Why go to a beer festival? To celebrate, of course – beer is officially Ireland's favourite alcoholic drink. According to recent figures, the amount of beer being produced in Ireland has gone up dramatically over the last three years – and it's the good stuff, made by microbreweries, that's driving this increase.

But the best thing about a festival is that the beer you get is really, really fresh. Many breweries will put on festival specials, one-offs or lovely, unusual brews – sometimes only in small batches or available for just a day.

There are two big craft festivals in September: the Irish Craft Beer Festival at Dublin’s RDS and The Great Irish Beer Festival in Cork. Both have a range of well-established Irish microbreweries and some newbies as well, along with music, food and plenty of other artisan offerings.

Beavertown and Odell, two high- profile international breweries, are coming to the RDS and are definitely worth a taste. I'm also curious about Kilkenny's new Sullivan Brewing Company, and I'm looking forward to trying some of Kerry brewery Torc's beers. I'll also be checking out festival offerings from Hope, Kinnegar and Belfast brewery Boundary – but there's so many to choose from it can be tricky knowing where to start.

The best thing to do (after buying your tokens, of course) is to check out the list of breweries, then pick a few, ask what their specials are, and keep an eye on the ABV so you know what you’re in for. Drinking half-pints or thirds is good way to go if you want to try a few different styles, then settle on your favourite. If you haven’t tried a cask beer yet, a festival is the perfect spot to give it a shot, while session beers are a good fallback if you’re gripped by indecision.

Festivals are all about taking a few chances, flexing those tastebuds and boosting your bitterness tolerance – or Lupulin threshold, should anyone ask.

@ITbeerista
beerista@irishtimes.com

irishcraftbeerfestival.ie/

greatirishbeerfestival.ie/