So...if we are going to portray ourselves as reviewers of good beer and good food, that means along with some breweries, we probably need to visit some festivals.Our 1st festival just so happened to occur on Labor Day weekend (well, ok, August 29th). It took place in Savannah at the Convention Center. The Savannah Craft Beer Festival.
The Event: 2014 Savannah Craft Beer FestivalThe Location: Savannah Convention Center (across the River from River Street). Indoor and outdoor booths.
Conditions: It was hot, hot, hot outside, we had to wait awhile before they'd let us in. That was shall we say--less than fun.
The Crowd: Full, but not overwhelmingly so. Maybe a thousand or so craft beer fans in the house. It was a serious crowd, not there just to get drunk, but rather to try some new and exciting beers.
Brewers: From local (Service Brewing, Moon River, Southbound etc) to Regional (Thomas Creek, Red Hare, Red Brick, Jekyll and Burnt Hickory) to National (Stone, Dogfish Head, Lagunitas and others), there was a very diverse cross section to visit.
Samples: All of the 2 oz, small pilsner glass variety for General Admission. The VIP's got a snifter glass.
Engagement: Because of Georgia's antiquated beer rules, nobody from the breweries could pour, but most all had representatives there who interacted with the eager, questioning crowd.
Highlights: For me, Burnt Hickory's 9353 Berlinweisse was a revelation. A big, but not huge beer with a distinct fruit/tart taste. Thomas Creek's Pumpkin Ale was also very, very good.Recommendations: This is a great "Starter" event for someone just getting into Craft Beers. It's not overwhelmingly crowded and not overrun with college frat boys looking to get drunk.
Well worth the $40 or so bucks if you can visit. Savannah is a wonderful albeit very warm town. Great place to spend a weekend.
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