AUTHOR’S NOTE: This review is for the winter version of the Columbus Beerfest. Since I believe the Summer Beerfest will be about the same, I am attaching the review to both fests.
Allow me to introduce you to my friend Rich…
…beloved bartender at Bob’s Bar: The Cultural Hub of the Midwest and occasional festival goer.
Rich is central in this post because it was he who invited me to come with him to the Columbus Convention Center…
…and attend my very first beer festival.
With tickets supplied by the kind people of the Brooklyn Brewery (who also allowed us to leave our jackets with them)…
…we were each given a complimentary tasting mug with sample tickets (which no one took)…
…which magically turned into a slightly bigger plastic sampling cup…
…(although not as big as the glass given in the Connoisseurs Package).
Immediately, we set off to try various beers (Oskar Blues Brewery)…
…and there were a lot to be had (Yellow Springs Brewery)…
…from Cleveland (Great Lakes)…
…Columbus (Elevator)…
…Toledo (Maumee Bay)…
…the Dayton area (Pinups and Pints)…
…and all over the world…
…including a Grapefruit wheat beer from Germany (Schöfferhofer)…
…and some ginger beer (non-alcoholic) from Scotland (Crabbies).
Touring the booths with Rich was fun…
…as he seemed to know just about everyone (Columbus Brewery Brewmaster Eric Bean).
If he wasn’t shaking someone’s hand (Full Pint)…
…he was smiling for the camera with one friend (Spin Doktor)…
…and playing out a pose with another (Jackie O’s).
But, honestly, everyone loved the camera at this festival…
…from festival goers…
…to volunteers (Founders)…
…especially after a lot of samplings.
Fortunately, along with buckets to dump out any excess (or unappreciated) beer…
…there were ways to prevent you from drinking too much…
…such as sitting distractions…
…shopping opportunities for wooden products (Woodgrain) or Irish T-shirts…
…non-regrettable tattoos…
…music performances…
…singing possibilities (via karaoke)…
…thrilling rides…
…a creepy (for the spectator) Silent Disco…
…and some limited food options to soak some of that alcohol right up.
Interestingly enough, many festival goers really planned ahead in this department…
…bringing in home-constructed necklaces…
…stocked with pretzels and the occasional slim jim…
…to snack on between all the beer samplings.
We were actually too busy (thanks to chatting and taking photographs) to eat anything at the event…
…but some wings and fries afterwards sure helped me sleep better that night.
So thanks again, Rich!
It was a blast!