Snallygaster 2026: Sip the Lines

Please welcome Andy MacWilliams’ back to the site!

I see you. I see you in line. You’ve got your spreadsheet printed out and highlighted. You’re scrolling through recommendations on Untappd. You’re trying to decide where to go first. You’re trying to anticipate where the crowd will go. Which beers will kick early? Which booth can I circle back to after the initial swarm? What is a “can’t miss” for me? I see you because I am you. Skipping the lines at Snallygaster is utterly impossible. So don’t skip the lines… sip the lines!

Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s connections and purchasing power with regard to continental beers are a thing of beauty. This year’s festival list is studded with must have lambics. Whether you are Team Drei Fonteinen or Team Cantillon, there are plenty of samples worth waiting in line for. 3F’s collab with Hill Farmstead is a top priority for a former Vermonter like me, but the Cantillon Chenin Blanc will likely be my first stop once the bottles are popped. With Tilquin just a few tables away, the Gargoyle section is likely to be the busiest after the running of the beards at 12:01pm.

If you’re employing the buddy system appropriately, then there is no reason to wait in line for the Belgians with an empty glass. It always amazes me that you can walk up to the Allagash booth and not have to wait for quality mixed fermentation. Both Coolship Ruby and Copain are well regarded. Garden Path out of Washington state is a labeling not commonly seen on the East Coast. I love their approach of combining Pacific Northwest ingredients with Old World techniques. And it’s not often you can try a beer made with bog myrtle. If you like sours and are open to something different, then swing by Absolem. They consistently make the best ciders in the Northeast and Northblue specifically is a wild table cider worthy of comparison to the best lambics.

Tony Budny’s Top 5:

Snally has always done a great job including local/regional brewers and Blindhouse is an excellent addition to this year’s lineup. They fly under the radar, even locally, but the bottling of The Same Eternity on offer punches above its weight class. Similarly, Mieza doesn’t receive the level of attention it deserves. Alex Lynch’s use of gin barrels is exceptional, the botanicals are never overpowering. At That Time is a bottling worth trying. If you’ve read this far, then you’ve surely had Rodenbach before. Look closer though. The Vintage 2018 they are pouring this year is a special two-year unblended Flanders. Again, the Gargoyle section alone is worth the price of admission.

Lines for lagers are unheard of at Snallygaster. As a result, high-end lagers are a great pit stop between hype tables. The Seed from Atlantic City had been growing in popularity among insiders for a while. Sadly, their facility was recently flooded and production has stopped. Send them good vibes when you stop by. One of my favorite aspects of Snallygaster is getting access to West Coast breweries I’ve not yet tried. To that end, the Czech Dark Lager from Structures will hit my glass early. What gets uber beer nerds excited? It’s not marshmallow stouts… it’s gravity kegs! Saturday should be lovely, and samples of Schilling Jakobus and Triple Crossing Pathway Pils celebrate lager the way your German forefathers intended.

If lagers are the alpha, then the omega must be smoothie sours. Not into them? C’mon! Have a little fun once in a while. Looking for something unique that’s also named after the fourth-best Alice in Chains song? Then look no further than the Oreo, blueberry, vanilla sour ale from Widowmaker called Sludge Factory. Looking for something more tropically inspired? Stop by Tripping Animals for Osiri’s Ooze blended with oranges and limes. When you and your buddy are in line to try Mortalis’ Pear Brandy Leto, grab a glass of Spanish-inspired Hydra Sangria (you are employing the buddy system, aren’t you?). Would you have guessed the highest Untappd rating at all of Snally was a smoothie sour? I bet you would not have. Nor would you have guessed it was Fear the Turtle from Ill Will, a bourbon barreled smoothie sour with chocolate, caramel, cashews and ice cream. Say what you will, but those 4oz Snallygaster glasses are the perfect size for this style.

Hyped hops sell tickets. And they create long lines. Will I be waiting for Monkish and North Park and Fidens and Test? Yes. I will be. But I will be waiting for Monkish Pen Hits Tremendous with a glass of You Would Like Me Much More in Person from Burial (a collaboration with Monkish). And I will be waiting for North Park Lupulin Collider with a glass of RAR Savior From the Sea. And I will definitely be waiting for Fidens Pyre of Petals with a glass of Finback Grain Finished 2 (a collaboration with Fidens). I had FOMO last year after skipping the line for Test, but I will be in it this year waiting for Tickets to the Sunset. During that wait, I’ll make sure my glass is filled with CLAG’s Don’t Be a Khack. And when I’m done in those lines, I’ll go snag myself a Root + Branch Historical Society: Fresh Hop Harvest Ale. If you’re a closet haze bro, there is plenty to celebrate this year and plenty of haze that won’t have a line.

When I finally got a sneak peek of the 2026 Snallygaster list, my immediate reaction was: whoa… this is the year of the heavy beers. We have an Assassin variant from Toppling Goliath. We have a Dark Lord variant from 3 Floyds. We have an Angry Chair collaboration from Ology. We have brandy barrel-aged goodness from Horus. The Veil booth alone will be pouring the three highest ABV beers of the festival. But there are a lot of high octane beers you will not need to wait in line for. Known for their lager program, Human Robot is bringing Seeth Series #2, an oak-aged barleywine with Brettanomyces harkening back to early 20^th century strong English ales. Barreled Souls, a personal favorite, will be pouring Barrel Aged Teotihuacan, a Weller barrel-aged chocolate stout aged with habaneros. Regional favorites Burial have the perfect brunch beer on offer: imperial stout with coffee, salt, pecans, maple, cinnamon and vanilla. Feels like a nod to DC brunch culture. Even local brewers Red Bear are pouring a Chacho barrel aged Oso Rojo variant, a Mexican style hot chocolate stout. If you’re into big beers, then a tip for the uber nerd: Seven Island Brewing has been making high quality (and high priced) stouts in Europe for a while. These bottles often run more than 40 euros a bottle. Save yourself 80 euros and try both Kranion and Dead Aureate, which utilizes Pappy, Blanton’s and Weller barrels. What gets uber beer nerds excited? Gravity kegs… and marshmallow stouts apparently.

See you on Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday. Bring a plan, bring a buddy, and never, ever stand in line with an empty glass.