23rd Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer
Schedule
Fri, 07 Nov, 2025 at 06:00 pm to Sat, 08 Nov, 2025 at 05:00 pm
UTC-06:00Location
525 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60607 | Chicago, IL
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The Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer returns to Chicago November 7-8, 2025, convening the nation’s top barrel-aged brewing programs for a showcase of brewing craftsmanship and innovation that only happens here.Credit Union 1 Arena
525 S. Racine Ave. | Chicago, IL 60607
Session 1 | Friday, November 7
6:00 – 10:00 p.m. (ImBIBE entry at 5:00 p.m.)
Session 2 | Saturday November 8
1:00 – 5:00 p.m. (ImBIBE entry at 12:00 p.m.)
General admission tickets are $85 plus processing and go on sale Friday, September 19. Festival space is limited, so purchase tickets quickly to reserve your spot!
RAFFLES
EARLY BIRD RAFFLE: Purchase your FoBAB ticket by Friday, September 19 at 11:59 p.m. to be entered to win a special FoBAB drawstring bag filled with items for FoBAB lovers, including glassware, t-shirts, and more. Five winners will be randomly selected and announced on-stage during each session
SKIP THE LINE: FIVE winners (plus a friend) each session will win a SKIP THE LINE badge good throughout the festival (just can’t hit the same line back-to-back). Winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 5.
ULTIMATE FOBAB VIP: THREE winners (plus a friend) each session will win the ULTIMATE FOBAB VIP prize, complete with one-hour early entry to the festival, a skip-the-line badge, and access to our Brewers and Sponsors Lounges, which are stocked with beer and catered food! Winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 5.
THE TASTING SESSIONS
Experience FoBAB at two tasting sessions, each featuring over 300 expertly crafted beers, ciders, meads, and perries across 13 unique style categories—all of which are thoughtfully hand-crafted and aged in contact with wood or wood barrels, and many of which are brewed exclusively for the festival. Concession-style food will be available for purchase throughout the venue.
2025 FoBAB style categories include:
Strong Porter/Stout
Specialty Strong Porter/Stout (adjunct stouts)
Barleywine/Wheatwine/Ryewine
Blended Beer
Other Pale Beer (beers under 7.5%)
BA Lagers
Other Dark Beer
Fruit beer
Specialty & Experimental Beer
Wild Beer-Brett
Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic
Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic with Fruit
Cider/Perry/Mead
The Lager Lounge
Tickets include access to the second-floor Lager Lounge stocked with lighter pours from dozens of local breweries. Sip on the latest pours and trending brews from across Illinois while enjoying a bird’s-eye view of the festival floor and a reprieve from the traditional higher ABV samples poured at FoBAB.
THE COMPETITION
The FoBAB Awards recognize the innovators and risk-takers—brewers who dare to produce some of the most complex, time-intensive, and meticulously crafted beer, cider, mead, and perry on the planet.
Prior to the festival, a panel of expert judges and industry stewards evaluate all FoBAB entries, awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals as well as ‘Best in Show’ honors across 13 unique style categories.
The award ceremony will be hosted during Session #2 and livestreamed on the FoBAB Facebook page and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild’s YouTube channel. The results will be published on www.fobab.com.
FAN FAVORITE AWARD: This year, attendees are invited to step into the judging seat by voting for their favorite FoBAB entry. Ballot boxes will be positioned throughout the venue, so once you’ve identified your favorite pour, submit your written nomination to the ballot box. The ‘Fan Favorite’ award will be announced at each session.
Facebook | Festival of Wood & Barrel Aged Beers
Twitter | @FoBABOfficial
Instagram | @FoBAB
Hashtags | #FoBAB25 #BetterInBarrels
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Where is it happening?
525 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60607Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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