After seeing that one of my favs (Telluride) made it into SAVOR this year, I'm seriously considering buying tickets to the event in Washington, DC. I've listened to their Salons from years past and they sound right up my alley (Stone discussing their Vertical releases, Crooked Stave & Bells discussing hop varieties and sourcing, etc.). http://www.craftbeer.com/beer-studies/craft-beer-seminars I'd love to hear about the experiences of those that have gone (or have considered but decided not to). Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like. Was it too crowded? Was there direct access to the brewers outside of the Salons? Is it difficult to sign-up for the Salons that interest you? Is it worth attending both nights? Thanks.
I haven't gone to a DC one yet but the NYC one last year was a blast and well worth the money in my opinion. As far as interacting with the brewers outside of salons, They were all pouring and chatting with their beers and walking around the floor.
I've been to the DC one in 2011 and 2012. I don't know if I could make it back to back nights, although maybe you have experience at the GABF. The crowd is managed well, it does get crowded in spots but not so much that even with an hour left there is more than a 5 minute wait to get up to talk to say Jim Koch of Sam Adams. I've never even tried the salons, as usually there is enough to drink as is with the base price. There are also lots of one off events at bars around DC leading up to it. That would at least give your body more time to spread things out. The food is well made but each bite is small, I usually try to eat something beforehand to at least have a base. If you stay at a hotel downtown relatively in the area it's not hard to take a cab to Churchkey or Bluejacket(yes some people don't love the place) or other beer destinations around town. Hope this helps.
