Describe Your Beer Fest Experience as You Would a Craft Beer
Decatur Metro | October 17, 2010I’m not sure if I’m stretching a bit with this request, but I thought it had the possibility of being rather amusing. Go?
(For example: Sunny and mild with hints of prezel necklace and inappropiately placed stickers)
Clear and crisp, with lots of variety, notes of whimsy (group dressed as zombie Christmas Carolers), pleasant smoky flavor (Decatur High Athletic Booster club grilling burgers and brats), many pleasant notes (bands “King Sized” and “Please, Please Rock Me” were awesome). A few discordant notes (folks who gave volunteers a hard time by trying to slip into the festival without an arm band, or who tried to slip past volunteers with full beer glasses).
Well done Diane! Well done.
I’d totally buy a ticket to see Diane kick @ss & take names!
Thank you, thank you.
I’m a freelance writer, so you can certainly “buy a ticket” to my writing services.
Hundreds of obnoxious drunks staggering– and driving– around downtown Decatur.
That’s not how I’d describe a craft beer, though. Craft beers have class.
Yesterday was an enormously unpleasant day in Decatur.
It was actually quite pleasant–a little hoppy perhaps with a very dry finish, perhaps it is an acquired taste.
I didn’t see any real issues, people were all in a good mood and polite–that’s pretty good in my book if you consider an environment in which thousands of people are drinking–pardon, tasting quality beers for three or four hours.
Also, thank goodness it’s only one day a year.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m catching a tad of discrepancy in these two reports.
As my neighbor asked. “what the hell is wrong with Decatur today?”
Yesterday, when my wife brought up the idea of giving ticket priority to Decatur residents in future years it got me wondering whether such a thing might actually influence people on the verge to pick up and move inside the city limits.
A “..plus we’ll be able to get beer fest tickets!” sorta bonus.
Many ingredients seemed too immature to allow for balanced flavor.
Didn’t attend but saw some of those immature ingredients staggering down Ponce on their way to the Marlay.
A Decatur police officer told me that Beer Fest is the only Decatur event he hates to work. Said it seems totally out of character for the city. I agree.
Though I’ve never seen much that I would justify as “unDecaturish” at a beer fest, I defer to the police officer’s experience.
That said, perhaps a pre-sale to Decatur residents could kill two birds with one stone. It would allow residents a chance to get tix and also inject more “I better not get too drunk because my neighbors are right over there” level of sobriety to the event.
Multiple groups of obviously drunk 20-somethings walking ( with difficulty ) down Ponce at 3-5 in the afternoon is something I would definitely call unDecaturish. Seriously, they looked like they were coming from a fraternity tailgate party. At least they were on foot . Pretty scary to think that others in this condition may have gotten behind the wheel to drive home.
Friends who actualluy managed to get tickets reported lots of Emory undergrads (and no, I’m not sure how they knew they were from Emory– just repeating what I was told) in attendance. It seems word has spread on that campus that the DCBF is a relatively inexpensive way to “get hammered”, and then they can stagger off to their “real” Saturday night partying. If they spent 5 hours at a bar, they’d spend a heckuva lot more than $35, so this would be a relative bargain. *sigh*
Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself as a local Decatur blogger. I just posted about my first experience with the Decatur Craft Beer Festival, which was not a very good one. You can read more about it here: http://thymebombe.com/2010/10/17/decatur-craft-beer-festival/
Wow, just ready Alana’s blog. The festival sells fewer tickets than before to keep crowds down. I was working the gate for the first hour, so I didn’t get to do much beer tasting until after 2:30, and I found very few lines. The beer festival allows people to come in and go out, so anybody could have gotten food at any of the restaurants on the square.
I guess if you’ve never been before, it would seem crowded, but it’s sure not as crowded as it was before!
Diane, I think Alayna’s blog post was tongue in cheek. I didn’t get it either until I got to the part about the “unbearable weather.” Then I knew she had to have been kidding.
I think it was more foot in mouth than tongue in cheek
Missing the fullness and body if beer fest, but with strong notes of joy. (To expound: I missed my first beer fest in years due to the birth of our daughter!)
Beautiful KC – and congratulations!
It was my first and last.
Really glad to hear that so many people had a bad experience at the beer festival. Hopefully y’all are being honest when you say that you won’t go next year. Maybe next year tickets will last longer than a day!
Ditto!
