Max's Belgian Beer Fest - Highlights

I got there around 10:25 on Friday and was told I was number 134 in line. This event just gets more and more popular every year, which I guess is understandable given how outstanding it is. I was talking to Casey about it yesterday, and while I thought the "order in advance cards" were a great idea, he mentioned that the idea actually backfired on them. Everyone immediately stopped off at the bar to hand in their order card, before even finding a place to sit. Consequently, he indicated that for the first hour or so, the bartenders were completely overwhelmed.

In terms of favorite beers, at least for me, two of the more interesting beers I tried this year were the smoked peat aged embrasse and the T' Gaverhopke Bitter Sweet Symphony (the bourbon barrel aged Malheur 12 wasn't bad either).

Casey mentioned that they try to improve on this event every year, but admitted that it will be hard to improve on what they did this year.

For those who attended the Allagash "pre-event" on Sunday... Casey indicated that they will try to keep on having similar events in the future, but that he plans to put a stop on folks stampeding down to the main bar area at 10:55, so they can grab the best seats in the house before the bar officially opens at 11:00. Not really sure why that's such a big problem, but apparently in the future, if you attend the 10:00 event Sunday morning, you will not be allowed into the main bar area until the bar officially opens at 11:00.

 

Was going to try to direct you to one of the old threads (as this question is asked every year), but I don't seem to be able to do that. Soooo....

You didn't mention which day you were there, but I'll assume it was either Friday or Saturday. Opening bell on both days is really one of the worst times to be there in terms of the crowds (but on the other hand, it's the only way to assure yourself of trying some of the rarer beers - such as the bourbon Malheur 12), and it just seems to get worse every year. In my experience, Saturday is the absolute worst day to go, and it really doesn't seem to matter what time you're there. The place is pretty much packed from the moment it opens, and for whatever reason, Saturday seems to attract the "amature hour," fratboy drinking crowd. So I've completely given up on going on Saturday. Friday's are pretty rough in the morning and early afternoon, but around 3:00 or so, things start to calm down a bit. Unfortunately, around 5:00 they ratchet back up, as the after work "looking for the best happy hour" crowd hits the Fells Point area. So after the afternoon lull, Friday evenings are once again just packed. Traditionally, the best day to go to this event has always been Sunday. Years ago when I'd stop by on Sunday afternoon Max's would often times be nearly empty, but that's no longer the case. On the other hand, the selection on Sunday is now nearly as good as the selection on Friday, something it appears more and more people have learned. So even Sunday's are fairly crowded now, though they're nothing like the crowds you'll see on Friday and Saturday. I actually stopped by twice on Sunday, and on both occasions I thought the crowds were fairly manageable, with no real problem finding a seat.

While I sympathize with your experience, I think your experience is just part of today's reality. The event is crowded because the beer selection is predictably outstanding and it's been going on enough years that people from all over the region know about it and are willing to make the drive to Max's to attend. I don't see that changing any time soon...

.... and yes, Casey confirmed that once again, this year's event was better attended with more beer sold than any previous 72 hours of Belgium event. Of course he says that every year, and every year it's absolutely true.

 

I forgot to mention that Monday is actually a very good day to go as well. The crowds are long gone, and typically the draft list is still largely made up beers left over from the event. Even last night when I stopped by.... I'd say there were still 30 or 40 Belgian beers on tap left over from the previous weekend.