@GenDV138, @radagast83, and I are going to the morning session. Anyone else attending?
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I know they’ve released the list of guest breweries, but have they released the list of beers that will be there?
I asked Aslin (via FB) about that and got a response literally 10 minutes ago. No specific beer list, because the breweries are not committed to specific beers and can show up with whatever.
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Looks like the rain we’d normally get for Snallygaster is going to greet us this Saturday.
New projections show Florence turning west, and slowing, so we may be dry on Saturday
Yeah, doesn’t look bad at all.
The weather might actually be better than last weekend.
Event was much better than my mind could have even thought!
The place was actually comfortably busy, especially compared to Snallygaster. I don’t know if GA sold out for either session, maybe it didn’t. but for those next year, if they do the same thing, I’d definitely suggest going and encourage everyone else to go.
There were only two super long lines I saw. No matter how much random people at the festival tried to convince us, I can’t imagine getting in a 50+ person line when there were literally a 100 other breweries without lines. I’m guessing it’s the same kind of dudes who get in the Cantillion line at Snallygaster.
Only dings against it were:
- No draft list, even while being there. However, on the flip side, pretty much every brewery except Dogfish Head and DC Brau brought something new or unique. At least with DC Brau they brought OTWOA and Space Reaper…
- Only one food vendor. Line was just to long to justify standing in it.
Overall a really good event. Some thoughts:
Since it was split into two sessions (which is mildly annoying), I chose to go to the morning VIP, making the assumption that one or more of the most-sought-after beers would be long gone by the time the afternoon VIP session started at 3:00pm. What I failed to consider was that the breweries had made allocations for each session, such that the couple that ran out in the morning were then available again at the start of the afternoon. Fair way to do it, I just wish I had considered that when deciding upon which session to attend. I would have gone in the afternoon for logistics and after-event purposes.
The VIP line was really long by 10:30am, but moved very fast when the gates opened at 10:45ish. I ended up standing alone at a brewery at 10:50 waiting for the 11:00am start. Nice conversations with several neighboring brewers while waiting. Looks like all VIP ticket holders had gotten in before 11:00. So that worked really well.
The GA line, on the other hand, looked insane, wrapping around the entire event lot. People were still in line long after the 11:30 GA start time, I think.
Needed more food available. Saw numerous people get pizza delivered, paid for it over the fence. Smart, but just shows that more food on-site was required. And the line for food was ridiculously long, and I won’t waste 1/4 of the event time in line for food.
Port-a-potties and foot-pump sink stations were as needed.
Barrels of free bottled water sitting in ice. Nice.
No tickets for the beers! What a huge positive difference that was. Greg Engert was on-scene with the Bluejacket crew, I really hope he saw how much better it is without the damn tickets. Money-wise, I would much rather pay more for the entrance ticket for Snallygaster if that meant losing the damn beer ticket system.
Weather was perfect: 75 and cloudy. There were more tents for shade this year, but were ultimately not really needed. Good sign for next year if it is as sunny and hot as it was last year.
Cideries, a meadery, and a winery were on hand, much appreciated by my gluten-free GF. That the meadery, Superstition, is one of the top in the world was a nice bonus.
In sum, a great event that is now a must-attend for those in the DMV area.
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That many? I’m guessing this is an exaggeration
They advertised it as being +100, but it may have been more like 75. That more conservative estimate is not an exaggeration. Each brewery had 2 beers with them.
It may have been the first Anniversary party for a brewery where I didn’t have a single one of their own beers at the event because there was just that many options.
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Wow. Sounds awesome. Wasn’t even on my radar. I just kind of figured they would have a handful of their own beers since you can never buy them.
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