Beer Fest I

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +16.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$$$

Beer Fest I and II are kind of one of those places that you know what you are going to get when you walk in. If you are cool with that, it is beautiful and let the good times roll. It strikes me as being typical Bourbon Street. A dark, hole in the wall place, with some seating, a huge bar with a friendly bar keep. The variety is amazing. 31 microbrews on tap including lots of good local stuff. The problem is that prices reflect Bourbon Street. Beers range from $9-$14 for 24 ounces and you get them in to go cups. Bourbon Street is more expensive than bars a couple blocks away. Beer Fest is the bar I went to in my twenties. Walk in without caring about cost, walk out, great beer. Now that I am in my thirties, I will just as well go to Turtle Bay a few blocks away on the outside of the French Quarter and get the same quality for a couple bucks cheaper in a more relaxed setting.

04-11-2011 13:18:50 | More by tigg924

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

Read the following reviews for more detail, but yes, they offer "2 for 1" beers at $10.50 - that's $5.25 a beer, served in a plastic "to go" cup. You cannot get glass, and you cannot get a different beer (although I guess that really depends on the bartender, the time of day, and so on). Remember that you can stop in, have a beer, and then take your refill with you!!!! (Hopefully on the way to d.b.a., or even Turtle Bay - or maybe even Cooter Brown's out in the Black Pearl district).

That said, it's a good selection, and they're probably right that it is indeed the largest selection in New Orleans, but it didn't bowl me over. Almost all of the local stuff can be found elsewhere (if not in such completion - I think they have every beer from Abita), and the imports were fairly basic. Freshness worried me, thinking that maybe only the mainstream stuff sold, but I didn't find that, and down the street at Beer Fest II they were sold out of almost everything - meaning they'd turned the kegs during the French Quarter festival (not to worry, there's always a festival going on!).

That said, most of Bourbon Street is really just made up of dirty little "hole in the wall" kind of places. It doesn't take long to find that out. Go in during the day and it looks like crap. Go in at night when it's full and it looks a lot better. Having visited both Beer Fest's I'd say that number "I" is the cleaner and nicer of the two. In the end though, it doesn't really matter.

04-25-2012 03:16:33 | More by NeroFiddled

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -38.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 3 | $$$$

BEWARE!!! do not go here. there is a fair selection of decent craft beer, however all at the same place....$10.50 per pint!! every single beer there, even the Abita brews are $10.50!! the entire point of this bar is to deceive tourists in to ordering drinks and then giving you a large check. Even if you have the money, the beers aren't THAT great and the atmosphere is loud and hectic.

Atmosphere: small, dark, gross...its bourbon street..

Quality/Selection: has a decent selection of local craft beers.

Service: very rude and deceiving

AVOID!!!

08-20-2011 20:05:57 | More by AdamBear

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Walked down Bourbon Street after filling our bellies at Brennan's. As we roamed, I spotted Beer Fest and a man holding a sign declaring "The Most Beers on Tap in NOLA," and that was reason enough for me to stop in a take a gander. They had a decent tap offering (I'm going to guess at least 50), and lots of local spots taken up on said taps. The traffic on Bourbon Street was definitely low, especially being this soon after Mardi Gras, and the bartender was less than exuberant with the smaller crowd. In fact, at one point (the only time he came down and talked to us), he said the only thing holding his interest at that point was the Hornets playoff game. Other than the shitty service, the place was decent. A little dark and dank, but it absolutely served it's purpose for the location. From what I hear, the taps rotate fairly regularly, and that is what's important. Also, as a side note, be ready to drop $10+ for a pint.

04-29-2011 22:09:02 | More by GarthDanielson

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -14.1%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | $$$$

I was looking forward to this place to have some pints of craft beer on a recent vacation to New Orleans and to say that I left disappointed would be an understatement.

The tap selection, in terms of quantity is larger than any other place in the city. But the selection was very average (then again, LA possibly has the worst distribution in the US) considering the number of taps. We went in and a friend ordered a point of a local beer and was charged $10.50 for it! Needless to say, the other 3 of us didn't even buy one.

We complained about the ridiculous price to the bartender and he repeatedly told us that he didn't set the prices.

The bar was also small, narraw and very dark, not inviting at all.

If I am ever back in NOLA, I won't even think about entering this place or their other bar down the street.

