Texas Brewvolution Beer Fest - DFW 11/9

2 ounce pours, 12 included with entry, $2 for another sheet of 12 2 ounce pours

 

They're 2oz pours. The 1oz pours always seemed a little silly to me. We use very similar cups though.

 

Hell of a festival, great job Chad! The 8 people in my group all had a lot of fun!

 

I can confirm. I had a great time and everyone I met did too. Just sorry I missed out in bomb (don't know if they ever had it?). My only complaint comes from when we were eating some trailer food and the music was way too loud (no live band just music from speakers). If that is the worst complaint I had, it was a good time.

 

My group did have a good time, and there was plenty of beer.

But with a VIP ticket, I was a little disappointed Bomb didnt make it, BB3(5 did) didnt make it, and Atrial was cancelled a couple days earlier. The Saint Arnold employee said BB3 was 'probably' on the truck outside, but they couldnt bring it in. Didnt put a ton of stock in it, but wasnt sure what to make of that.

Im sure there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that made this tough, but we will probably wait for the list before buying VIP again. But it was well worth it for Big Texas Beerfest, and Untapped looked the same(didnt make it).

I liked the quick lines and the amount of space outside. Good selection of food too.

Looking forward to the next events.

 

Yeah...the VIP was lacking...I just felt I got drunk an hour before everyone else...The pre party at Craft and Growler was pretty lame too.I had never been to the Craft and Growler and had high hopes but it just didn't deliver.

 

Complaints/criticisms should have recommendations are how to improve.

 

I appreciated the free beer at C&G, probably because I would have been there anyways. One of my favorite places.

I thought Big Texas Beerfest was about perfect. It was my first beerfest, did it set the bar too high? Im not trying to bag on Brewvolution, I had a good time and everyone I was with had a good time.

I think the issue for VIP was just the lineup was a little light up front. Then the missing beers, and no explanation at the event as to why the beers werent there.

Atrial got me excited about going. After that was pulled, I figured VIP was still worth it. I tried to hit some stuff I was interested in first:

-Walked over to PA to get Bomb, they say its not coming to Texas til end of the year... Like they didnt know people would be expecting it at the fest. Kinda annoying.
-Then go try to grab BB3, no dice. I asked about it 3 times throughout the day, and got 3 different stories about where it was. Odd.
-Then go try to get Sisyphus 11, and was told it would be there in a couple of hours, but they have 2013 for now(2011 did make it)
-Then try to get the 2012 Bigfoot Barley, to find out its the 2013 edition

After that, I just stopped trying to hit certain beers and enjoyed the company and drank whatever line everyone one else was going to.

GA was worthy, there were stilll beers on my list that I didnt get to try, but not enough to merit the VIP for me.

Also, I missed the swag bag and the swag... Its always fun to bring some free souvenirs home. There was a lot of cool stuff to bring back from BTBFest. Nice for the VIP ticket.

Again, I know the group can pull it off, so Im looking forward to see what they come up with next.

 

This is great information for us to build on. With first time events, it's always difficult to know all the ins and outs, and how to plan every aspect. There are a few things we'll be improving on, based on feedback. One is to improve the VIP experience even further, with more swag and a few other ideas we have.

As far as Atrial not being poured, there was simply nothing we could do about it. We discovered this on Tuesday of last week, and left Atrial off the published list. I should have never dangled it out there so far in advance, but this is one of many reasons I don't publish a beer list until very close to the event. Things happen beyond our control that we cannot influence, and this was one of many.

As far as Bigfoot 2012, we were invoiced for 2012 so that is news to me. On the Sisyphus 2011, again, this would be news to me. I sampled some of the 2011 being poured, we were invoiced for 2011, and it was one that we only had a case of. It was a limited offering for VIPs and we simply didn't have more of it.

As far as BB3, we had asked all week about BB5, but they said it wasn't available. They told us they were bringing BB3, which we thought was a fantastic compromise. No one ever mentioned BB5 being sent, and by the time we went through that case of beer, we found out the distro had subbed in BB5 and we didn't know until after it was gone. I apologize that happened.

