How do YOU EBF?

This will be my 2nd EBF and I have been to 2 ACBF's as well at this location. Great set up. I usually just pick about 4-5 that I definitely want to try and let the rest of the session fall as it may. Has worked out well. IMO, there is plenty of time to wait in the long lines that pop up for a few of the breweries, and plenty of time to take it slow and enjoy the event and all the amazing options.

 

Last year was my first EBF. A few tips that worked well for me.

• Make a list of beers you want to try and also have some sense of their popularity. Last year Tree House and Funky Buddha were probably the longest lines. Cigar City was busy at first but Huna kicked early (session 1 at least) and a lot of people including myself missed out. If there's something you want but isn't frequently hyped up then I wouldn't worry as much about getting to it early.
• Go to a shorter line, get your beer, then go wait on a longer line.
• For me at least, time was not a limiting factor. I tried about 40 beers last year and could've tried more if I wanted.
  
• Definitely use the dump buckets if you don't like something. There's too much good beer to bother drinking something you don't like.
  
• Similarly I filled up my tasting cup with water to rinse it out but drank that water to stay hydrated.

 

Great call, It is a long 3 hours and my wife severely paid for it 2 years ago.

I think my plan of attack this year will be avoiding the longer hyped lines and making sure to eat something at the midway point

 

I make a list of short list each year of stuff I want to try, but after the first hour or so, and with drunk levels rising steadily, all plans go out the window and I wander around and try random things that seem cool.

Drinking lots of water is vital to your safety- there's tons of high octane beers here- you will get drunk, and you need to stay hydrated. The food is great too, and it's important to get some food in your belly during all the drinking.

 

I make a short list of 3-5 breweries that I want to hit, but I've followed the same process every year but one: go where the lines aren't. The one exception I made was when Russian River showed up with Pliny the Elder and Younger. But by the end of the fest, that booth had no line. There are so many good beers and interesting people/brewers, I don't like to waste time in lines. Maybe Tree House's beer is the best at the fest, but honestly in that setting with a 2 oz. sample amidst 3+ hours of drinking, can you really tell the difference?

Also, eat a waffle from the Waffle Cabin. Things are delicious. That's usually my halfway point and a way to pace myself.

 

I was able to knock out 83 samples last year, hang on people let me finish, I had a group of 5 people and we'd all get a different sample and kind of rotate the samples around.

But also did the make a list hit the big guns first then just wing it after that, some of the tables with no lines had the best stuff.

 

Interested to know if you were able to pick up any nuances or even know what you were tasting after so many samples?

 

This will be my first EBF as well, and I'm stoked! My game plan is to run through the doors to the Tree House booth and knock their beer off my list one after one. Thereafter work my way to those breweries I can't find in Sweden, such as Kane, Rare Barrel, Jack's Abbey's barrel aged ones, Carton, Upland and oh so many more.

PS: I've produced a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of the entire (yet known) line-up with current average scores from BA, RB and Untapp'd, and two columns for my girlfriend an myself to fill in our scores. I can post a copy in Dropbox where it's public for you guys to download, print and use at the fest? - Let me know if there's anyone who want me to do that.
It's going to look like the picture in the link but that's a screenshot of an incomplete version:

LINK TO DROPBOX

/Glenn

 

How many of you ended up with a cold after the fest? I'll admit to sharing the occasional pour with a friend, but a group of 5 repeatedly? Yikes.

 

I'm going to pick a few brews that I definitely want to try no matter the line, then just walk around and grab something that looks good when a booth looks inviting. Has worked well in the past at both EBF and ACBF. Some of my past favorites were selections I may have ignored if just going by preconceptions from scouring the guide.

 

Top 3 tips:

1. Rule #1: Never wait in line with an empty cup.

2. I pity the fool who skips the NERAX table. Try everything they have, which is usually much easier than it should be considering the lines that form elsewhere.

3. Water stations are your friend.

 

I agree with others - target 5-7 breweries as "must haves", hit each line once or twice (if it makes sense), take a pretzel break, then freelance the rest of the way. Don't overthink it beforehand. Three hours is plenty - I had 38 samples last year which was more than enough.

 

I got really "overdue" at the original EBF.......make sure you eat something and drink water. I went on an empty stomach. Didnt overdo myself per se but at closing time and I stepped outside I fell apart......moderation, food and water...

 

The hardest thing to learn with tastings is do not finish the sample if it's not 100 percent your thing. And try to drink more water than alcohol.

 

This is my third year volunteering, and I've gone most other years.
I always printed out a list beforehand and ticked off the beers I was interested in trying. I would try to stick to the list, but that usually broke down about a half hour into the fest. Most of what I would be interested in was either lined up out the door, or they kicked early on. (not to mention blood alcohol level threw decision making out the window)
As others have said, watch for brewers with no or short lines - sometimes there are unexpected treasures. Don't completely cross off well-known breweries, like Sam Adams - they sometimes have really interesting one-offs at the table.
Finally, don't just swill everything you see, at least try to practice moderation, and make sure you eat and drink.
Don't be like the drunk girl passing through my station at close last year, trying to beg one more from every booth she passed, and finally shouting, "I would blow someone for a beer right now!!" (she REALLY didn't need it...)
Then, plan on sticking around town somewhere for dinner after the fest, before heading home (unless you have a designated driver) Even taking the T when a few sheets to the wind isn't a great idea. Plenty of food options around South Boston, and Chinatown is a 20 minute or so walk away.

 

1) Hydrate constantly. It cleans your palate and keeps your wits about you.
2) If it's not for you, dump it. (ditto @blisscent)
3) Don't shy from long lines. It's a long festival, those lines had incredible beers.
4) Still, arrive fed and early. Knock out the Good Mornings and Hunahpus and find gems like Chip Chap Chop and Mariana Trench. We were some of the first 100 I'd say and walked right up to a no line Cigar City.

Last year's was my first and it was great (right up there with the Shelton Bros fest). I made a list of 50 beers in excel and ranked them as "must haves." I was damn close to completing.

 

No one got sick, and pretty much tasted everything until the very end pretzel necklaces helped that.

 

It'll be my first EBF (or beer fest of this caliber, really) on Friday. What time do you think people start lining up outside?

 

I want to say we waited about an hour before doors opened.