I was going through the photos on my digital camera and realized I had taken pictures at this year's Philly Craft Beer Festival but never posted them. My original intent was to do an article on the festival but unfortunately I got tied up with work and never did the post. Since Beer Week is now history I wont go into a long diatribe on my views of the festival but I will make a couple quick notes.
I went to the first session and although the crowd seemed smaller compared to last year it was still a bit of a mob. I think one of the problems is the online ticket purchase. The organizers said that the number of tickets sold were limited however once at the event the ticket I purchased was never checked. My I.D. was checked twice in line to make sure I was 21 but once I got to the door my ticket was taken an tossed in a large bin and that was it. More than one person told me that they had copied the ticket they purchased online and passed them out to friends. A person I know had 4 people come in on a copied ticket. Although each ticket had the purchaser's name and a I.D. number it didn't matter because it was never checked at the door. Now I have no idea how many people came in with out purchasing a ticket but any number adds to the crowd and the so called limited ticket sale becomes a joke. I enjoy a good beer festival as much as anyone but the problem with most is the overcrowding factor. If your going to put steps in place to control the size of the crowds it helps if you enforce those steps at all levels.
Ok now that I got my rant out I want to focus on the positive. This years participation was great. I noticed several brewers I had heard of but had never had the chance to sample their beers. Three that stood out were Gritty's, Butternuts and Voodoo Brewing. Out of the three Voodoo from Meadville PA was my winner. While I have have had Voodoo Love Child it was my first time trying White Magick of the Sun. The spicy white ale starts off strong with orange, coriander and hints of juniper. The surprise is the spicy peppery warmth that picks up in the middle and continues through the finish. The combination of flavors really works. A few bottles of this will definitely make it to the beer fridge. Another high point was getting the chance to meet Don "Joe Sixpack" Russell. He, Lew Bryson and Bryan over at The Brew Lounge were my inspiration to start blogging and putting my beer thoughts down. I made sure to pick up a copy of his Philly Beer Guide as anyone who loves beer and Philadelphia should. I only wish that I could of made it to one of his other event during the week.
So much for a quick post about the festival. Time to cut this before it gets any longer. I think we will all look forward to Beer Week next year. Hopefully this event continues to grow and improve year after year.
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