The crowd was definitely not heavily populated with Emory undergrads. It was a very 30 something “I had my sh*t together and managed to score a ticket in the 7 hours in which it took to sell out” crowd.
Did some people get hammered at a beer festival? Hell yes they did. I knew at least 10 people who attended and who made arrangements NOT to drive home (cabs, friends picking them up, etc). I work at 315 W. Ponce and the building’s lot has a large reasonably priced pay parking lot. There were hardly any additional cars in the lot than on a normal weekend. I left my own car there and had a friend pick me up. I don’t think I’m an exceptionally “model” citzen nor are most of my friends, but if we all managed to do things safely I think that’s a pretty good sample of the crowd.
The 2010 Great Decatur Beer Festival was, as usual, an unmitigated success and one hell of a good time. I feel sorry for you if you couldn’t enjoy it.
I also saw scowls on the faces of about 3/4 of the DPD officers who were working the festival from the very beginning. It was a beautiful 75 degree day and these guys are working a cherry assignment. I didn’t see what there was to scowl about. I didn’t see any fights or anyone passed out on the ground. Lighten up! And consider your source on anyone who “hates” to work that patch of Decatur that day.
Despite having lived here in Decatur for the last five years, this was my first beer fest. I’ve been to wine fest several times and thought with roughly twice as many tickets sold for beer fest as compared to wine fest that it was going to be way too crowded. However, I was pleasantly surprised – people were pretty well behaved and I didn’t see anyone who was so intoxicated as to be obnoxious. I’ll definitely be back next year (assuming I still have my sh*t together and get tickets the day they go on sale).
What I’m was/am annoyed with was the completely unprofessional execution of the merchandise stand/table. I waited 10-15 minutes to buy a shirt only to be told that I would have to come back at the end of the festival to pick it up – which I did – only to have to wait again FOR THEM TO PRINT THE SHIRT. Oh – and if I wanted the back printed, it was going to be another 10-15 minutes for that. Seriously – if you’re going to overcharge for shirts at a festival, plan ahead and actually have some quantity of shirts in various sizes that ARE READY TO SELL. Unbelievable. Assuming proceeds from the sale of merchandise also goes to the grantees, I suspect a LOT more money could have been made. There were many, many people that bailed from the line and opted not to buy shirts because of how poorly the whole thing was run.
So aside from the shirt debacle, a good time was had by all in my group. We’ll be back.
I had a similar experience – I bought a shirt and was not told that they were not available & I would have to wait for it to made until after I’d paid. I went back to the booth 4 times over the span of a couple hours, only got my shirt because I told them I was ready to leave the festival and had been back 4 times… I did not understand why they would not have had the shirts made in advance – it was kind of a debacle.
pleasently simplistic, warm with a hint of pumkin spice… add a tid bit of a smokey flavor, followed by an after taste of down right good, which makes your heart, mind, and soul feel like it did just right by supporting such important non profits!
That sounds a lot like the beer, er, day I experienced.
Asweet blast of sunshine and happy people surrounded by a very talented Beatles cover band.
I thought this was another huge success. Definitely not full of Emory students – the average age in the crowd was much closer to 40 than to 21. Great weather + great beer + great music = a great afternoon.
Building on DM’s note from above: I was amazed at how many people came in from other parts of the greater Atlanta metro. And everyone I spoke with went on and on about how they wished they could live in Decatur. Perhaps this was because they had all ‘over-tasted,’ but it seems like this event is just another way for us to continue to showcase our little burg.
And I’m pretty sure we aren’t going to turn into Buckhead (pre Ray Lewis), so one afternoon of people stumbling down our streets and spending their cash in our local businesses isn’t such a bad thing.
I’m with you, Robbie. I think you have to look at the bigger picture. Sure, I respect the police view that it seems out of character with Decatur, but let’s consider…
Pulling together a bunch of private and municipal interests and investing a lot of free labor to raise money for nonprofits? Seems pretty Decatur to me.
Celebrating the art and craft of something rather than just glorifying the generic? Also seems pretty Decatur.
Showcasing our fair city in a creative way that pulls potential future residents or repeat visitors from all over the Atlanta metro? Again, gotta say that sounds pretty Decatur.
Eye of the beholder, I guess, but seems like an awful lot of good when all we have to do is put up with some sloppy drunks for one afternoon.
Kvetching anonymously on a blog, that’s pretty Decatur.
Scott – I mentioned what ONE police officer said to me. You make it sound like the whole force is against the Beer Fest.
