Burp Fest at Arizona Strong Beer Festival 2026

The Arizona Strong Beer Festival was born in 2002 as a passion project of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, which itself had been founded in 1998 to promote and protect local craft brewers in a market dominated by macro-beer brands. At the time, Arizona's craft beer scene was still in its early stages, with only a handful of breweries scattered across the Phoenix metro area. The Guild saw an opportunity to spotlight the artistry and innovation happening in local taprooms and created a festival centered on bold, high-gravity beers that would challenge perceptions of what craft beer could be.

Over the following decade, the festival grew from a modest gathering into Arizona's premier craft beer event. When Arizona Beer Week launched in 2011, the Strong Beer Festival was the natural choice to serve as its kickoff celebration, a role it has held every year since. The 11th Annual Strong Beer Festival marked the inaugural Arizona Beer Week, forever linking the two events in the state's craft beer calendar.

Today, the festival reflects the explosive growth of Arizona's craft brewing industry. What started with a small collection of local breweries now features over 500 beverages from producers across the state. The move to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick gave the event a world-class venue worthy of its stature as the state's largest single-day beer festival. As the Guild celebrates its own 25th anniversary in 2026, the Strong Beer Festival stands as proof of how far Arizona's craft beer culture has come from its scrappy beginnings in the desert.