Belly Up The Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest is exactly as awesome as it sounds

Once again it’s time for the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest, a crash-course collision of rich and pungent Wisconsin cheeses set against the Mjölnir-like power of great Wisconsin beers. For this third annual event, which goes down on Saturday, January 21 (2 p.m.), the Isthmus has doubled the square footage in order to accommodate the scary-big crowds this sucker pulls in. The event will again feature breakout sessions (which are very popular and require more moolah) on “Chocolate & Beer” with Gail Ambrosius and Ale Asylum Brewing; “Wisconsin Cheeses and Sprecher Brews,” which is invite-only; and “Guided Food & Beer Pairing,” presented by Whole Foods. In a new twist, the Isthmus is “offering a limited number of VIP tickets which will include you in a small number of people getting into the festival one hour before the general admission ticketholders.” That one is for high-rollers who want to schmooze with famous Wisconsin food people like Wisconsin cheese expert Sara Hill and Sprecher Brewmaster Jeff Hamilton.

FATSOMETER: 8. Those high-rollers might eat all dainty-like, but the rest of us will be stuffing our faces with enormous amounts of cheese and pounding beer after beer after beer, gradually losing any capability to distinguish total piss from Lake Louie. Look into the free cab service.