as of 10pm, about 7,000 visitors had attended the festival on Friday evening.
According to The Straits Times, about 10,000 partygoers had attended day two of the event by the end of the night.
He added that in total, the organisers were expecting about 34,000 attendees throughout all four days of the festival.
On the festival’s second day, Beerfest-goers can go around the booths to try the 48 different beers that won awards at the Asia Beer Awards 2016, which were announced today.
Over 160 beers across 15 categories were judged based on their appearance, aroma, flavour and body, style and technical quality.
In particular, enthusiasts might want to keep a lookout for the Hertog Jan Grand Prestige, a Belgian strong ale which won the prestigious Best of Festival award, as well as the Red Dot India Pale Ale which walked away with the Best of Singapore award for locally-produced beers.
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Meanwhile on the entertainment side of things, it was a night of tributes, with international bands such as Slippery When Wet, Killer Queen and Major Tom paying tribute to musical legends from David Bowie to Queen and Bon Jovi.
Visitors certainly seemed to be having a good time. “For me it’s a once in a year ‘pilgrimage’ to enjoy the music with friends in a carnival-like atmosphere,” said criminal lawyer Josephus Tan, 36.
For software programmer Shawn Ko, 28, Beerfest is all about the beer. ” It’s a way that we can see the beers of the world without having to leave the country,” he said.
For more information on Beerfest Asia 2016, visit www.beerfestasia.com.
AsiaOne is the official online media partner for Beerfest Asia 2016, for more stories on the event, click here.
seanyap@sph.com.sg
