"Bruce" > wrote in message
...

> My biggest gripe about the GABF is the shot of beer ration while the
> GBBF gives you the choice of a half (imperial 10 oz) pint or a full
> (imperial 20 oz) pint. I prefer having a decent quantity of beer to sit
> and relax with vs constantly standing on a line to refill my shot glass.

I enjoyed that greatly about the GBBF as well.

But, to be fair, there's a huge difference at the GBBF that is more
conducive to that: the vast majority of the beers on offer at the GBBF are
less than 5 percent abv. With the way American tastes are, and American beer
geekdom is, less than 5 percent abv is sufficient for abject mockery and
insinuations that one lacks a sufficiently large wang if you drink such a
pansy-ass beer. (No, I don't hold American craft beer consumers' preferences
for biggerfasterbettermore! in contempt at all.) It's a much less
dangerous - and, I'd argue - propositing to snarf down a few pints of very
tasty 4.2 bitter than to try to do the same with a 9 percent imperial mega
hopfest my balls are the size of cantalopues grande pils.

> I find this shot of beer situation to be the case at all American beer
> festivals I've attended with the exception of the NERAX festival held
> near Boston every spring. That is why it is the only American beer
> festival I go out of my way to attend each year.

Used to be that the Chicago Real Ale Festival was worth going to every year,
even with relatively short pours (4 oz). It stopped being worth going to
only when they stopped having it.

-Steve