I am glad so many did enjoy the event. The money raised for charity is a great thing.
Still, if only 10% of 4000 attendees were sloppy drunks and only 5% drove home well over the legal limit ……….. that’s quite a crowd to manage in our little downtown.
I love this limited edition beer that is only available once a year….is complex as a combination of a porter, wheat beer, pilsner, dark ale all mixed up in one. Most enjoyable with more manageable lines, perfect weather etc. Only bad thing is that the beer is so good that I can’t finish it in time to head down to Little Five for the Halloween parade on the same day every year.
The only negative thing was the bad taste left in my mouth from all the negativity from others here. perhaps they will stay away and let others who wanted to attend but could not get tickets this year enjoy it next year.
Perhaps the cops were scowling because they were working and not having fun.
Wow. I had no idea that people would feel this way. This was my first time at the beer festival, and I will definitely be back. Yes, it was crowded, and yes, at 32 I still felt a little old — but I had a hell of a good time, tasted a lot of great beer, and didn’t have to drive anywhere to do it.
I do like the idea of offering a pre-sale to Decatur residents, although I don’t know how that would work. It would also be good to encourage more people to ride MARTA. I mean, you bought a ticket to drink beer for 5 hours – should you really be planning to drive?
You just gave me an idea, Demanda. What if your Beer Fest ticket came with a two-trip Marta pass? If I recall correctly, when you pick up your race number for the ING (or whatever it’s now called) you get a Marta pass included (no way all those people could drive in with many of the roads closed for the race).
So we would be encouraging more people to use mass transit – very Decatur. Plus, keeping people off the roads who shouldn’t be (not really our job to monitor, but a well placed “nudge” towards alternative transportation would surely be helpful).
That’s an outstanding idea, Robbie.
That’s a great idea! While I know MARTA isn’t the MOST convenient thing for a lot of people, it’s worth encouraging people to take it, especially when the train station is literally beneath the festival.
The beerfest was crowded and there were a LOT of rude drunk folks in a small area. Recipe for disaster? I agree that the tshirts should have been pre-printed. But I had no problem waiting. The folks working were trying their best to do a great job under the circumstances. I applaud them. They were nice and professional, even when being yelled at by the guy behind me in line. The only issue I had was with the drunk folks acting like babies over a tshirt. I’d rather stay home a drink a few beers with friends.
Crisp and refreshing with enough complexity to keep it interesting. Enjoyed the hoppy notes of the Susi French Connection and the Beatles cover band, and was surprised by the grassy stains on my jeans at the end of the day. Will return next year for another crack at this limited edition delight.
(As a longtime Decatur resident who has not been to the beer festival in a couple of years, I must say that the crowd control was excellent and the range of craft beers offered was nothing short of amazing. Kudos to all who organized and volunteered for this fabulous fundraiser!)
I LOVE this thread! You know why? Because it’s not the same old boring Democrat/Republican; new Decaturite/old Decaturite; children lover/crotch spawn hater cat fights that we are used to around here! Nope, this is even better. It’s sober old people, versus hip, young alcoholics! Now if I could just decide which side of that fight I fall on since I’ve got at least one from each category…
“Crotch spawn”?!? Oh. My. GAWD!!!
Yeah, kinda surprised myself that I didn’t get censored for that one
Sober old people? In Decatur? Hardly.
I have to wonder if I was at the same Beer fest as some of you. I didn’t wait in a line all day, talked to all very nice people, and didn’t see many college kids. Maybe I was just to drunk to remember.
Imports (friend visiting from out of state) and local brews (the usual suspects), hoppy (me, to Susi French Connection), room temperature (and what a great temp it was), amber (post sun), as diverse as the list at BSP.
My visiting friend echoed admiration for what I’ve always loved about Decatur Beer Fest and Decatur– a diverse range of ages and looks, wonderful volunteers, community investment, having fun for a great cause, fantastic music, an abundance of great beer and a happy good time.
Ah me. I’m too old and cranky for the beer fest, but I’m glad (most) had a great time. Spoke to the barkeep at the Chocolate Bar later that night, and he told us that a few fest patrons came in afterwards, ordered dessert and promptly fell sound asleep at the bar! Hilarious. But reminded me of my younger, non cranky years, when sleep came swiftly after multiple beers …have fun you 30 somethings, at the beer fest — this oldster is going to the Wine Festival!