And last, as far as Prairie Bomb!, that beer apparently is not label approved in Texas. A search of the TABC database confirms this. That's why it was not brought out, nor poured. No one told us until the morning of the event, that this was the case so we were blindsided as well.

Out of the entire beer list we actually published, only 6 of the ~150 beers didn't make it though, so I felt pretty good about that. Unfortunately it was some of the more rare stuff. We did have a few nice surprises show up though. Two different randall beers from Armadillo, and a new recipe of Trinity Tripel (which was amazing by the way). I'm glad to hear your constructive feedback and we'll do our best to keep making things better, especially the VIP experience. We may switch to glass tasters for VIPs as well. I'm just always worried about broken glass on concrete.

Cheers,
Chad

 

I never thought Bomb was label approved either but was just going with it. I was disappointed not to see it, but know that I will have it eventually so no big deal. I did wish to have the BB5, but again, I will just buy a bottle and be good.

From the GA standpoint, I had a great time. I thought it was a great price for what you got, lines were not long, and it was not crowded. It was one of the more enjoyable beer events that I have been to in Texas.

As far as the glass/plastic for VIPs. Maybe you give them the option of taking plastic or glass at the beginning.....and if they take plastic they can trade it in for a glass one at the end of the night so they don't need to worry about it getting broken. Just a thought.

 

Yeah, I was going to mention earlier, the two extra beers from Armadillo made me happy. The mango Greenbelt was great.

2011 Sisyphus did make it eventually, the guys said they grabbed 2013 by mistake, so thats what they were pouring at first.

On BF2012, Im just going by what the rep said. She actually pointed this out, without us asking, so Im guessing someone else had been asking her about it. I ended up not getting it.

BB5 was a great addition, but I had grabbed a couple bottles at C&G the night before. Have heard BB3 was pretty good, and have not had it, so that was one I was seeking. (seeking BB1 and BB3)

I saw it mention Bomb and Pirate Bomb was at Meddlesome Moth. I'm guessing the laws are different for bar/restaurants.

Chad, thanks for the feedback.

 

Since there's no label approval on those two, they were given away for free.

 

That Argus Cider was damn amazing. I would easily drop $20 a bottle on a case of that stuff. I got to try everything I wanted besides BA Elda M Milk Stout which apparently didn't make it. Was hoping for BB3 as well but BB5 was just as good. Big thanks to Chad and Nelly for all they do!

 

Meant to try the cider but didnt get around to it. I think the BA Elda M was there. I liked it pretty well, but another in my group thought it overly boozy.

 

All I saw was the regular Elda M. The girl working the booth didn't know a thing about what they had though.

 

Double checked, and I checked it in on untappd. There are also quite a few other check-ins of it at brewvolution. Just an FYI. And yeah, I don't blame then, but some reps had no idea.

Two other beers I enjoyed were DFH Olde School, and Avery Hog Heaven, which I've walked by 100 times. An Avery employee (brewer?) was there, said the cask/keg was 10 days old.

 

Yeah we had the Barrel Aged Elda M. It ran out before I got over to it, which was right at the end of the festival.

 

Yeah the girl at that booth had no idea what was there when I stopped by there during the VIP time. All she knew was there were two taps and that's all they had. Oh well I've had it on tap before...no worries.

 

I have thought about this for a few days now. In regards to the beer availability or non availability you should be ashamed of yourself. This is bait and switch pure and simple. People pay their hard earned money for the opportunity to taste the beers you 'dangle' out there. You pre sold VIP tickets based on your 'dangle' of Atrial Rubicite and other beers. You say that things happened and you were unable to provide the beers your promised. Posting on line to promote tickets is a promise in my book. There are some simple ways to avoid this. Get the beers first. I know it is difficult to store beers in preparation for beer fest. Go to the distributor before hand and put your eyes on it. That is simple enough to do then post your list.

