How many BEER FESTS do you average per year?

I prefer smaller events.

 

Small is good. GABF is like the most crowded bar you could imagine, 3 Floyds left after about an hour, lines are insane, bathroom is insane, and the entire room smells like shit because everyone is drinking and farting their ass off. Horrible.

 

Couldn't pay me to go to one again. First and last time, all the beers I was interested in and couldn't get in stores were tapped out within the hour, and the lines never seemed to thin out for the popular breweries.

I am much more interested in tap takeovers or smaller tasting events - I don't really see the point of tasting little 2-3 ounce pours of dozens and dozens of beers. My palate can't cope and the pours aren't enough to really get to know a beer...

Call me a downer, but I just don't enjoy the crowds and drunk f@%ktards either...

 

None, not my scene don't like big crowds and have an far too many "experts" if you catch my drift.

 

Haven't been to one since we lost the family brewery to a cheeky clan of distant relatives in an underground championship beerfest in Germany several years back. Turns out they weren't that drunk.

Cheeky bastards!

 

I went to my first one this year. Hammered after an hour( took a limo). After about 12 pours they all kinda run together. Felt pretty weird walking around with a pretzel necklace all day. Probably won't go to another.

 

Fests are an excellent way to meet n' greet and also to learn your styles from commercially-available examples, as well as to cut your teeth on the entire Craft Beer Hobby. On the other hand, being a regular at every possible event can get to be rather expensive, depending upon where you live (there's now 2.5 fests per month within a couple of hours' drive of Minneapolis, MN), unless you work for a Craft Brewery -- of course.

 

I've gotten to the point of actually avoiding any main stream beer fest, not to sound like some kind of hipster. I just don't like the crowds/lines/antics/stress of it all. I am all for smaller group events in a more intimate setting, whether that is a tap take-over, beer dinner, or a brewery event. I did enjoy the Denver Rare Beer Festival and I will be attending New Belgium's Lost in the Woods event in February.

 

Probably about 6 per year.

 

I went to two "fests" (Great Taste and FOBAB) plus two bottle shares revolving around releases (KBS and Darkness). FOBAB wasn't worth it but I'll do everything else again.

 

Went to Big Brew NY last two years. Think it was $50 first year. Had a ton of beers and a few food vendors-enjoyed with friends. Second year was $60 way less vendors (several big ones like Duvel never showed), played a soundtrack of 10 songs on repeat, and no food (except for some guy selling beef jerky). These guys were clearly just riding on people's love for beer.

 

I go to two or three a year, but I kind of want to go to more. The last few years I've been doing Belgianfest in Seattle and Oregon Brewers Fest in Portland (a 5-day gauntlet -- I just go for one afternoon).

 

Long lines and lots of drunk people milling about are not my idea of a good time. I am with the folks who would rather have a few with friends an at home bottle share.

 

Most in my area seem more like "distributor" events than an actual event encompassing all breweries.. The ones that work are the brewery specific events that are smaller. My area has seen an influx of " charity " run brew fests and some that are just poorly organized.. Give me $50 and I'll take my own tour around the city.

BTW, My answer is 1. I will find one (maybe a cask only event with 20 casks) that suits my needs.. Otherwise, it is way too commercialized, and even my favorite local breweries see that and avoid it like the plague. The big winners seem to be the out of state breweries that have just started to distribute here. They have enough cans/bottles to accommodate the crowds. Dsitributor events dont thrill me. I can spend $5 on single bottles at any given time eventually and see if its "worth it".

I have actually taken that $35-$70 (total among two-three people) and spent it directly into the local breweries wallets who do NOT show up to these events. Take 3-4 people to a local brewery during those events, sample some brews, and take home 3 growlers, and enjoy the evening with friends. Sometimes 'variety' is not the spice of life.

 

GABF is definitely worth it. FOBAB I could take or leave (although Nuthulu, Prop, VR, Veritas 13 and BA Abraxas were there...). MBCP was worth it.

 

Very rarely. My last one, Shelton Bros. hosted event in San Pedro (Los Angeles) was awesome though. Only Cantillon and 3F had "longer" lines but it was no more than 10 minute wait unless you wanted to taste a vintage Cantillon poured personally by Jean himself. We had SARA, Side Project, Cellarmaker, Hill Farmstead, etc. and their lines were considerably shorter.

Something like this I'd gladly attend again.

 

I work about five per year and really enjoy doing so. I do not attend festivals to drink.

 

Went to SN Beer Camp this past year. It was cool, but mostly local stuff. The collaboration tents is what i was looking forward to most, but was pissed when I found out not all of the Beer Camp collaborating breweries were there. Russian River didn't attend and that is who I was looking forward to the most even though I've had them several times before. They said they didn't attend bc since they don't have distro to IL it'd be illegal for them to come pour here, but this made no since bc Cigar City has no distro here and they were pouring at the event.

The lines weren't bad, except for FFF. And that wa sirly bc of all the out-of-towners who were dying to get their hands on zombie dust. Their supply kicked rather quickly and the left the event well before it was over.

Nonetheless, it was a good time. I will probably stay clear of fests for a while though unless it's something epic. I'd love to experience Dark lord day though.