8 replies to this topic

[VolFan]

Was this past weekend in Chattanooga. Since I've been on a brewing hiatus for sometime, I didn't bring any beer to the event.It wasn't needed as the club showed up with 225 gallons. For a club our size, that's pretty damn impressive. Historically I have viewed our club as more of a beer appreciation club opposed to a home brew club. Things seem to be changing. New people have joined and they are entering competitions and winning. Some of their beers have placed in the BOS at a few comps.I was really inspired by going down there this past weekend. I have knocked out 20 gls here the past few weeks and am planning more. It's good to see new people getting into the hobby. Link to some pics they took.Here is a picture of the draft system we put together last year. 12 taps total.

Edited by VolFan, 24 August 2009 - 03:54 PM.

[ncbeerbrewer]

Nice pics from the festival and nice looking tap setup. Hope it was a great turnout. Keep on brewing and Happy Fermentations to you as well!!Mike

[Sidney Porter]

New people have joined and they are entering competitions and winning. Some of their beers have placed in the BOS at a few comps.

One of you members got 3rd place BOS in our comp last month, it was a kolsch, nice beer. (378 entries)

[VolFan]

Hey,Can you explain how this Fest works? Are all the tents Brew Clubs. Are there commercial Breweries there too. Who puts the show on? And is it a ticketed event? Sorry, lots of questions...Your setup is pretty sweet, congrats...

The fest is put on by Big River which is owned by Gordon Biersch. We are the only home brew club that has a tent, but we are the only local club. Other clubs are 2 hours away from here. All other tents are pro breweries. They give us 20-25 Brewers Passes which allow us out on the private pier where Big River is pouring beers and food is available. They also sell VIP passes that allows access to the pier. The event is held on the bank of the TN River.One thing I don't like about the event is the timing. Although the weather was absolutely perfect this year, low humidity-mid 80's and even cooler at night, the weather has traditionally been brutal. August in TN isn't a month conducive for drinking outdoors. Last year it was around 95+. It starts at 2:00 and runs till midnight. We usually help set up and a few members have rooms downtown to avoid driving. We usually go to the room and shower before coming back later in the evening. Well I have another thing I dont like. Unlike most fests I've been too, you pay a price to get in they pour beer. The price is usually around $30+. This event admission is $15 but you have to buy tokens for $3, which gets you one beer. Plus side the beer is poured full in a decently sized glass, much bigger than the GABF ones. I guess if you take a spouse who is a light drinker this is a better deal, but I would hate buying tokens. They give you one token along with the cup when you first enter. Unless there is a beer I really want to try, I usually just drink our home brew or head out to the private pier and get beer from there. One thing I like about having a tent is that we are on the backside of the crowd. I hate venturing out in the crowd later at night because by then the young folks, whose sole mission is to get drunk, show up. We bring awnings and just sit back there and drink. And since we are behind the tents we can also go to the back of the other tents and get a beer. This makes it sooo much nicer. We usually have a club member out front explaining the different styles because they have volunteers that pour the beers, and they are the only ones who can pour.After the cost of the event, all proceeds go to a local charity. SA & SN were even there this year, along with some other breweries that aren't listed on the link I provided.

[VolFan]

One of you members got 3rd place BOS in our comp last month, it was a kolsch, nice beer. (378 entries)

Yeah I got the email on that. Like I mentioned earlier, it was more of a beer appreciation club with only a few members consistently brewing. Myself and another member sorta gravitated away from the monthly meetings and brew together when possible. He & I have been to the GABF and the home brew conference in Cincy last year.He did take an Amber down there. But we both we rejuvenated by what we seen as we actually talked brewing with the new people. That has never happened before and its one of the reasons we gravitated towards one another. The club seems to be hitting the strides we've always wished for and I'm now inspired.

[VolFan]

So it sounds like your club falls under Gordon Biersch liqueur license or the city has given your club a free pass somehow. Either that its being over looked. Any comment on that?

Up until a few yrs ago everything we poured was free to the public. Then GB started making us charge tokens for the beer we served. I don't know if it's because we were giving 150+ gallons of beer away and felt like they were missing out on charity donations, or if it's because of a city ordinance. I remember when they made us change, but I forget the reason why they made us do so. I think it's because of the license the city was providing for the fest.If you are truly interested, PM me and I'll call the club prez and ask him. I'm sure he remembers.