The FemAle Brew Fest in Fort Lauderdale Celebrates Women in Brewing

The FemAle Brew Fest — South Florida's annual beer festival celebrating women in the brewing industry — will return to Fort Lauderdale this fall.

The female-centric beer festival, launched in 2017 and entering its fourth year — having missed 2020 owing to COVID-19 — will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 18, at the newly opened Kimpton Goodland Hotel.

This year, the festival continues its mission to highlight women in brewing with an expanded lineup and the option to have your very own "beercation."

According to event founder Frances Antonio-Martineau, the new partnership will provide festival-goers with the opportunity to travel from afar with ticket options that include an all-inclusive package that bundles accommodations and admission to the 2021 festival. Tickets are currently on sale, priced from $45 to $65 per person, and are limited to 400 attendees.

"Moving to this new location allows us to utilize the hotel's outdoor courtyards and invites more people from all over the country to attend," Antonio-Martineau tells New Times. "It also gives us the ability to offer a truly curated experience unlike any other beer festival."

The festival will continue its tradition of showcasing female-focused businesses, musicians, and vendors. This year, eventgoers will hear music by Anna de Ferran and DJ LaTrice Perry, stroll an artisan marketplace, and avail themselves of a full liquor bar and a special menu provided by the Kimpton Goodland's restaurant, Botanic.

As part of the FemAle Brew Fest's continued expansion, festival organizers have also announced an all-new Craft Beer Experience lineup, a series of hands-on courses that offer attendees the opportunity to choose their own personal festival experience. Each ticketed experience has a limited capacity and offers a choice of sensory experiences from a hop analysis and how to identify common beer flaws to fermentation.

To date, more than 15 breweries have confirmed attendance, including a number of well-known Florida-based brands. This year, the festival will welcome its first brewery from Alaska, with Denali Brewing Company's head brewer Sarah Perez making the trip to Fort Lauderdale.

Additional attending breweries and bottle shops include Cigar City Brewing, Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company, Yeasty Brews Artisanal Beers, Barrel of Monks Brewing, Funky Buddha Brewery, Islamorada Beer Company, Ellipsis Brewing, Tarpon River Brewing, Unbranded Brewing Co., Swan Brewing, Corporate Ladder Brewing Company, Orchestrated Minds Brewing, Green Bench Brewing Company, Bay Cannon Beer Company, Wolf Branch Brewing, LauderAle Brewery, Progressive Distribution, Craft Beer Cellar Fort Lauderdale, Nobo Brewing Company, King Fox Brewery, Design Build Brewing, Hydrosaurus Brewing, and Tuscany Wines Import.

The festival is pet-friendly, with a portion of proceeds going to the Abandoned Pet Rescue of Fort Lauderdale, a nonprofit no-kill shelter that rescues and rehabilitates abandoned, abused, and neglected pets.

"This festival is not just about beer," Antonio-Martineau sums up. "More importantly, this festival is a platform to highlight and feature female beer experts and brewers from a wide range of professions while giving guests an opportunity to meet and learn more about these amazing women."

FemAle Brew Fest. 1 p.m. Saturday, September 18, at the Kimpton Goodland Hotel, 2900 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $45 to $65 via femalebrewfest.com.