Bockfest Tips 10 and 9

10.  Sport your best duds, dress for both warmth and style.  This really means find the tackiest thing in your closet or the thrift store and go with it.

The most important thing to remember when picking out your Bockfest attire is warmth.  I feel like I shouldn't have to say this because we live in Minnesota and it will be March and IT WILL BE COLD!   Just how cold we won’t know but it will certainly be cold.  Just looked at the forecast for Saturday and the high will be somewhere around -2.  Bockfest is a marathon not a sprint, make sure you are prepared to spend 4+ hours outside in the snow.  Just because it will be cold outside doesn't mean you still can't bring your A game when it comes to clothing.  

You are only limited by your imagination so break out a Halloween costume, find the best from the local thrift shop (what what, what, what) dig up the hide from last season’s deer hunt, or the classic Carhartts and blaze orange.  If you are worried about sticking out in the crowd, DON’T.  You will not be the only one!  Plus, it will be easier to pick yourself out on the Facebook pictures, YouTube, twitter, etc.   

Another plus to the warm clothing is that it provides you plenty of places to hide your beers and other whatnots.  The wait in line to get in can be long so it will be nice to have a little something to wet your whistle.  After the wait in line, don’t underestimate the walk up to the brewery.  Also if you venture out in the woods to look for a Bock, it’s nice to have some beverages to avoid dehydration.     

9.  Make sure that you bring your own beer container.

The 16 oz glasses that they sell just don't cut it.  The lines for beer can get long and the crowd can be hard to navigate with an open 16oz plastic cup.  Whatever container you choose to bring is fine.  My favorite is my Kum & Go 64 oz coffee mug.  Sadly, over the years it has cracked (the duct tape just wasn’t helping anymore) and I have moved onto 56 oz Bubba keg.  While I will miss my original mug with the “Support Your Local Brewery” stickers all over it, it must be retired.  My new Bubba keg mug has a screw on top which I like more than my old snap on.  Make sure to get creative with your beverage dispenser.  

Bringing your own mug is a must for Bockfest.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t personalize if or think outside of the box.  The more creative the beer container, the better.  I have seen everything from a male bedpan to the famous “Deer Bong.”  For your own good and the safety of everyone, make sure your mug is nonbreakable.  A lot of people will be at Bockfest and you are bound to bump into someone and drop your beer.  Make sure that the only money you are out when it happens is the beer money.  Another plus is that by the end of the night, the only thing you will be able to drink out of is a sippy cup.