FORMOSA Bierfest

Where Rock Meets Craft Beer

There are many festivals in the Ruhr area – but hardly any combine music and beer as inseparably as the FORMOSA Bierfest. The idea is as simple as it is ingenious: the Essen band FORMOSA plays a concert every year at the traditional Zeche Carl, and their guitarist – a master brewer by profession – develops his own beer recipe for each vintage. 1,500 liters of this special craft beer are brewed and served exclusively on this evening. If you miss the beer, you miss it for a whole year.

Zeche Carl: Industrial Monument as Festival Stage

Since the 1980s, Zeche Carl in the north of Essen has been a socio-cultural center with a concert hall, beer garden, and a large outdoor area. This mix makes it the ideal stage for a festival that brings together live music, open-air atmosphere, and beer. Admission starts at 3 PM in the beer garden, and the musical program begins around 4 PM.

Four Bands, Many Genres

• FORMOSA – the host band from Essen, rock with a recognizable sound
• Bloodsucking Zombies from Outer Space (BZFOS) – Psychobilly from Austria
• Stølen – Rock act from the Ruhr area
• Neck Cementery – another Ruhr area act

Essen, Ruhr Area, NRW: The Natural Home of This Festival

With around 580,000 inhabitants, Essen is one of the centers of the Ruhr area – and at the same time the city with the densest concentration of alternative cultural venues in North Rhine-Westphalia. Zeche Carl is representative of the repurposing of former industrial facilities into cultural and concert venues. A festival celebrating beer craftsmanship and music fits in perfectly here.