A Fest of Ales

Last weekend two of my favorite things collided...beer and festivals! First of all, I'm sorry for the delay in posting about this wonderful event. Let's just say I needed a little time to reflect on the greatness of Alefest Dayton.


Here's how it happened. One hundred brewers hauled over 250 different beers into Carillon Park, and each attendee got 20 beer tickets and a small glass. Once your ticket was scanned, you were let loose in the park and allowed to run like mad from tent to tent trying as many different beers as possible. Everyone from Anheuser Busch to Ommegang to Hopping Frog was there. Some of our favorites, among the many, were Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye, Unibroue's 17 Belgian Dark Strong Ale, and the always tasty Left Hand Milk Stout. Also, I have a much greater respect for Flying Dog Brewery. Their tent was clearly the most fun...and the most irreverent.

If I could offer one piece of advice for the next beer festival you attend, it would be to stay until the very end. You see, as the end of the festival nears, the brewers realize that the beer has to go, and the attendees realize that the beer has to go...and, well, the beer goes. The last thirty minutes of Alefest Dayton were a free-for-all. The orderly lines turned to mass crowds of beer glass wielding savages craving one last taste. The beer tickets no longer had any value. It was first come first serve...and it was awesome. Unfortunately, our friend Bud had long since passed out.

Beer festivals are a really good way to get out and try a variety of good beers. And the crowds are usually pretty fun. Of course, you have plenty of beer snobs who will snub any beer that doesn't burn your tongue off with an extreme hop load, but you also have people who couldn't care less what gets poured in their cup. They just want to drink a lot and pass out in a field (just like Bud). I like to think I fall somewhere in the middle, enjoying the quality beers that were served, but also never forgetting that the majority of the time good beer leads to good times. That's why we love beer. And that was definitely the case in Dayton. Next time you hear about a beer fest in driving distance, load up the car and go. Oh, and book a hotel room. Twenty 4-oz glasses of beer are more than you think.

Oh, also, don't wear pants to an outdoor festival in late August. I'm an idiot.