Overview The Vail Craft Beer Classic is a two-afternoon tasting festival in Vail Village where the crowd votes for Best Beer of Summer, and the winning brewery goes home with a commemorative tap handle. The festival puts it at more than 100 beers, spirits and seltzers from around 30 producers, poured over a Friday and a Saturday in June, with check-in at Solaris Plaza across from the stage. The 2026 edition was billed as its 10th year. Team Player Productions produces it; the Golden, Colorado company has run festivals across Colorado, Utah and Montana since 1996, among them the Boulder Creek Festival and the Vail Wine Classic. On site General admission runs three hours a session. In 2026 general admission ran 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and an Early Access ticket let a group capped at 15% of capacity in half an hour ahead, with a welcome beer from a collaborative brew and a full Belgian glass. Food trucks sell pay as you go, a marketplace runs beside the pour stations, and a band closes each day: the Scott Rednor Band played Friday in 2026 and The Kory Montgomery Band played Saturday. Children and pets can come into the venue, but only ticket holders 21 and over with ID can sample. The festival points people to the free Vail Town Bus, Bustang and ECO Transit rather than the parking structures. Talent and Influencers The pour list is the lineup. In 2026 it ran from Colorado breweries such as Left Hand, Upslope, WeldWerks, Crooked Stave, Ratio Beerworks, Dry Dock and Outer Range to Athletic Brewing, BrewDog, Czechvar, Mom Water, Woodchuck cider and 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirits. Track record Every Team Player Productions event carries a charity, and the company says its events have raised more than $3 million for nonprofit partners since 1996. The 2026 beer festival's partner was the Gore Range Gravity Alliance, a group that runs women-led outdoor education and social events, and festival volunteers worked on its behalf. Brand presence Twelve sponsors appeared on the festival's 2026 sponsor page, led by Discover Vail, the town's tourism brand, with the Colorado Brewers Guild among them. Team Player Productions builds packages to order rather than from a fixed menu.