It's that time of year, folks. Here are seven fall craft beer festivals, planned for Friday and Saturday, to have on your radar.
HAUNTOBERFEST 2016
Happening: Friday & Saturday
Take a spooky walk through the courtyard of Largo's newest brewery, Arkane Aleworks. Special beer releases and costume contest prizes will be highlighted during the fest, which kicks off this weekend and runs through the next. Free, money for beer. 5-10 p.m. 2480 E. Bay Drive #23, Largo, 727-270-7117.
HERNANDO UNTAPPED
Happening: Friday
Bottomless beer and wine, plus one-of-a-kind foods. Hosted at Brooksville's American Aviation Flight Academy, the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce's annual Hernando Untapped — a craft beer and wine festival now in its second year — will feature 30-plus Tampa Bay wineries and breweries alongside live tunes, food trucks and local merchants and retailers. Tickets are available online. $10-$50. 6-10 p.m. 2495 Broad St., Brooksville.
BARLEY MOW BREWING FESTIVAL OF FALL
Happening: Saturday
More than 30 seasonal brews, ciders, meads and more are in store for this fall beer gathering. The family-friendly event at Barley Mow Brewing Company in Largo will also feature grub by Fork In The Road Mobile Eatery, local vendors, face-painting, games, prizes and live music. A limited VIP tasting experience, whose tickets may be purchased in advance, gets festgoers unlimited sampling in a souvenir snifter. $2.50 for 8-ounce pour, $30 for VIP. Noon-5 p.m. 518 W. Bay Drive, Largo, 727-584-7772.
HARBINGER FEST 2016
Happening: Saturday
This second annual craft beer fest at Lakeland's Brew Hub will mix Florida craft beer favorites with well-known breweries around the country. The unlimited sampling will offer more than 100 beers of various styles and tastes — rare finds among them. Food trucks, retail vendors, concessions and live music will be on site, too. Buy tickets online. $35 for general admission, $75 for VIP. Noon-6 p.m. 3900 Frontage Road S., Lakeland, 863-698-7600.
6TH ANNUAL WITCH'S PUMPKINFEST
Happening: Saturday
Pumpkin beers are here! Down a variety of top-rated pumpkin-style brews at The Ale and the Witch, including a one-of-a-kind Cigar City Brewing creation, Funky Pumpkin by Boulevard Brewing Company and Tampa Bay Brewing Company's Gourds Gone Wild. Seven hours of live music will feature The Florida Mountain Boys, The Applebutter Express and Cornfused. Those who bring in a carved jack-o'-lantern (which can be dropped off anytime between 3 and 8 p.m.) will receive a $10 gift card, limited to one per person. At midnight, the downtown St. Pete taphouse's jack-o'-lantern adoption will allow guests to take a pumpkin of their choice home. Free, money for beer. 3 p.m.-midnight. 111 Second Ave. NE, St. Petersburg, 727-821-2533.
7VEN FEET UNDER
Happening: Saturday
In Dunedin, a new selection of beers will be featured at 7venth Sun Brewery's annual 7ven Feet Under, including some that are Halloween-inspired. The tap list includes One More Victim (a maple trippel) This Must Be The Place (a guava-mango saison) and Nerdz! (a Berliner Weisse made with Nerds candy). Stay updated on the event via Facebook. Free, money for beer. 6-10 p.m. 1012 E. Broadway Ave., Dunedin, 727-733-3013.
ST. PETE BREWFEST
Happening: Saturday
Drink good beer for a good cause at this inaugural beer fest benefiting Nourish to Flourish, a partnership with the Public Defender's office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit and the Beth Dillinger Foundation to feed chronically hungry children in the area. Multiple breweries, food trucks and live rock music are planned throughout the evening at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, and the courts will be open. Tickets are up online. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. 7-11 p.m. 559 Mirror Lake Drive N., St. Petersburg.
This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2016.