Last weekend a very angry and thirsty bear awoke in downtown Marquette.
This year was the 12th Festival of the Angry Bear hosted by the Ore Dock Brewing company, and it just so happened to be the first Angry Bear I could attend as a legal drinker. So of course I had to be in attendance to see what it was all about.
I was a big fan of the festival. I’m trying very hard to be impartial, because I am a big fan of beer, so anytime there’s an event where I can get my hands on a pint I’ll have a smile on my face.
The festival is meant to celebrate the start of spring, where bears come out of their hibernation angry because of how hungry they are. I’ve never been a huge fan of spring. Growing up in Florida there isn’t much of a spring because it doesn’t ever get that cold outside. Once I moved to Michigan I never really liked spring because of how muddy and gross it is, although I do appreciate when the snow stops its havoc.
Standing outside with a drink in my hand made me appreciate the spring time more than I have ever before. The temperature was perfect to be standing outside without being miserable, and when the sun hit you at just the right angle I was convinced that spring was just around the corner.
One of my favorite parts of the festival other than the beer itself was the rush of being around so many people excited for the same reasons I was: beer and warm weather.
I work the weekends, so often I miss out on invites I receive from friends to go out because I need to make sure I can get to work the next day with a fully functioning mind. I took a day off work to attend Angry Bear, and I don’t regret that decision.
The day was filled with friends, beer, singing and pizza, aspects that arguably make up the best aspects of a day.
Since the festival stayed in hibernation last year, the hype and anticipation was increased this year. The day was filled with people just happy to be back at it celebrating the ringing in of the start of something fresh and green.
Like other brews that are on tap year round, the selection of beer that was available for Angry Bear was great, no notes from me or anyone who was around me.
If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, wow that festival sounds absolutely baller. I want to go next year, do it!
If you plan on going to Angry Bear next year I have some advice for you, to help your day go as well as mine did.
My first advice is to buy your drinking vessel, drink tokens and wristbands ahead of time. If you don’t you’ll have to wait in a long line outside the festival to get your wristband, then once you make it inside you’ll have to wait in another line for drink tokens and a cup. Look out for the preorder website the week before the event, you can pay online then pick it up in person. We got to skip the lines and head straight towards what we came there for, the beer!
My next advice is to wear layers. When the sun gets tucked away behind clouds it can be a little chilly out with a cold beer in your hand. You’ll want a light jacket to make sure you don’t get cold, but as the day moves on and more liquid is consumed the alcohol will make you feel a little warmer, so you’ll want something you can shed off easily so you don’t start sweating. Angry Bear is an all day event so you want to make sure that you’re prepared for it all.
Finally, don’t be scared to dress for the occasion. Many people go all in on the costumes for Angry Bear, I didn’t dress up and I felt left out. Even if you don’t go all out, wearing a pair of bear ears is a fun way to dress up in a theme.
