Jeez, it's tomorrow (4/16/16) and nobody has even mentioned it? I hope you all knew about it. I'll be there! Should be a good time. Can't wait to see what everybody brings.
I'm going to focus on hitting the ones I haven't tried... (In alphabetical order) Boojum Flat Top Fortnight Innovation Ironclad Linwood Quest Skull Camp
Wish I was going but I found out about it after I already had a previous commitment (fundraising walk for CF where a friend has a child with CF).
Festivals that don't pay for beer tend to end up with old beer from warehouses that breweries and distributors want to clear out. Sad but true. I feel for attendees.
Most of the for-profit festivals get beer given to them by the big distributors; hence Shock Top (and Shock Top car), Blue Moon and now some Lagunitas, Green Flash, and some decent local stuff. Hickory Hops is likely one of the best festivals left. The original festivals are not what they once were.
The vast majority now pay for beer. Black and Blue, Charlotte Oktoberfest, Greensboro Summerfest, Beertopia, Beericana, Queen City Brewers, Brewgaloo....heck, even the World of Beer festivals pay. Given that these festivals keep happening year over year, it seems reasonable to assume someone has figured out that you can treat the breweries well and still turn a profit. I know some distributors donate or discount some fake craft brands to get them into festivals/more prominent placements, but that doesn't effect me as festival goer, I just skip 'em.
That's good to know. It had become untenable. Summertime Brewsfest in Greensboro, sponsored by Rock 92 and Bestway (Dave Aiken and Roger Kimbrough) were the first to pay for beer and it still stands as one of the best larger festivals.
