kraftbrew
08-11-2008, 03:44 PM
I was at the Toronto beer festival on Sunday . . .
Pros: The drinks were cheap, there were some good breweries present, and it was a pretty fun atmosphere. Security was respectful and there was good live music.
Cons: It's not a beer connoisseur's event. I was surprised by the fact that one can't really talk about beer with the brewery representatives. For example, Great Lakes Brewing put some malts out on their table and I tasted one and asked what kind it was. "There are different kinds?" the guy serving the beer said. "Yes," I informed him, "that's a big part of what gives beer its flavor". And it was the same with other vendors I spoke with.
It was also very muddy and the portable toilets were overflowing and the hand-washing sinks had run out of water. Also, if you lose your beer-sampling cup they want $20 for a new one, so when my friend lost his I insisted that we share mine for the last 2 hours.
Conclusion: I had a bit of fun but wouldn't go again. It reminded me of Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo in that neither event is focused on enjoying and experiencing and talking about beer, in spite of what the marketers would have you believe.
Prost!
Pros: The drinks were cheap, there were some good breweries present, and it was a pretty fun atmosphere. Security was respectful and there was good live music.
Cons: It's not a beer connoisseur's event. I was surprised by the fact that one can't really talk about beer with the brewery representatives. For example, Great Lakes Brewing put some malts out on their table and I tasted one and asked what kind it was. "There are different kinds?" the guy serving the beer said. "Yes," I informed him, "that's a big part of what gives beer its flavor". And it was the same with other vendors I spoke with.
It was also very muddy and the portable toilets were overflowing and the hand-washing sinks had run out of water. Also, if you lose your beer-sampling cup they want $20 for a new one, so when my friend lost his I insisted that we share mine for the last 2 hours.
Conclusion: I had a bit of fun but wouldn't go again. It reminded me of Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo in that neither event is focused on enjoying and experiencing and talking about beer, in spite of what the marketers would have you believe.
Prost!