Cleveland Winter Beerfest returns this weekend

The first big beer festival of the year in Northeast Ohio is this weekend. The second annual Cleveland Winter Beerfest takes place Friday and Saturday (Jan. 16-17) at the Cleveland Convention Center in downtown Cleveland.

Organizers say the event, which features more than 350 beers, will be bigger than last year.

For starters, there’s a connoisseur ticket this year sponsored by New Belgium. Those ticket-holders receive a snifter glass and access to special food from local restaurants. There also will be a cask area put together by Willoughby Brewing Co. brewmaster Rick Seibt.

“And the beer list is just stronger,” said organizer Craig Johnson, head of Festivals Unlimited, which puts on beer festivals in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. each day.

Regular admission, which includes an acrylic mug, is $40 if tickets are purchased in advance and $50 cash the day of the event. An early admission ticket costs $50 in advance, or $60 the day of, and allows people in at 6:30 p.m. Connoisseur tickets are $85.

The inaugural event attracted about 6,500 people. Johnson said he expects 8,000 to 9,000 this year.

For more details and a list of all the beers, click here.