There is nothing better than a hot bowl of chili and a mug of cold beer to chill out on a sunny day. Yaga’s Chili Quest and Beer Fest 2012 offers you an opportunity to relax with your family and friends and savor locally crafted beers and more than 80 varieties of chili, prepared by cook-off teams. This will be the third edition of this festival and while the visitors will be treated to chili galore, the teams will vie for the Best Chili award on Galveston Island.

1) Yaga’s Chili Quest And Beer Fest

To be held from January 20-22, this festival represents the food pyramid of Texas State, which is based on three specialties that are Tex-Mex, barbecue, and chili. The spicy meat offering would be coupled with beer, brewed at home as well as in a factory. Prominent Texas breweries like St. Arnold, Rahr & Sons, etc. will be among the participants at the fest.

2) What To Do

A panel of expert brewmasters would be selecting the best brew while the public gets to taste beer and chili samples. Details are as follows:-

1. Beer Fest – 30 craft beers, put up by the best brewers in the country would compete with some local home brews. The entry is free of cost but you need to buy the beer samples. There will be 5 cup flights of selected beers available or if you like, you can even buy a pint. For those who want to present their brew at the festival, you can apply to tdhonau@yagaspresent.com.
    
2. 5K Run/Walk – Aptly organized a day before the festival starts, this fun walk, run, or stroll (whatever you wanna call it!!) is a good opportunity to get worked up to counter all the calories you are going to pile up with all the chili and beer samples at the fest.
    
3. Vendors – Besides about 80 cook-off teams gathering for a cutthroat chili making contest, the fest will also feature food and non-food vendors for the public to see.

3) Other Activities

If that is not enough for you, get your hands dirty in the following activities at the festival:-

• Washer Pitching Tournament
• Milagro Margarita Contest
• Jalapeno Eating Contest

So, what are you waiting for? Work up an appetite and get down to Galveston Island to enjoy your heart filled chili and beer. For all the news on the event, visit the event website. And for information on other similar food festivals, you can begin with the oyster cook-off.

Image Courtesy: yagaspresents.com