Ottawa WinterBrewed Festival Feb 14-16

[spinrsx]

the perfect valentines day gift!

http://www.winterbrewed.com/

3-day, Indoor session-based craft beer festival (7 x 3-hour sessions);

In the heart of the Glebe
Fifth Avenue Court and Arrow & Loon Pub, 99 fifth avenue, Ottawa ON

Dates and times:

Beer Lovers Evening: Valentine’s Day,
Friday, February 14th, 2014: 1 session;
7PM – 10PM

Saturday, February 15th, 2014: 3 sessions;
11AM – 2PM, 3PM – 6PM, and 7PM – 10PM

Sunday, February 16th, 2014: 3 sessions;
11AM – 2PM, 3PM – 6PM, and 7PM – 10PM


Picture
Admissions:
$12 per person in advance
$15 per person at the door (if session passes don’t sell out in advance)

Admission fee includes access to session, festival glass, and first sample;

[cfrancis]

Pass. $12 for a three hour window to drink and you pay on top for samples.

Also they are going to try and spread out the releases so you may have to buy multiple sessions in order to get what beers you want.

[spinrsx]

how about free beer?

[pushkinwow]

Pass. $12 for a three hour window to drink and you pay on top for samples.

Also they are going to try and spread out the releases so you may have to buy multiple sessions in order to get what beers you want.

I don't mind paying for samples as that is just standard fair in Ontario but not sure I like different / special releases at different sessions from a beer geek perspective - although understand it from attracting people to different sessions. Will probably try to go to one session anyways though...not sure which works best with nap time

[cfrancis]

Pass. $12 for a three hour window to drink and you pay on top for samples.

Also they are going to try and spread out the releases so you may have to buy multiple sessions in order to get what beers you want.

I don't mind paying for samples as that is just standard fair in Ontario but not sure I like different / special releases at different sessions from a beer geek perspective - although understand it from attracting people to different sessions. Will probably try to go to one session anyways though...not sure which works best with nap time

I don't mind paying for samples. That should be a given, but don't charge an entrance fee on top of that. Or charge entry and make the samples free.

[icemachine]

Pass. $12 for a three hour window to drink and you pay on top for samples.

Also they are going to try and spread out the releases so you may have to buy multiple sessions in order to get what beers you want.

I don't mind paying for samples as that is just standard fair in Ontario but not sure I like different / special releases at different sessions from a beer geek perspective - although understand it from attracting people to different sessions. Will probably try to go to one session anyways though...not sure which works best with nap time

I don't mind paying for samples. That should be a given, but don't charge an entrance fee on top of that. Or charge entry and make the samples free.

I can see the logic for charging both admission and samples, as long they are kept to a reasonable level. Entrance costs cover the fixed cost per guest, while the token prices cover the beer, saving those drink at moderate levels from paying for those who choose to drink more

[midlife crisis]

I don't mind paying for samples. That should be a given, but don't charge an entrance fee on top of that. Or charge entry and make the samples free.

So who pays for hall rental, sampling glasses, serving staff, set-up costs, etc, etc then?

[cfrancis]

I don't mind paying for samples. That should be a given, but don't charge an entrance fee on top of that. Or charge entry and make the samples free.

So who pays for hall rental, sampling glasses, serving staff, set-up costs, etc, etc then?

Comes out of the cost for the samples. You buy tickets from the organizer, they use that money to reimburse breweries, hall rental, sampling glasses, etc.

Serving staff would either be provided by breweries or volunteers. I can't think that a festival of this proposed size has too big of an overhead.

Cass might be able to shine some light because of the Brewers Market events in Ottawa which is going to be very similar to Winterbrewed.

[icemachine]

Comes out of the cost for the samples. You buy tickets from the organizer, they use that money to reimburse breweries, hall rental, sampling glasses, etc.

Serving staff would either be provided by breweries or volunteers. I can't think that a festival of this proposed size has too big of an overhead.

Cass might be able to shine some light because of the Brewers Market events in Ottawa which is going to be very similar to Winterbrewed.

