Even vikings like the Tailspin Ale Fest. | Courtesy of Tailspin

I admit I was skeptical at first. A beer festival in an outdoor airplane hangar in the middle of winter?

Thankfully my love of beer trumped all those minor concerns like not losing toes or fingers, not catching a cold and, you know, not freezing to death. So I ventured out to Bowman Field that very first Tailspin Ale Fest seven years ago, and I’ve been back every year since!

Sometimes it has rained, sometimes it has snowed, but a majority of those winter Saturdays it has actually been rather mild — kind of like what we’re experiencing now. I can be a winter person if it stays in the 40s and 50s. That snow shovel can stay snug in my shed for all I care.

So this year’s Tailspin Ale Fest has actually been pushed back a week or two to Saturday, March 7, but it’s at the same location — Louisville Executive Aviation Center at Bowman Field — and at the same time — 3-7 p.m.

The reason I’m mentioning this now is that I hear tickets are going fast. So I wanted to make sure all my fellow beer buddies stop dragging their mugs and get to securing their tickets online. It’s only $50 (plus some fees), and you get samples of more than 250 beers from all over the country, including our own beloved breweries like Against the Grain, Monnik, Mile Wide, Goodwood and on and on.

Proof that it was warm one year, because I was wearing a T-shirt! | Courtesy of Tailspin

In fact, there will be more than 75 breweries represented this year including some you’ve heard of and some you’ll take on a first date. Maybe it’ll go well, maybe it won’t — but at least you’ll have a story to tell at the bar.

It was at Tailspin when I had my first rendezvous with CiderBoys Pineapple. Shoo … the memories were great, but she never called me back.

If you think I’m kidding about the tickets running out, the VIP tickets have already sold out.

If you’ve never been and you like beer, I can guarantee you’ll have a blast with hundreds of fellow hop heads — including myself. And if you’ve gone before, I already know you have your tickets, and dammit, I bet you got VIP!

Other fun activities during the fest include a silent disco (kinda weird), the Magnolia Photo Booth (my favorite), live music and lots and lots of food trucks and pretzel necklaces.

And even cooler, if you want to save yourself an Uber or Lyft ride, there are even shuttles available from several locations around the city for $15 (there and back) that also include a pint and some snacks! And by all around the city, I mean all around the frickin’ city! Here’s the list:

• Middletown
• Jeffersontown
• Paddock Shops
• St. Matthews
• Germantown
• Highlands
• Downtown
• South End
• New Albany

Beer ya later!