09-16-2010 00:12:21 | More by TheSevenDuffs

slatetupelo

Mississippi

3.01/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | $$$$

Beer Fest is nothing more than a tourist trap on Bourbon street, your best bet is to just walk a few blocks over and grab a bottled beer from Sidney's on Decatur St. They'll give you a cup for a dime or you can just brown bag it. Beer Fest is a dark shady looking place. They had lots of taps to choose from but like everyone else has mentioned probably half of them are unavailable. They didn't have the IPA I wanted so I went with a Long Hammer IPA for the great low price of $10.50!!! Like I said, walk to Sidney's where the prices and selection are much better.

06-21-2010 22:26:32 | More by slatetupelo

FLBeerGuy

Florida

2.3/5  rDev -29.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.5 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5 | $$$$

OK, you can get something here besides the ubiquitous Abita here. Stopped in early on a Saturday night, only a handful of people here. One positive, not smoky like most bars on Bourbon street. Wife ordered a Guinness, while I scanned the chalk board of 48 taps. Dude with the pink hair and beard behind the bar said to pay no attention to the chalk board, half of what was on it was wrong. Just go down the bar and look at the taps, ones with cups on are empty. OK, so we are too lazy to update the chalk board, thought that's why it was written in chalk. After deciding in my mind on a Chimay, I was waiting to order when he was ringing up the guy standing next to my wife who had ordered a Murphys stout. $10.50 was the tab for the Murphys! When it came my turn to order, I simply asked how much for the Guinness, $10.50 was the answer. No Chimay for me tonight, I'll share the Guinness. Can only imagine what the Chimay would run.

Walked by a couple hours later when most bars on the street were packed. This place still only had a handful of customers. With $10.50 Guinness, I can understand why. Don't know how this place stays in business. My advice, drink what the locals drink, Albita or Cresent City Brewhouse. Both have some decent beer at $4-$5.

12-24-2009 04:15:39 | More by FLBeerGuy

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +21.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

A little storefront on Bourbon Street, in the heart of the French Quarter. Looking in, I was astounded. A bank of 48 taps ran along the right wall with a color chalkboard above the midway point of the taps. The laminated blonde wood, inverted "S"-shaped bar ran down the left side with the cooler of 45 bottles all of the way aft, just before the short pathway to the lavs. A staircase on a button hook right led to the second floor for bottles only during special occasions (Mardi Gras). A spartan place, but a great selection.

12-20-2009 16:34:18 | More by woodychandler

womencantsail

California

3.51/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$$

I had reviewed this place awhile back, but I guess my review got lost in the crashes...

I was in New Orleans for a convention, and being the that I was on vacation, decided to enjoy the nightlife of Bourbon St. I also didn't necessarily want to down vodka and Bud Lite all night, so when I heard about this place, I had to check it out.

I walked into the bar to find it almost empty, which was both surprising and not at the same time. I perused the tap selection while I waited for the bartender to finish helping out another customer. The selection was alright for the rather desolate beer state of Louisiana, but certainly nothing like what I'm used to here in CA.

I ordered an Anchor Liberty Ale, always a good choice, and found it to be quite fresh. The unfortunate part about this place is that I was served my beer in a plastic cup. But, since you can just take your beer and go outside with it (legally), I wasn't too surprised.

The really unfortunate part, was the price. My beer was $10 (granted, it wasn't your usual 12-14 oz pour, it was probably 16-20 oz), and I almost told the woman working the bar that I didn't want it anymore.

12-15-2009 00:33:49 | More by womencantsail

TeeCee

Louisiana

3.94/5  rDev +20.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

There are two Beer Fest's on Bourbon: this one and another in the 600 block. Google Maps calls them Beer Fest I and Beer Fest II. I have only been to Beer Fest II in the 600 block of Bourbon. If Beer Fest II get's listed, I'll relocate my review (if possible).

I found this place during the French Quarter Fest this year. I was surprised to find a place with a good beer selection on Bourbon Street.

The beer selection is very varied as previously mentioned, with no pattern. I recall that the may have had Optimator (my favorite beer style), but it was out. They had Maudite on tap and it was not out. I had it, even though my instict was that it probably didn't sell well and was probably old. The beer was fine, though.

The place was dead as it was Saturday in the middle of the day (and then again Sunday in the middle of the day). It felt like a typical Bourbon Street bar: dark, open, bland. They had Bonerama playing on the PA system and the bartender knew who they were. That's points all around. I have no idea how the place may be at night. I do know that next time I get stuck going to Bourbon Street, there are two places I can go to get good beer: Beer Fest I and II.

05-26-2009 12:49:37 | More by TeeCee