A Thing or Two About Festivals.....

          One of the coolest things about being an active member (read fan) of the craft beer community is that breweries and other beer-related organizations love to throw festivals in order to  get people to come out and drink. I had the extreme pleasure of being recon-ed into one of these festivals (thanks Mrs. Hall) today and felt that it was high time that someone really shed some light on these fantastic beer-themed trade shows.

          Although The Sun 10th Anniversary Winefest was geared toward wine and other wine-related businesses, I have to take my hat off to the the people at Mohegan Sun for setting your boy up with a pretty neat section just for my tasting pleasure (read beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!!!!). I was surprised to find a number of craft (and I admit, a few big players) represented in this very intimate setting. If you haven't been, imagine tables filled with swag material and lots of ice cold beer accompanied by a representative who loves to tell you about how good his/her product is.

          I really enjoyed getting to the beer early ( I had a nice buzz before 12) and getting the opportunity to talk to a number of sales reps from breweries including Dogfish Head, Heavy Seas, Merchant Du Vin, Smuttynose, and Blue Point to name just a few. When they heard that I did a blog, they all tended to sidle up and ask me what I thought about their product (I said I liked it even if I didn't) and wanted to talk to me not only about their beer, but what I did. This is one reason why I enjoy this community so much. We as beer drinkers are generally interested in each other. People often dont like to let us out in public because they often associate us with the fights that get caught on camera at sporting events. In all honesty though, we are a peace keeping bunch who like to pontificate about Lauter Tuns and the amount and time that Brettanomyces Lambicus takes to funkify our favorite Belgian Lambics.

          I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that you don't see Coca Cola or bottled water conventions for a reason.Us beer geeks have a lot to talk about. This industry continues to grow and change daily, and one of the easiest ways that we can continue to grow is to pass on information by holding these meet-and-greets. I don't want to brag but I know a lot about brewing and the beer industry, but what a great way to pick up more knowledge and to meet the face of the people making your favorite beverage.

Final Thought: If you love beer, and get the opportunity to go to a beer festival, shell out the freakin dough and have a blast. This is about so much more than the drinking. Let me know what you think....

@CTbeerfiend