FoBAB 2021

I’m just shocked BrewDog hasn’t released a beer made with an herbal covid cure.

 

I once went to Shelf Ice Brewfest in Michigan City a few years ago in the 2010s, and despite it being cold and at the end of the day snowing, I still had a good time going to it. BTW for those who've never gone to Shelf Ice Brewfest and wonder how we all handled those colder temps, they set up outdoor heat lamps throughout the downtown blocks of Michigan City(the fest occurs on Franklin Street in MC, north of the South Shore downtown Mich City station) where you could warm up while drinking beers outside, along with putting up occasional seats to sit down.

Honestly if that's what it takes to bring back FOBAB for November 2021(having it outside), I'd be totally okay with that. Chicago weather while it is cool in November, usually isn't too freezing cold yet by that month. Meaning that usually by then, you don't yet seen teens and single digit temps, and below just yet by then.

I just saw your comment(albeit a little late after I submitted my post), and sadly I worry you might be right. That said I hope the city would okay doing a 2021 FOBAB outside, along with it having reduced capacity, if that's what it takes to get the okay of the city of Chicago for it to go on. Read the part of my post above btw(and lol), that I was okay going to Shelf Ice Brewfest in Michigan City once despite it being outside in the cold in February! To be honest that year I was lucky, and the outside temperatures weren't as cold as I feared the temps would be like. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if 2022 is likely the earliest year FOBAB may come back.

 

I’m actually really shocked how far we’ve come with vaccines in the month since this thread was first posted. In fact I received dose 1 today so while I still think it’s not a guarantee FoBAB will happen in 2021 I think it’s looking a lot more likely.

 

I am somewhat more optimistic than when I wrote that as vaccinations seem to be going pretty well and Illinois has a plan to get back to unlimited capacity limits (with new health and hygiene practices permanently in place, whatever that means). How fast that happens is still up in the air and there's always the chance Chicago may set stricter limits than the state.

I still see a major problem being the inability to plan, as these events take some time to put together. In FoBAB's favor is they already have a template of what works so maybe that would save them some time.

As far as outdoor winter beer fests it can be done. I don't think the ones I've read about have involved the high ABV beers like at FoBAB, so I don't know how that would translate.

 

I stand by my previous assessment that Fobab will happen in 2021 especially as we get more data on the transmissibility of corona virus in extreme methane environments.

 

Music festivals are happening in September. Fobab... Let's go!

 

So you’re saying it has to be indoors then. Check.

 

First beer fest for most in a year and a half maybe? Large bottles of stout aren't the only things we've been holding on to. Extreme environment could be created in the 'open' air.

 

Touchè, salesman.

 

I'm still not sure the logistics of it are going to work out. They can't do a "vaccinated people only" admittance policy, and I'm not sure you can insure an event on "unvaccinated people attend at your own risk".

 

I don’t think insurers take into account vaccination rates when insuring festivals. Can I go after Lolapalooza if I catch the flu there because they didn’t adequately screen who got flu shots?

 

So you get the shot and *now* we can have Fobab...(jk congrats!)

 

Why can't they do "must show proof of vaccination" at the door policy? Being unvaccinated is not a protected class. Isn't it just a private entity enforcing it's own covid protocols?

 

I smell a sovereign citizen protest!

 

Why even do that? You go at your own risk. If you get the vaccine and want to go, no problem. If you don't get the vax and are willing to risk getting it by that point, it's your choice. I say that because it sounds like counterfeit vax cards are actually a thing.

 

And when you get COVID, who takes care of you? The EMTs when your loved one calls 911? The nurses and doctors in the emergency room? The nurses and doctors who take care of you when you're in the hospital for weeks on end? NO! Just saying that "it's your choice" is incredibly disrespectful of all the people who willingly put themselves in harm's way to take care of people who think that beer is more important than health and safety. AND until you've gone to the hospital, how many people have you spread the coronavirus to, simply because you feel that "it's your choice"? What choice did you give to the people to whom you've given the disease?

If my choices are a beer fest or catching and spreading a deadly disease, I definitely know which one I'll choose.

 

Wait, wouldn't everyone there have the option to have been vaccinated? So you'd only be risking the lives of other risk takers right?

 

Answers in bold

 

Look, I have been taking COVID seriously from the very start, but at a certain point we need to start shifting our society back to normal.

https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccinedata?county=Illinois

Illinois has already fully vaccinated 2.2 million people which is around 17% of the population in the state. An additional ~1.7 million people have received their first dose (which means nearly a third of the population has received at least one dose and will be fully vaccinated within a couple weeks). At our current rate of vaccinations the entire population of the state will be vaccinated in around 160 days, or 5.5 months (that's assuming everyone wants the vaccination). That' just raw numbers but consider that the people who have already been vaccinated are likely the highest risk individuals and certainly nearly all high risk individuals will be vaccinated in the next 1-2 months. The people who are still waiting on vaccinations are likely the lowest risk individuals such as young adults, children, etc.

Now, let's talk about the effectiveness...

https://www.advisory.com/en/daily-briefing/2021/03/04/vaccine-transmission

It has been shown that vaccinated individuals are FAR, FAR less likely to transmit the virus. It's also been shown that even though the vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing people from catching COVID, they are essentially 100% effective at preventing it from developing into a serious condition. So vaccines not only prevent death, but they reduce the severity of cases to basically the common cold, and also reduce transmission.

All that being said, by November, it's really looking like an event like FOBAB would be feasible and SAFE to hold. Given our current vaccination rate, it looks like the only individuals who will not be vaccinated who would be in attendance are those that chose not to get vaccinated. Based upon what we know about the vaccine, those individuals might transmit a mild case to other individuals in attendance but likely wouldn't. With a huge chunk of the population vaccinated, it's likely community spread rates would be low by that time anyway.

The vaccines work. Fear mongering is not useful at this point. You are of course free to make your own decision, but as a society we need to start realizing that the as long as we keep the vaccines rolling, we are really on a path back to normal. There's no use in scolding people for doing the right thing (getting vaccinated) and being excited about being able to safely start living their lives again.