Denver Rare Beer Tasting VIII

@Lyke2Drink
Just a thought, but what about adding an hour at the end? This would accommodate entry line time, eating, chatting and last call. While some breweries' beers kick sooner than others, I find that I run out of time to try others that haven't kicked. I think fests are great, mainly for the beer. BUT not far behind in 2nd place is the comaradery....commeradry....shooting the shit with folks. Sometimes at fests I feel rushed to try stuff.

 

I can't imagine living in a world where I can think of something to complain about when it comes to this event.
I really can't understand what anyone could want to improve the experience, less @Mebuzzard 's above comment.

 

Also- it really isn't expensive.

I don't know about others, but by the time I am waiting in line for the event I don't even remember spending the money 4 months earlier. Maybe some people need to find less expensive hobbies so the $100+ they spent half a year ago doesn't take away from this one of a kind tasting?

 

Challenge accepted!

I have two incredibly minor "complaints". The first is that some breweries don't actually bring what I would consider "rare" beers. Biggest offender I can think of was Boulevard last year when they brought Love Child 5 and BBQ (if I recall). Both are good/great beers but they are not rare or one-off or anything like that (I can probably still find one or both on the shelves of most decent bottle shops in Houston). Another example is Jester King, which has never brought one of their actually "rare" beers to the event (aka their fruited sours). I guess if you're not from Texas even their "regular" stuff is pretty rare but I'm not sure that should be the point of the fest. I just think that's lame when other breweries are bringing legitimately rare/one-off beers that they could easily sell for significant cash. There's a difference between "rare" and "rare for me". This is not an inexpensive fest and if I'm stepping up in the ticket price it's really cool to see the breweries step up with the beers. Still not really complaining if 50+ of the 54 breweries bring the actual goods.

My second minor complaint is that I miss the first few years of the fest when it was held at Wynkoop and it was a much smaller event. It was tightly packed (with the pool tables taking up a lot of space) and incredibly intimate, but I felt like I had the opportunity to make an even deeper connection with the brewers. You were able to taste every beer there without killing yourself and I don't remember anything (besides Kate the Great) kicking before the the end of the events. The lines have definitely gotten longer and the venue is definitely more crowded now. It's still a great event and the lines are never obnoxious (not like WTF, for example). And I totally understand that selling more tickets is better for the charity. So I'm completely cool with the event as it is now. But those first few years were an incredibly special experience that will probably never be repeated at a beer tasting for me.

In any event my complaints are minor. I love this event and am really looking forward to going yet again this year!

 

Oh, there were plenty. One kicked within 20 minutes b/c the pourers (brewery reps) were guzzling the beer. I won't mention the brewery b/c I'm not 100% sure who it was (maybe from CO Springs). I also think Brooklyn's Reinschweinsgebot kicked fairly early, too. That was delish!

 

1- Definitely true... BLVD is a great example, and even local powerhouses NB (every year), Odell, and Oskar Blues have all certainly phoned in their 'rare' offerings. I'll pile on with that one actually.

2- Wynkoop was incredibly, immovably packed. Almost sounds like talking from both sides of the mouth when in one sentence you commend how 'tightly packed' Wynkoop was and that that was a good thing. Then the new venue bothers you because the lines are longer and its more crowded?

My experience with the new venue has been shorter, better organized lines with much more space in between leading to fewer spills of 'rare' or 'rare to me' beers on myself and others. The added space allows for more engagement with the brewers without stopping the progress of others through the lines, from what I've seen.

 

Hmmm.... It's definitely possible that, with the passage of time, I'm just remembering the good and not the bad from the old venue. And my memory is never the best coming out of one of these events for some strange reason.... I still like the new venue and love the event, which is the bottom line in any case.

 

Does this event have DD tickets? My girlfriend is a non-drinker.

 

Time to find a new gf

 

But having an automatic DD who tolerates me drunk is great

 

No. It hasn't in the past.

 

Thanks, guys! I'll make her go hang out with friends.

 

I see both sides of this coin.

 

I can't trust a girl who doesn't drink. That's just me though. Not to derail the thread with gf/significant other issues, so how bout that Rare Beer...

 

I gotta say I was stressed about buying those VIP tix, but had no problems. Maybe the price is such that they won't sell out in minutes like I'm pretty sure they did last year. Looking forward to the event. That brewery list looks amazing. Can't wait to start getting the beers teased.

 

2 VIP Tix purchased. Thanks @Lyke2Drink for such a great event. My wife and I have enjoyed all 7 previous Rare Beer events and look forward to #8.

 

Took me some extra clicks to get to the actual sale site. VIP is was gone in 3 min.

 

In for 1 VIP ticket. I'm guessing the high ticket limit made this sell out so quick.

 

In for VIP, can't wait. It'll be my first Rare Beer.

 

I missed out on VIP. If anyone bought one and can't go, please let me know.