Hunahpu's Day 2018

Maybe just start with 2 or 3 things you think you have to tick. Get in the 1st line at open then while walking to the next one hit the stalls in between.

Last year it was super easy to get a pour of Goober and it won best brew. This year it won't be nearly as easy to get Garagiste pours but some other brewery you weren't expecting much from will bring the heat and there won't be a line for it at all.

There's no good guess on how much you get to try because you can absolutely drink copiously if you don't line up for whales.

 

Another factor is change of venue. The park used for the last two years was very narrow and, at times, it was hard to see which lines were going to what booth. Hoping that, because this year's venue appears to be more wide open, we'll get less crossing of lines.

 

Also, having said that it ain't always a bad idea to hit up a longish line to pace yourself. I mean it's really easy to drink excessively if you aren't keeping track.

 

Pick a few whales you wanna hit then just explore for the rest of the time!

Last year J Wakefield, Voodoo, 3 Sons, and Bottle Logic had insane waits throughout the day so it was good to hit them early (I personally sprinted to go get Bake Kujira).

Certain hidden gems like Wrecking Bar, Coppertail and many of the options at the Cigar City tents remain little to no wait throughout the day though!

 

I guess my question to that would be, if those 3 beers are "whales" how much of the festival is that going to eat up?

The only other festival ive been to that was even close in size, is MBCP and its still much smaller. That day I didn't miss on any beers I wanted to try and I left an hour early.

 

I'll be going solo this year as well, which is a bummer cause my wife was a trooper last year and waited in the big lines while I went out to shorter ones. A group of 3 or 4 is probably ideal for Huna Day.

 

That was my original plan but buying her a $200 ticket, especially when she doesnt drink, is not worth it to me. She was clutch at MBCP, waiting in long lines for me or letting me double up at some spots.

 

Is anyone looking to sell their 12-bottle ticket?

 

I went for a few "whales" last year. There was a long line for Omnipollo, along with a long line for Wakefield when they were pouring Bake Kujira. The lines moved pretty quickly. I'd say it took about maybe 10-15 minutes at most for each.

We also went to a place that had no line, grabbed a "line beer" and sipped that while we were waiting. So it didn't seem like a long time. And it was good to go for the whales at times, because as someone mentioned earlier, it's good to slow down at some points throughout the day.

 

I'm solo for this event as well. If anyone wanted to team up in order to try more of the whales, let me know!

 

Also, is anyone looking to downgrade from a 12-bottle ticket to an 8-bottle or 4-bottle ticket?

 

Please disregard. ALL GOOD!

 

Plan for no more than an hour, if it's more than that, somethings wrong. I got MBP, Fundamental Summation, DFPF, and Ay Papi to start, each line was obnoxiously long and there were a good amount of cutters (hopefully they mitigate that). While I waited the old lady went to Funk Factory and Jester King 4 times and came back to find me where I was. So that was really the best part of it lol.

I was done whale hunting after that, and any non-whale lines were seconds long. Enjoy those, they're almost always better. You're bound to be let down by some whales. I was severely disappointed with MBP. Later Coconut Medianoche had a timed tapping, there were two lines and one was way shorter than the other--one took five minutes, the other more like an hour. Going solo makes it difficult to send someone to see what's going on. Midway through the fest I say if you see a long line, either pass it up, or use it to not drink beer, but to get hydrated with water while you wait.

 

Depends on your goal. Want to try all whales and sought after breweries.....long lines.

Want to just drink beer, tons of booths with little to no line. Can bang out tons of them while you are just wandering around. I find some great beers every year just by going booth to booth

 

All great advice guys, thank you

 

Well said. This is unfortunately the first time I'll be missing Huna Day in 5 years. In the past I've gone with 2-3 other people and we divide and conquer. Usually look at the tap list and decide what we'd like to try. We all stand in line for 30-45 minutes initially to get a whale pour...meet up to split the pours then it's usually a free for all/hoppin' from tent to tent. There are so many great breweries and beer that fly under the radar...I would advise against waiting in really long lines after you get 1-2 you really want. A beer that has consistently blown me away that is a can't miss (in my opinion) is wrecking bar's barrel aged mexican maximus siberius (if you like huna or abraxas this is a must)

 

This is gonna be my third Huna Day, but also my first flying solo. If anybody wants to team up and try the divide & conquer approach, feel free to hit me up. I agree with everyone that says small groups are the best way to tackle everything.

 

I don’t think we’re too worried about getting many whales, but my grandpa and I are up for hanging out with people. I prefer the hidden gems that seem to be everywhere.

 

What's up with them enforcing the stupid NFL clear bag policy? I understand it's at Raymond James, but we're in the parking lot, NOT the stadium itself.

 

Yeah, it's pretty lame. Every year in the past I've had a small ~15liter backpack filled with water bottles that I would carry around for friends or even pass out to people who looked like they could use one.

I predict the line for water stations will be as long as 3sons. And it'll kick first.