(some fairs)

Feria de la Cerveza Artesana

The beer bag is less distracting than the hallway, yes?

The very first beer fair in Madrid, to my knowledge, was in cooperation with the artisan foods association.  The food still has a fair at Casa de Campo once a month, but without the beer being a major part of it.  It was one spring weekend, with plenty of stands for breweries and beer stores, a guide with a list of the beers on offer, and other activities like tastings and workshops.  You had to buy your glass to get the beers, at €3 if I recall, much like Beermad and San Lúpulo later.  After the first one at Casa de Campo, the Feria moved to a more central location - l'Europe!  The bar hosted four more fairs without charging for entry, although you could buy a commemorative glass if you felt like it, with breweries coming from all over the country, and even a few international crafts making an appearance.  After number five, craft beer moved out into other events and l'Europe started hosting a cheese and beer Sunday once a month, among other things.

Artesana Week

Towards the end of the Ferias, the neighborhood of Lavapiés, with its numerous bars offering numerous beers, started to get in on the fun.  From 2015, a number of bars and restaurants have participated in this springtime excuse to get out and about, with special offers on exclusive beers and tapas, as well as meet-the-brewers, tastings and other activities.  Since every business serves you with their normal glasses, there isn't a need to purchase a special glass, but it does leave you without a souvenir.  Take a lot of pictures, I guess.

Beermad

The first Beermad was held outside the Railroad Museum at Delicias, and I missed it!  I heard about it after the fact and made a point to keep a lookout for the next one, which was at La Caja Mágica way down south.  Numerous stands of beer, food, and accessories lined the walkway under the tennis stadium's stands, and with your €3 glass, Beermad was your oyster.  The first two were free to enter and consumption was with your purchased glass, but the next two required a paid entry, plus the purchase of the glass.  What you got with your purchase was the right to wander around and a token that would pay for most beers.  One drink with your entry, basically.  The latest Beermad returned to Delicias, free to enter, but without the map of stands and participants that they had at Caja Mágica.  Music and other performances were featured as well, and the weekend schedule made it a possibility for a family outing.  Numerous children were in attendance when I was there.  The Ferias also had a certain family-friendly atmosphere, although in a much smaller space.

Beergote

To my knowledge, this fair only happened once in 2017.  Similar to Beermad, it hosted a collection of stands for breweries from around the country, as well as food and musical performances, a little more on the dance and electronic side than what I'd seen before.  The slightly problematic location of Chamartín station in June made it hard to just hang out and enjoy your beer, since it was too hot outside and too crowded inside.  It was a valiant effort, but seemingly a one-off.

San Lúpulo

This is another one I haven't been especially vigilant about.  This minifest is organized by the beer providers in Mercado de Vallehermoso, home to Prost Chamberí, Craft 19, Drakkar, a La Virgen bar, and now has Labirratorium across the street.  Like Beermad, drinks are poured into the official glass that serves as your entrance fee, but even though the market is not centered entirely on beer, there are plenty of opportunities to try something new.  A number of breweries have small stands set up and a number of the regular stands have special offers on food and drink.  While Artesana Week takes place in the spring, San Lúpulo will be your excuse to indulge in the fall.

Founders Fest

I wonder if this one isn't a little different from the others.  It was another one-off so far, the only one being held in 2017.  It was also specifically organized by one brewery, Founders, with the presence of a number of others, from a fascinating variety of countries.  Yes, American breweries dominated in numbers, but they were hardly the only ones there.  Music was prominently offered, food trucks were catering to hungry drinkers, tables were set up to relax and enjoy at.  Unfortunately, a rainy weekend made the patio at Conde Duque less enjoyable than it otherwise might have been.  It was slightly annoying to have to buy tokens to "pay" for the beer and food, but I guess that adds to the specialized atmosphere.  It was also limited to people of drinking age, so no children running around this one.  I'm not sure if this was just American sensibilities or if some other factor was at work.

One more glass...

There are so many more beer fairs that I haven't seen and will never see (I don't drive so I can't get to the little towns, and if I did drive I wouldn't drink so there wouldn't be any point!  Can't do it all, I guess!)