Real Ale Festival Recap: so many prizes, so few takers
I agree with Dominic's post that Saturday's Real Ale Festival at the Wharf Rat on Pratt Street was a pleasant affair. But Dominic and fellow event organizer Alan Moore did have a lot trouble giving raffle gifts away.
Time and time again they would take the microphone and call the winning raffle ticket number, only to be met with little or no response from the crowd.
I assumed this occurred because this gathering of about 350 sippers was more interested in discussing the finer points of cask-conditioned beers than in acquiring loot. Perhaps the fans of firkins are not "materialists." Either that or they couldn't locate their raffle tickets.
On the new-tastes-in-beer front, I liked Hoppopotamus, an Imperial IPA, 9 percent ABV, made by Growlers, a brewpub in Gaithersburg. I was also taken with the ESB and Sierra Madre American Pale from Franklins, which I was told by some veteran beer drinkers is a restaurant and brewpub and general store in Hyattsville. Good craft beer in P.G. County! What next?
I also liked the glass of stout from Cape Anne Brewing out of Gloucester. Mass. Someone told me that it was actually called "Pumpkin Stout." But as a professed pumpkin beer hater, I can't believe anything made with a gourd could be that good.
What were your festival favorites?
Is it true that sippers who like cask-conditioned beers are not "material guys" or "material girls"? Do they aspire to more noble goals?
Comments
I actually think that the problem was a spread out crowd and a sound system that didn't carry. Also, they moved on after announcing a number pretty fast, so if you blinked you missed it...otherwise, it was a fantastic afternoon! The George Washington Porter from Yards and Clipper City's Loose Canon cask, along with the Hoppopotomus, were the tops for me.
Posted by: Jason | October 20, 2008 2:37 PM
perhaps the winners were deaf or hard of hearing. They could put up a screen to announce the numbers visually. Easy to do and inexpensive.
Posted by: Bolt | October 20, 2008 5:26 PM
I'm intrigued. Do you know where - besides the brewpub in Gaithersburg - i can get Hoppopotomus?
Posted by: BA | October 20, 2008 5:43 PM
I live in Montgomery County but sometimes trek to PG for the great beer and food at Franklin's. Yes, there is good craft beer in PG (and many other good things). People should get out more. Glad you appreciated Growlers in Gaithersburg, another favorite of mine.
Posted by: Duane | October 20, 2008 5:43 PM
I thought the Bourbon Stout from the District Chophouse and the 7 Beauties were fantastic.
As far as the raffle, it was difficult to hear the announcer even right next to the speaker because of the street noise from Pratt and all the other ambient noise.
I've done fundraisers like this in the past and I've found that when you've got a tricky audio situation, the best thing to do is to pull tickets and write the winners on a board somewhere. This would have been a great way for people to join SPBW if they had to go up to a membership table to see if they won a raffle.
Posted by: Jamie | October 21, 2008 12:54 PM
Missed it, as I was on baby duty. there is a new rare beer event tapped for Max's next Month. It will be filled with kegs of one off beers of the last year or two...
MAX'S TAPHOUSE RARE & OBSCURE BEER EVENT
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008Time:5pm-till
Cost: cash Bar
No entrance feel
ocation:main bar downstairs
Posted by: Cheese | October 21, 2008 4:31 PM
Glad everyone liked our "little" festival and the time we put in over the past few months to make sure those FIVE hours were well spent drinking real ale.
As for tickets, I do believe the extra space out front had some sort of cut off from the rest. Although speakers were placed everywhere, I think fest goers were just caught up in the awe that was 30 different beers and less interested in winning a shirt or hat.
The beer we lined up was the main "prize" and all else was secondary.
Alan Moore - SPBW President
Posted by: Alan Moore | October 22, 2008 3:36 PM