We never really found out. The good ones seemed to be out by 7 pm when we got there. Waiting in line for a shot-glassful each time was not worth the trouble, so we ate and walked out.
Wasn't easy to eat either as they didn't have enough table space.
Couldn't buy a even a half pint, so we left feeling ripped off.
We wonder why they did this. The sponsors, of all people, should have known better.
Here's hoping it was at least a proper Belgian waffle, and not what Yanks typically call a "Belgian" waffle.
If there's sufficient beer and time, $40 for that is not a bad deal at all.
When did it start? Yes, organizers should have enough beer on hand, but if the festival started at, say, noon, you can't realisitcally expect everything to be in tip-top shape.
I don't know Massachusetts' laws, but it's more than quite possible that that was all they were allowed to do legally. Typically, a festival-type alcohol license is quite different from a regular serving license (and a hell of a lot cheaper), and it carries various restrictions. Since it's supposed to be a license for a sampling event, it's quite possible there's a restriction on pour size, and even if the organizers wanted to, they wouldn't legally be allowed to sell a half pint.
If it's a legal situation, they likely did and complied.
And have you expressed your feedback to the sponsors? It would likely do a lot more good than expressing your displeasure to a newsgroup.
Sounds like a lot of People were Very Important that night. Which group was really behind the festival.
Pretty poor pickings for a high priced beer fest.
Not surprising. I've been to several paid food and beverage festivals over the years and the experience tends to be the same. Food is usually of middling quality because it's been kept heated for several hours. There is no limit on the number of people let through the gate and as a consequence the lines are very long.
I've had a much more enjoyable experience going directly to the brewer (and even a vintner or two) for a tour and tasting. Much more relaxed and you can actually talk with the owner about the beverages.
Small servings would have been a good idea IF there was a wide range of beers to be sampled and access was reasonable. My favorite local brewer has a pub attached and one can try a flight of small beers at a time. Makes for a very enjoyable evening.
A tour and tasting at Sam Adams would have been a lot more fun....
You need to reread the thread before posting responses. I was responding to the comments of someone who was there. And they were not at all happy with the experience.
IF the food was limited and IF the l> Whatever ... were you even there? With the amount of work and $$$ we
were Very Important that night.
cheese.Pretty poor pickings for a high priced beer fest.
This was not a VIP night ... Its a Connoisseur Tasting with only 500+ people in the hall there were very few lines. Only a few people complain from that night ... the few that did not get what we were trying to do. You can't make everyone happy ... especially the clueless.
What is ridiculous is pe> You need to reread the thread before posting responses. I was
I met a guy from BA at Hop Devil in New york a while back and we had a conversation about Arrogant Bastard. I told him I thought it had a pretentious flavor. He informed that beer couldn't taste that way.
Lucky I didn't tell him it was "racist" or "constipated".
That's about right. Mostly it tries to taste like something more complicated than it really is, leaving me with an empty sense of purpose completely lacking in irony.
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