Thanks to the requirements of my job, I get to attend a great many drinks festivals. For instance, over the past two months alone, I've been to the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, the Great Canadian Beer Festival, the Great American Beer Festival, Oktoberfest, Cask Days at Toronto's Bar Volo and WhiskyLive Toronto. That's not bragging, just the facts of my occasionally mad life. (Okay, I guess it's also a bit of bragging.)

     My point being that while I obviously haven't attended all the great drinks festivals the world has to offer, I have been to a lot of them. And while pondering this recently, I concluded that it might be time for World of Beer to eat up some bandwidth with another list, this one of . . .

The Six (or Possibly Seven) Drink Fests to Visit Before You Die

     1. Great British Beer Festival, London - Some of my British friends get down on this event, calling it too big and too crowded and complaining that the casks get overly warm through the course of the fest. All of which may be to a certain degree true, but if you visit early - both in the week and during the day - the GBBF is simply the best place in England to gather for a pint or four. The recently added one-third pint serving size is a great boon for those of us who wish to taste the widest range of casks possible.

     2. Kerstbierfestival, Essen - I attended this excellent Belgian event for the first time last year and within weeks of coming home was already plotting my return. Great breweries showcasing their finest seasonal offerings, ideal serving sizes, relaxed atmosphere, no smoking and organizers guided by their passion for beer rather than love of profit all combine to lift this event to the top of a very crowded list of superlative Belgian beer fests.

     3. Great American Beer Festival, Denver - I know, I give the GABF a hard time every year for being insanely crowded and raucous, and serving beer samples that are simply too damn small in my opinion, but look back to the heading of this list. Considering that the U.S. is likely the most exciting country for beer these days and some 1,800 of those brews are on offer here, the big Denver fest is definitely something that everyone should experience once, if arguably only once.

     4. WhiskyFest Chicago - I've been to my share of whisky festivals and this is the one I'd return to most readily. The pricing is very reasonable - all samples, food and tutored tastings are included in the ticket price - and compared to the New York show, the atmosphere is positively sedate. Yes, I like the surroundings at the Spirit of Toronto better, but the impressive selection at WhiskyFest gives this the final nod.

     5. Toronado Barleywine Festival, San Francisco - Usually, when I'm asked to judge somewhere, the event organizers will throw in airfare or accommodations as part of the deal. Not at the festival known in the Bay Area as simply "barleywine," where I regularly pay my own way for the privilege of judging at the final table. Simply a spectacular array of incredibly complex, potent ales at a beer bar that easily ranks as one of America's best.

     6. Feis Ile, Islay - The only event in this list that's not a true "drinks fest" as most would define the term, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music is more "a collection of easy-going open days with celidhs and music in bars in the evening," as it was indeed described to me by Mark Reynier, managing director of the Bruichladdich Distillery. The pace is gentle, the music (mostly) lively and the whisky, well, if you enjoy a good dram now and again, you already know about that.

And probably . . .

     7. Flaveurs Bières et Caprices, Montréal - By the end of November, I'll know whether or not this deserves inclusion here, but I'm tentatively adding it for now because I'm so psyched about attending its first ever edition. Presented by the people behind the wonderful Mondiale de la Bière, which only just missed having a spot on this list, this four session, three day event will be devoted to the partnership of beer and cuisine. And with over one hundred beers, including a healthy contingent of Italian craft brews, coupled with a spectacular variety of breads, cheeses, oils, chocolates and assorted appetizers, the pairing potential promises to be enormous.

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