A glimpse inside a west coast beer fest
As temperatures soar across the country, summer marks the start of beer fest season. And like clockwork craft beer lovers head out to get their fill of free tastings at festivals that are becoming more and more frequent. We took a moment between our own free samples to slow down and take in the full beer fest experience.
For many a craft beer event isn’t just about the free, sometimes limitless, tasting of their favorite beers. It isn’t just to get free stuff as big guys toss t-shirts, hats, stickers and anything else they could plaster their names on and schlep out to each passerby. Instead, if one can push aside the veil and look beyond the drones of frothy samples, things start to look a bit interesting.
The craft beer community is just that, a club for boys and girls that anyone can join with the right gumption, know-how, and proper assemblage of yeast, wort, and hops.
Despite the growth and fragmentation the industry is starting to see, what remains deep down is still a bunch of big time home brewers with shiny equipment busting out some wild and exciting recipes. But the job of running a brewery doesn’t allow many of our heroes time to exchange quips or samples with each other.
Luckily, we have a festival for that.
They question the process, provide tips to the new guys, or just get drunk like the rest of us. Sometimes the criticism is harsh.
“Sterilizer and soap shouldn’t be a part of the flavor profile” says a brewer laughing as he pours his sample out.
Other times, the praise is well founded. “This is amazing. So how did you…” trailed off a brewmaster as he held his sampler glass to the light to admire the color.
Despite the lines getting longer and many attendees going just to slam a few high gravity beers from the places they know, among the pretzel necklaces and free stickers, is the backbone of the craft beer community still sharing secrets and experience and enjoying doing what they love.
Making and sharing their beers.






Similar Posts

Eating Our Way Through St. Patrick’s Day Like An Irish
[siteorigin_widget class=”kad_image_widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Eating Our Way Through St. Patrick’s Day Like An Irish Five dishes from start to finish to soak up the booze. We have suddenly arrived at one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year. Between light beers dyed green and Irish Ales the color Patrick himself intended, kegs and kegs will…

Five Panama City Beach Spots to Eat Without A Crowd
Five Panama City Beach Spots to Eat Without A Crowd Everything from authentic Mexican to giant baskets of seafood to fill tummies during Spring Break With Spring temperatures quickly approaching, many people have begun to frantically plan warm destination vacations. Many flock to the tropical climates of the beaches of the United States and during…

No Place Like Home: The Original Hot Chicken Lands In LA
There’s only one hot chicken place in LA that can say they are the real deal. Hotville is that place. But is it as good? How do they compare?

Road Trip Across NC – Part I – Raleigh
When we started this road trip in Raleigh I had a perfectly laid out schedule. We were going to see twelve beer related places in two days across my home state from Raleigh to Asheville and as many stops as we could cram into our two days along the way. It seems the saying “all…

Burgers On The High Seas: Guy’s Burger Joint
While choices for food are abundant on a Carnival Cruise, there’s nothing like a good burger. We stop by Flavortown at Guy’s Burger Joint.

Best Roadside Burgers For Your Holiday Road Trips
The last thing to think about while on a holiday road trip is where to eat. We got you, and since we’re partial to burgers, here’s our favs.