In article ,
dgs wrote:

But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin' weather, and
there will be a couple of brewfests coming up in the Seattle area to
help kick off summer drinkin' season. Generally very nice outside;
in Tejanese, not unlike spring, with even less humidity.

I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip to Seattle
with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could offer a couple of tips as to
which would be best?

Speaking of brewfests, I hit the Texas Craft Brewers' Festival
(http://www.txbrewersfestival.com/) weekend before last. Very well
attended. In fact, so well attended that it became almost untenable due
to the layout, which had all the beer tents on one side of a relatively
narrow path that became way overcrowded. Of course, on the opposite side
of the parking lot (yeah, it wasn't the best-ever idea to have a beer
festival on a Texas parking lot in mid-May - even though the temps
hovered in the mid-low 80s, the number of people in too-close quarters
and the ambient heating from the asphalt combined to make it pretty
miserable) there was hardly a soul at the various non-beer booths. Free
advice: spread the beer tents out so we have a reason to walk around and
don't have to all congregate in a single confined area.

The beers were, for the most part, Austin-grown, although St. Arnold's
was there, as as Rahr's. Again, the upshot is that most of us went to
the festival to taste beers we, er, drink every single day. Not really
what I want in a festival. I want to sample stuff that's not brewed at
the brewpub where I hang out. Maybe next year.

I did, however, have the first 2 absolutely SHITE beers I've ever been
handed at a fest. From Lovejoy's, our funkiest brewpub. I'm going to
give them the benefit of the doubt and say that somehow the lines got
contaminated (although that's pretty inexcusable). If that's not the
case, then there's something terribly, terribly wrong with that brewing
setup. So many bad flavors I won't even begin to catalog them. Blecch.

And finally, if you're in Austin and need a serious hop fix, get to the
Bitter End for a pint of Hot & Naked IPA. You east coasters who like
balanced beers will want to take a miss on this; Brian Peters, the
brewer, wasn't there last night so I couldn't verify, but I'm going to
guess this thing's like 75 ibu. Way over the top. ****ING GOOD. So good,
I'm going there right now...

dave in austin

dave kelley wrote:

In article ,
dgs wrote:


But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin' weather, and
there will be a couple of brewfests coming up in the Seattle area to
help kick off summer drinkin' season. Generally very nice outside;
in Tejanese, not unlike spring, with even less humidity.


I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip to Seattle
with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could offer a couple of tips as to
which would be best?
[...]

Two of them are coming up in June:

http://www.washingtonbrewfest.com/summer/index.html is the Summer
Brewfest, and http://www.seattlebeerfest.com/Index2%20SIB.htm is the
Seattle International Beerfestival. Given that they're two weeks
apart, perhaps a better question would be how much time you can take
for your annual summer trip to Seattle. The Summer Brewfest is all
about domestic craft beers, mostly local, but with plenty of good
stuff from elsewhere; the International Beerfestival has beer from
damn near everywhere worth getting beer from. Can't go wrong with
either one, really. I'll be at both.

Right now, we have the damndest thing going on - it's actually
kinda hot out, like in the mid-80s; it hit nearly 90 yesterday.
Very much not typical Seattle spring weather. If it's like this
in June, bring your SPF 10e6 sunscreen.
--
dgs

dgs wrote in
:

dave kelley wrote:

In article ,
dgs wrote:


But in a month or so, yep, it'll be outdoor drinkin'
weather, and there will be a couple of brewfests coming up
in the Seattle area to help kick off summer drinkin'
season. Generally very nice outside; in Tejanese, not
unlike spring, with even less humidity.


I'm really hoping to manage to line my annual summer trip
to Seattle with a brewfest this year. Maybe you could
offer a couple of tips as to which would be best?
[...]

Two of them are coming up in June:

I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.


Scott

"Scott Kaczorowski" wrote in message
I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.

I feel the same way about my basement.

--
Lew Bryson

"As for talking shit in this NG, Lew, you're the undisputed king, and
that's no SHITE." -- Bob Skilnik, 1/31/02

www.lewbryson.com

In article ,
Scott Kaczorowski wrote:

Two of them are coming up in June:

I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.

Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a
beer fest to enjoy?

dave in austin

Lew Bryson wrote:

"Scott Kaczorowski" wrote in message

I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.


I feel the same way about my basement.

I feel the same way about Scott's basement - and the rest of
California.
--
dgs

dave kelley wrote:
Scott Kaczorowski wrote:
I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.

Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a
beer fest to enjoy?

I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer.
--
Joel Plutchak "I'm in beer class / Every Thursday night"
- "Sinister Foxx", _Title TK_, The Breeders

dgs wrote:
:
: I feel the same way about Scott's basement - and the rest of
: California.

Scott probably doesn't have a basement -- basements are not easily found
in SoCal -- houses are all built on slabs.

--
Bill
AT DOT
reply to bbenzel adelphia net

dave kelley wrote in
:

In article ,
Scott Kaczorowski wrote:

Two of them are coming up in June:

I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.

Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go
when there's a beer fest to enjoy?

Sorry. A poor excuse for a joke on my part...

Actually, I *would* go to Seattle just for the beer. My limited
experience is that the beer is excellent and widely available, I
have friends there, and it's relatively conveniently located for me
(unlike, say, Belgium).


Scott

ers (Joel) wrote in
:

dave kelley wrote:
Scott Kaczorowski wrote:
I would never go to Seattle just for the beer.

Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go
when there's a beer fest to enjoy?

I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer.

Your wrnog, giggy.


Scott

(Bill Benzel) wrote in
news
dgs wrote:
:
: I feel the same way about Scott's basement - and the rest
: of California.

Scott probably doesn't have a basement -- basements are not
easily found in SoCal -- houses are all built on slabs.

The new construction probably, but all of 'em?

Thank goodness for raised foundations. Makes running cat5,
plumbing, etc. so much more enjoyable. I've never lived in a
house on a slab in soCal (42 years and counting).

I've lived in only one house that had a basement: A 1912
Sears Catalog Craftsman-style.



Scott

In article ,
ers (Joel) wrote:

Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a
beer fest to enjoy?

I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer.

Yeah, but I can't get the magazine to pay my way there and back.
Seattle, on the other hand...

dave in austin

dave kelley wrote:

In article ,
ers (Joel) wrote:


Nor would I. But if I'm going anyway, why not try and go when there's a
beer fest to enjoy?

I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer.


Yeah, but I can't get the magazine to pay my way there and back.
Seattle, on the other hand...

The magazine's going to pay your way to Seattle?

Nice of the magazine to do that. Don't believe everything you read in
magazines, though.

Next question: does Poland have some nice beer? It has to. C'mon,
just look at a map!
--
dgs
"What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson

Scott Kaczorowski wrote:

ers (Joel) wrote in
:

[...]
I understand the Czech Republic has some nice beer.


Your wrnog, giggy.

Kcik yo'ure ass, btich.
--
dgs
"What, and join in your mad squid kettle games?" -- Lew Bryson

"Scott Kaczorowski" wrote in message

snip


Actually, I *would* go to Seattle just for the beer. My limited
experience is that the beer is excellent and widely available, I
have friends there, and it's relatively conveniently located for me
(unlike, say, Belgium).


Scott

Holy Shite, a Scott K sighting. What's up man? Seattle might
be the best city in the U.S. for great beer and food. Although
the latter is pretty expensive. Last time I was out there I had the
Boundary Bay IIPA, and that stuff was killer. Sorta kind of like
the dogfishhead 90 and 120 minute that I get to drink all the time
now. Lucky me.

-Steve