What's the best beer event you've attended?

I really dig the Eclipse release party in Truckee. Smaller, more laid back.

 

It's sad to say but I've only been to one....but it was awesome and helped to start my education in all things beer

Sixpoints' Beer for Beasts 2011.

 

Great American Beer Fest...where you can at least try some beer from all over the country. However, the NE of the USA is always poorly represented.

 

I have always loved the world beer festival in Durham, nc. Especially now that they moved to the new Durham Bulls Athletic park

 

The 2nd Annual Brooklyn Pour event in 2012. This was the first Beer-Fest for both my wife and I, so we'll always remember it. Buy 1/Get1 VIP tickets didn't hurt, either!!

 

A tasting of vintage beers at Martyn Cornell's:

1992 Courage Russian Stout
1992 Whitbread Celebration Ale
1977 Courage Russian Stout
1935 Ind Coope and Allsopp Jubilee Ale
1902 king's Ale
1875 Arctic Ale

 

FoBAB is about as perfect as it can get.

 

Anytime my cousin and I get together, especially in the summer around my pool when the whole family and friends come. We stash homebrew all year and brew some ridiculous IPA's 3-4 weeks ahead of time. It just turn into one big high gravity mess by end of day 1.

 

I am hoping that it's tomorrow at CCB.....................

 

GABF no question. EBF is a good time too.

 

The 1st Pints for Prostate Denver Rare Beer tasting was phenomenal, paired that with GABF. Best beer week I've had. 2nd is my annual trip to the Hickory Hops Festival in Hickory, NC. Really well run event with a load of great beers.

 

GABF followed by rolling bottle share and brewery tour with a group of 20 during GABF weekend.

 

2007 Dark Lord Day was amazing, just standing in line all day bottle sharing. Now the line moves much faster combined with the no cooler rule means less time to drink in line and just enjoy the day. It is also more crowded now.

Goose Island BCBS Tap Takeover last night ended up being awesome, with free pours of Rare and King Henry.

 

I think FoBAB is #1, followed by Dark Lord Day and the BCBS Tap Takeover last night was incredible also.

 

Michigan Winter Beer Fest is a very well run event.

 

GonzoIllini's birthday parties the past 3 Novembers have been pretty fucking awesome.

 

Shelton Brothers The Festival in Worcester. Met a lot of brewers, including Jean from Cantillon and Urbain from DeStruise in my profile pic. He kept feeding me samples and got me nice and hammered lol. A really good time.

 

Mass Brewers Fest, organized by the Massachusetts Brewers Guild. Perfect location, perfect weather, excellent selections.

 

I was going to say the same thing. I wish more festivals were like that! Food was damn good too.

 

Portland International Beer Fest. It's the smaller event and well run, rare beers, food trucks, and no lines.

 

NHC for me. Judge beer more than half a day, then go to a miniature GABF with local breweries, sip great homebrew in the hospitality suite until the wee hours of the morning, drag yourself out of bed and down to the seminars and accept a big pour of killer mead into your glass as you try to learn something/wake up, take a nap, and then get the most amazing homebrews served at Club night. And I haven't even mentioned the banquet/awards ceremony.

A couple various DLD's from 5-7 years past were way up there though, just from the standpoint of all the people met, trades completed, and amazing beer being poured everywhere, even if you didn't get much/any DL.

And honorable mention to the first time I ever went to GABF, whatever year it was. You head up those stairs and step into this huge room, and have to pause a moment to realize how big it is. Fucking beautiful. Wasn't even sold out back then. Even with the severe crowd there is now, I recommend everyone experience it at least once.

cheers--
--Michael

 

GABF in '06 was badass. Hope to go again one of these years...

Although it's not your typical beer festival, absent early morning waiting in line/bottle sharing, crazy whales, and wide variety of beers from all over) Schlafly Stout & Oyster Festival is one heck of an event each year. Great, fresh, honest-to-goodness stouts, paired with oyster varieties flown in from both coasts. Sad to have missed it this year.

