Last weekend, I went to my first craft beer festival- the Venice Brew Bash. It went pretty well: no sickness, not much sloppiness, just fun. Here are my tips for having a good time at a beer (or other alcohol-themed) event and being in pretty good shape the next day.

1. Go with friends (or in my case, family)

Waiting to check in for Venice Brew Bash.
From left, Ben Clark, Maggie Clark, Andy Clark and Tina Clark.

2. Meet your brewers

Florida has a ton of great breweries and they were well-represented at the Brew Bash.

Florida-based brewers show off their beer. From left: Nick Brockman, Bold City Brewery (Jasckonville, Fla.), Leslie Shore and Christa Leonard, Darwin Brewing Company (Bradenton, Fla.), Jason Van Marter, Fat Point Brewing (Punta Gorda, Fla.)

In addition to these guys, Big Top Brewing Company and Motorworks Brewing,  two other local Southwest Florida breweries, were sampling their brews.

3. Stay cool

Saturday was hot. When the festival started at 4, it was the hottest point of the day at 93 degrees and 94% humidity — thanks, Florida. We drank lots of water and took shade breaks under a tent, and waited for the sun to set.

Strategies for staying cool at Venice Brew Bash.

4. Eat

Eating is critical when consuming alcohol, especially when you’re losing electrolytes as fast as we were on Saturday. Luckily, the festival had food trucks.

Food is essential at a beer festival.

5. Designate a driver

It almost goes without saying, but of course, think about how you’re going to get home from the brew festival. Our designated driver took away our beer glasses when it was time to leave.

Our designated driver holds onto our glasses at the end of the festival.

Follow these tips and you’ll be fine- here’s to craft beer!

Happy friends at the end of the Venice Brew Bash.