Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest 2015

They were booking rooms for Memorial Day 2016 and are going to move the block over when the date is confirmed. I did it at check out. They are probably only doing so many right now. No idea but that is what I was told

 

if you try to book those dates online now, the price is $899.99 a night

 

Pretty decent article on the festival. Sad to say I didn't make it to very many on their list, but I had an amazing day and tried more than I could have imagined.

http://brewpublic.com/beer-events/looking-back-at-the-2015-firestone-walker-invitational-beer-fest/

The top new ones for me were:

• Notorius
• BA Darklord (tried 4 of the variants, but unfortunately not Vanilla)
• Home Sour Home
• Parabajava
• Thicket

Biggest surprises for me were:

• Todd the Axe Man
• Pineapple Passion Fruit Grunion
• PNC
• Cafe Deth

 

Also, I completely underestimated the lines at the bigger Cali breweries. We spent the first early entrance hour hitting up everything we could, but I told my wife we should wait on the big California breweries (FW, Lagunitas, BP, Stone etc.) as I assumed those would be smaller lines the rest of the day since most of the people can get their stuff more regularly. I was definitely wrong.

 

Ahhh, that makes sense. I was specifically asking for the weekend of June 4th at the time (since that's what a FW rep I know told me last Friday night) and Adelaide staff said their reservation software can only book 1 year in advance.

 

For What It's Worth.....
I too was cycling the line for FFF and after my 3rd cycle I asked if they thought the keg might kick soon or if I should come back in a while, and the person at FFF who was pouring actually just told me to stand off to the side, wait, and just come up to the side when it kicks for BVDL. I was also not the only person they told this to, as I heard him say it to a few others as well while I patiently waited off to the side.
So for everyone who is upset about the people who came up on the side of the booth….You have one of the people pouring at FFF to thank for that.
Not saying it was right or wrong just saying that's what I was personally told and they also others to do the same.

 

Pfff... There's is no such thing as logic in these forums. You're a line cutter!

 

The spent so much money flying out beer-leberties, spent $0 on marketing and relied on bloggers with very low readership for free promotion. I heard they lost money on the entire thing.

 

Received an email to complete a post-festival survey, so check your emails. It asks which breweries that weren't in attendance would you like to see in 2016 and also asks how to improve. This would be the best place to offer opinions about curbing line cutting, if you're so inclined. I suggested to invite SARA, Alpine, Council, and Toolbox.

 

Say, you don't live in Sandy Eggos by any chance?

 

Yep, funny how I suggested SARA, Council, and Toolbox, too. I suggested that more of the hugely popular breweries pour either their not popular beers in line, or have volunteers pouring FW beers to folks in the longest lines if all of a particular brewery's offerings are popular.

 

Survey completed and provided constructive feedback about line cutting. I also requested the following breweries:
Sante Adairius, De Garde, Alpine, Cellarmaker (can't remember if they were there or not) plus other wish list breweries from the east coast: Trillium, Tree House, Hill Farmstead, Lawsons Finest Liquids, Fiddlehead, Maine Beer Company and Tired Hands

 

Damn. Forgot to suggest Tree House and Trillium. I also suggested that the timed stuff happens in a single area so it doesn't create massive lines by the stations for the folks who want just the "regular" beer.

 

Haha, no Bakersfield here. Had to show some CA homerism.