The Bar Towel

lister wrote:Good to know they're releasing it earlier now.

Where did you see this?

DeMarco wrote:

lister wrote:Good to know they're releasing it earlier now.

Where did you see this?

Tomas Morana responded to an email that I sent and told me that they will be releasing the list next Monday.

Provost Drunk wrote:

DeMarco wrote:

lister wrote:Good to know they're releasing it earlier now.

Where did you see this?

Tomas Morana responded to an email that I sent and told me that they will be releasing the list next Monday.

Ah i just saw your response in this thread. Thanks!

Cass wrote:FOBAB in Chicago doesn't release their beer list until you walk in the front door. Last year they had 400 beers. I kind of like the surprise of walking in and exploring, but I understand that people want to target certain beers to try.

That feels like a recipe for making people mad that they missed out on something just because they didn't know it was there. Even just listing breweries doesn't really help anymore when many breweries produce 100+ variations etc.

Or, one could stop being a ticker for just one day and enjoy the festival as it comes to them on the day of the event.

midlife crisis wrote:Or, one could stop being a ticker for just one day and enjoy the festival as it comes to them on the day of the event.

There's 200 awesome beers at a festival but you managed to drink 20 of the shitty ones because you took them as they came. Did you enjoy the festival? If so... good for you.

midlife crisis wrote:Or, one could stop being a ticker for just one day and enjoy the festival as it comes to them on the day of the event.

I'm not a ticker at all. I do want to make sure I have all the beers that I think I'll enjoy or am downright curious about. Cask Days is a mad house any day other than Friday afternoon (never done either Sunday sessions yet.) It's simply not possible to just do Cask Days on a whim as it comes to you. I would really like it to be that sort of atmosphere* where that can happen but reality says otherwise. Beers run out. Big crowds around certain areas. Out of the beers I select, I guess what will be popular and do them first (learned from experience) then get on with the rest I've selected. Plus not all beers are available on whatever session(s) I'm at so additional selections are needed. Once the popular beers are done I go through the rest via a typical beer tasting regimen. That needs to be all planned out so time isn't wasted at the event.

Ideally I want the beer list before I plunk down my $$$ but Cask Days has earned the delay. Other festivals haven't and I either simply don't go to those or bitch at them for releasing a list early.

* I've done a couple of laid back beer festivals and they were very lovely and ideal.

JerCraigs wrote:

Cass wrote:FOBAB in Chicago doesn't release their beer list until you walk in the front door. Last year they had 400 beers. I kind of like the surprise of walking in and exploring, but I understand that people want to target certain beers to try.

That feels like a recipe for making people mad that they missed out on something just because they didn't know it was there. Even just listing breweries doesn't really help anymore when many breweries produce 100+ variations etc.

You've clearly never been to FoBAB. Nobody walks out of there upset they didn't get to try enough good beer. Picture 200 or so offerings that are roughly on par with Bellwoods Bring Out Your Dead, and that's just the stout section.

Cask Days is a different beast, because the overall beer quality is nothing like FoBAB. Picking and choosing is pretty necessary, if you want to avoid disappointment. But I've never really had trouble figuring out what I want to try next on the day of with the help of that little booklet they put out. For me, it's part of the fun.

I'm going for the first time this year, my plan was to just show up and see what I can get my hands on, I've barely paid attention to the brewery list. I'm guessing since my expectations are low, I won't be disappointed.
I also don't really know what to expect. During a night of drinking Drunk ErkLR was told by an attractive lady friend that they should go to Cask Days. He knows my credit card number and so now I have a ticket. That guy gets me in to more situations...

midlife crisis wrote:Or, one could stop being a ticker for just one day and enjoy the festival as it comes to them on the day of the event.

I got shit to do man, can't be enjoying a festival like I'm watching golf.

DeMarco wrote:

midlife crisis wrote:Or, one could stop being a ticker for just one day and enjoy the festival as it comes to them on the day of the event.

I got shit to do man, can't be enjoying a festival like I'm watching golf.

Damn straight.

Is anyone still looking for tickets?

I have an early entry pass for the Saturday afternoon session (Session #3) that I can't use. Let me know if anyone is interested!

The cask list is up.

And it looks great! 8 Oxbows and 7 Cascades!

10%+ cascades at that. Wow.