Half Acre (2019)

Let's gooooooo

 

The price is pretty steep with fees $85. I think they would benefit from having some guest breweries.

 

No need. The party is excellent. And the beer list offers tons of options and variety.

They do an invitational (far & away) for those who want to tick. They do this for people who love half Acre.

 

They might not need guest drafts, but they would certainly sell out faster if they had them.

 

Maybe an immediate sell out isn't their goal? Maybe...

 

Yeah, they've got Far & Away for people who want to drink non-HA beer. I think having an all-HA beer fest is a great idea, especially if it cuts down on the amount of people that will buy tickets.

(I'll never be able to go because of the weekend they choose every year, but I definitely would if I could, so I applaud the overall goal)

 

Dammit, last fall was absolutely perfect.

Wouldn’t be the same if it was 47 and rainy like it has been this whole spring.

 

I don't disagree, merely stating that if they had good guest drafts it would be more popular. More power to people who want to celebrate HA only- I'm not one of them. For $85 bucks at a fest I would want to try stuff that isn't available to me (out of town guest drafts) or if I just want HA stuff I'd rather drop $85 on their to go beer and drink at my leisure a bottle of Benthic, a sour and two 4 packs of good ipas. No way I'm drinking anywhere near close to that much at a fest.

 

See, I agree in general, but HA makes enough beers that I really like (that aren't available year-round) that I'd still be on board. Based on what I've heard about the fest, it's more chill than a lot of them (which is a huge consideration for me, since I hate beer fests attendance-wise), you get large pours of the beer (big deal to me), and you get to have the one-offs that I almost always miss (Benthic variants due to double-dipping, etc.).

 

They make beers that are exclusive to the fest, so there's stuff that isn't otherwise available.

Agree it has gotten expensive. I went the first year and I think it was more like $60 (maybe $65); the amount today does seem to be crossing a threshold. Ultimately, it was just a rip-roarin' good time though.

Edit: I would also add that this is kind of like an anniversary party for them opening the 2nd location. Guest drafts aren't generally something I'd associate with a brewery's anniversary party (some exceptions, I'm sure).

 

I believe the first year did sell out at a point prior to the fest date. They created a wait list for ppl who were still interested if tix became available

 

Doesn’t this line of thinking ignore that to have your own little HA party with Benthic, their one off sours, and multiple different non-distro ipas, you’d have to go line up at HA at least three separate times over the course of months to collect that lineup of beer? I mean, anyone with a deep cellar can turn their nose up at any festival by comparison to a curated bottle share, but you aren’t strolling into any one location to pick up all those beers in August, unless you go to Big North. Hunting all those beers all year long doesn’t sound like leisure compared to just showing up and drinking them at Balmoral in exchange for money.

 

however, isn't the vast majority of what's tapped/opened only available at Big North anyway?

if so, then your analogy isn't applicable. basically, do you want to pay $85 to sample a bunch of one-off HA beers?

it simply comes down to whether you love HA or not. I'm in the camp of wanting to sample multiple breweries at a fest, so it's a pass for me.

 

Definitely not the vast majority. There are a good amount for sure though.

 

I've never waited in line for HA one of sours or IPAs, but we'll make it even simpler.

I'll walk in today and for less than the price of a ticket get:
Bottle of Orin $20
Bottle of Tracker $16
Bottle of Wade In $8
Galactic Double Daisy $16 4 pack
Growler of Vinca $17

Plenty of good beer to drink at my own leisure.

 

*glares in Benthic*

 

That's what I was getting at. They have a badass lineup for these Big North fests but tagging on 5 guest breweries would make it even better. Or even doing collaborations so it's still HA only beers.

 

As mentioned above, they do a separate festival for those looking to tick.

 

So Big North isn't for ticking, but the draw is a bunch of things they don't offer outside of Big North....sounds like ticking to me.