Would love to check out FOBAB one of these times. Sound like one hell of a great time!

 

Almost embarrassed to say this... A tasting for journalists in Brussels, so sparsely attended (this is the embarrassing part, but it was a weeknight), that I ended up being able to have long discussion with Guido from 3F, Manu De Landtsheer from Malheur, people from Het Anker... I think it was about 100 people for, like, 10 breweries. No notes survive from that night, sad to say.

 

Winner: The Woodshop events here in Southern California. The taps and food are always good, but the massive bottleshare which is the heart of the event is just mind-blowing. Insane bottles from around the world. People walking around sharing beers that you may have only heard of and never thought you'd sample.

Runner-up: The Holiday Ale Festival in Portland, OR

 

Brewvival weekend. The pre-fest bottle share and the festival itself rank 1 and 1a on my list of beer experiences.

 

the ones I hold almost every weekend, at home & Alone (after my wife & kid go to my Mother-in-Laws for dinner)... left behind w/ some QUIET, the Grill, some steaks, & my selection of choice.

- I TRY to attend them as Much as possible

 

It was a two person event. I had a hip replacement Monday so Saturday was the last night I could drink. We had; Steelhead Mad River DIPA. Then Sculpin. Then a Hop art. Then a FBS. Then a Boltcutter. Then topped it off with a surprise Enjoy By 4.1.13. A wonderful night of drinking with a really close friend. BA tag Boski.

 

Oysters and Ale in Jacksonville, Or. New brewery owner and brewmaster there each night to share their brews, while oysters by the hundreds are barbecued on the half shell. I gorged myself on beer, swordfish, oysters, and shrimp. It was amazing.

 

Only big event I've been to was Hunahpu's Day yesterday. It was incredible and I can see why people love these things. Lots of beers you may not otherwise be able to try are featured, camaraderie with friends you brought (or people you meet at the event), splitting brews with them so you spend less money and aren't sloshed a few beers in. Just awesome. And it was very educational. for one, I learned that lots of beautiful women are in to craft beer. I need to wife one.

 

1999, 15 years old - Getting drunk for my first time while sipping on a 40 of Mickey's at the lunch tables of my Elementary school as the stars shined above.

 

Jumping the gun a bit, but hoping I can later report that the best fest was:
http://www.napervillealefest.com/

At least it will surely be the best fest I will have attended since it will also be my 1st Pretty good lineup for a 1st time event.

 

Alewatcher's birthday two years ago. I had to miss it last year

 

ebf continues to impress year after year, belgium comes to cooperstown is on my bucket list

 

This has been my favorite, so many good beers, and great people! I just wish it was 2 days, it is impossible to to try even 1/4 of the beers offered in this one day beer bash!

 

RBSG 2010. Only RB gathering I've gone to, but it was great. I was just starting to trade around that time, so there were tons of great breweries I had not yet tried prior to that, like Cascade, Lost Abbey, Russian River, Firestone Walker, Captain Lawrence, New Glarus, and Alpine. Plus I got to try Sonoran 200 and scored my only West Virginia tick. I got to try so many of the famed beers I'd read about, like Darkness, Dark Lord, Sexual Chocolate, Duck Duck Gooze, and Barrel Select Batch 1.

 

Yeah.... you missed it because you decided you just had to get married....

 

The Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Brew Fest is a blast. This is my second year attending and its a heavenly day in the snow. All the hard to get brews are offered and easy to get! Here is Bells van in the lot..love the old timey art...



Shorts offerings. Juicy Tree was delish!



Me getting AFU...lol

 

Well I'm not getting married this year!

 

What the hell?! where was this?

...did I just get trolled?

 

Hands down Darkness Day last year. First time at Darkness Day, but tried an endless amount of great beer. Hung out with some great BA's I've met before and met plenty of new ones. One of the highlights - drinking Vietnamese Speedway Stout while watching the sunrise.