Second, you are disrespecting you breweries and distributors by providing the promise for beer you don't have. You basically blamed the distributors for the Bigfoot , bomb!, Sisyphus and bishops's 3. Or was it the breweries' fault for not getting you the beer? That is what people are left with to think. That some how other people can't get it right. Most people don't understand what it takes to get beer from a brewery to glass. Do some due diligence. In my three years of putting on beer events, I have never put on an event and not delivered a beer I promised. It is wrong to do other wise. Plus, it is easy to do it the right way.

Third, I am choosing to finally speak up about this trend that has been going on. Bars and fests promising beers and not delivering. It happens all the time. bars and fests blame the TABC, breweries and distributors. It is wrong. It is not their fault. It is your fault.

You mention surprises. Surprises should be a bonus not a make good.

I think you get my point.

At least the lines were fast to disappointment. I would never buy a ticket to your festival ever again because you have abused a sacred rule in relationships.....trust.

While I am sure you are getting all fired about my post. At least you have that case of Atrial Rubicite that I brought from Austin for you on Friday that you decided to pick up from me on Sunday all to yourself. All you had to do was drive 3 miles from the fest the night before. That is 144 tasters you could have given out to VIPs but decided to keep for your smug self. You sure were happy posing with the case. Think of all the people that paid hoping to try just one ounce of one of the most brilliant beers ever made. You decided to keep it for yourself. Nice job!

To everyone who spends their money on fests or take the time to go to establishments hoping for a promised beer only to be disappointed. Hold the promoters accountable. It is the right thing to do.

 

I initially went to send Matt a message privately, but I'll keep this in the open since it really should be.

First, I am shocked beyond belief at your post. You and I know each other. Why didn't you talk with me to find out more information? Surely I could have cleared some of this up. I patronize the bar you work at, and I have tipped you well. I'm not sure what kind of mission you are on here, but the case of Atrial Rubicite is not for me. It is for a number of local Dallas folks who went to the Funk n' Sour fest, waited in line for several hours, and were unable to get their bottled beers. I bought all of these on my own dime, and am giving them away to folks who were not lucky enough to get the bottles they came for. I already have 3 Atrials that I own, which I bought when I drove down for the release.

Even if I wanted to, I could not have served this beer at the festival, because I bought it as a consumer, and not as a retailer. Read on.

Second, Atrial Rubicite was promised to us, and I should have never said anything about it - that part is true. The truth of the matter is that Jester King lost their self distribution rights on October 27, and their ability to sell to retailers because they started serving guest beers at their brewpub. That was their right and their choice. They told me about this on Tuesday, November 5th via email, a few days before our event. They also do not currently have any distribution agreement in place with Virtuoso, so they were unable to sell the beers to them, so that we could buy them from the distributor.

I scrambled to find a solution, but since our venue isn't free to enter, we weren't even able to give it away because it wouldn't truly be free.

As for Bomb!, the beer was never label approved, and I was unaware. We were told we were getting it, and about 2 hours into the event, only then did I discover we did not have it. Our beer list ALWAYS comes with a disclaimer that some issues are beyond our control and to use it as a guide. I think we do a good job, but we have come up short more than once. I apologize this has happened though and I always feel personally responsible.

As far as Sisyphus 2011, Bigfoot 2012, those beers were both there and there are articles online where people stated they drank them. You can find the Untappd checkins as well. We did run out of both, and expected that we would. As for Bishop's Barrel 3, they mistakenly unloaded BB5 instead. It's not the exact same beer, but seems like a reasonable substitute.

So we didn't deliver Atrial (which was never on the list, but yes we mentioned it would be there early on), we didn't deliver Bomb! because it wasn't legal to do so, and we didn't have Bishop's Barrel 3. Three mistakes that I feel absolutely terrible about.

You should know, that out of the 3 events I have run, I have never once refused to refund someone's ticket price in full, if they asked before the event, for any reason at all. You can ask anyone who has done so; that list is quite long. If someone wanted to get a refund after we published the beer list because Atrial was not on there, I certainly would have refunded it.

You also speak of your ability to have planned events and never once messed up the beer list. That is admirable to a fault and I admire it. I strive for that every time I organize an event. Your post makes me very sad though, I can't deny that.