Overhead costs though are pretty much a fixed amount per guest, not based on how much each guest drinks.

[Kel Varnsen]

I can see the logic for charging both admission and samples, as long they are kept to a reasonable level. Entrance costs cover the fixed cost per guest, while the token prices cover the beer, saving those drink at moderate levels from paying for those who choose to drink more

Ideally the beer would be free or at least very cheap, and the cost for the beer would be recovered by the fact that people try new beer, like it and then buy it again and again (or at least tell people about this really awesome beer they tried). Like the samples they give out at Costco.

[grub]

Ideally the beer would be free or at least very cheap, and the cost for the beer would be recovered by the fact that people try new beer, like it and then buy it again and again (or at least tell people about this really awesome beer they tried). Like the samples they give out at Costco.

if you're going with a Costco analogy, then the samples would be ~ 1oz and if you wanted to try more than that you'd have to buy a keg

but seriously, if you expect to get free samples, they'd have to be small like this, and then everyone would whine about the size, and whine when they still had to pay if they wanted a pint of something...

I'd much rather pay a fixed entry fee (to cover the fixed costs, as others have suggested) than to have per-sample prices overly inflated to cover the fixed costs. That's the most fair way to do it - the per person costs are equal per person, rather than being subsidized by those who choose to drink more.

[rejtable]

if you're going with a Costco analogy, then the samples would be ~ 1oz and if you wanted to try more than that you'd have to buy a keg

but seriously, if you expect to get free samples, they'd have to be small like this, and then everyone would whine about the size, and whine when they still had to pay if they wanted a pint of something...

I'd much rather pay a fixed entry fee (to cover the fixed costs, as others have suggested) than to have per-sample prices overly inflated to cover the fixed costs. That's the most fair way to do it - the per person costs are equal per person, rather than being subsidized by those who choose to drink more.

Totally agree here. This isn't much of an entry fee, more of a "pain in the ass" fee.

My bigger issue with this event is that it appeals to me far less, especially in venue if not in beer, than the Festibière this weekend. I get why they want to at least get some kind of winter beer fest in this year during Winterlude for continuity purposes, but that courtyard thing doesn't inspire me much, and the Arrow and Loon is depressing.

[Kekumba]

Speaking of Festibiere, any specific info on what beers breweries are bringing?

[midlife crisis]

if you're going with a Costco analogy, then the samples would be ~ 1oz and if you wanted to try more than that you'd have to buy a keg

but seriously, if you expect to get free samples, they'd have to be small like this, and then everyone would whine about the size, and whine when they still had to pay if they wanted a pint of something...

I'd much rather pay a fixed entry fee (to cover the fixed costs, as others have suggested) than to have per-sample prices overly inflated to cover the fixed costs. That's the most fair way to do it - the per person costs are equal per person, rather than being subsidized by those who choose to drink more.

Totally agree here. This isn't much of an entry fee, more of a "pain in the ass" fee.

My bigger issue with this event is that it appeals to me far less, especially in venue if not in beer, than the Festibière this weekend. I get why they want to at least get some kind of winter beer fest in this year during Winterlude for continuity purposes, but that courtyard thing doesn't inspire me much, and the Arrow and Loon is depressing.

But isn't the issue that the beer practically froze in the kegs last year, so it makes sense to move, like, indoors? I'm not from Ottawa; I'm genuinely asking. And what's wrong with the Arrow and Loon?

[rejtable]

But isn't the issue that the beer practically froze in the kegs last year, so it makes sense to move, like, indoors? I'm not from Ottawa; I'm genuinely asking. And what's wrong with the Arrow and Loon?

I have no issue with moving indoors. I had no interest in freezing my ass off last year in the pursuit of beer, so indoors is a good thing from where I sit. I just think the venue is a drawback instead of being neutral or a positive to me. Enough to have me not go? Maybe, but if they had some great beer lineup I'd overlook the crayon drawn beer list and lack of knowledge from the Loon staff.

If I had to choose only one event, I'd pick the one in Gatineau.