Key West Brewfest - Part 2

Arriving at the Key West Brewfest, we were right on time.  And I mean right on time.  This is another way of me saying we could have been earlier and that would have been just fine.  The booth was all set up and the beer was iced down (a big THANK YOU to Brown Distributing for that), and we were ready to rack and roll.  We were pouring Hazed & Infused, Sweaty Betty, Mojo, and Kinda Blue.  We also took some Hoopla Pale Ale to cast upon the city and let them get a taste of it.  We had a few shirts and a ton of posters to give away, so we were all set.

For the first hour, we just had the VIP folks in so it was slow going.  This allowed us to leave two at the table while the other wandered around and got a few more beers in them that they may have not gotten to try yet.  An excellent situation as there are some breweries in that area that we don't get to see very often such as Tequesta and Funky Buddha.  I was very excited to have some brews from these guys as I have not made it to their individual outlets yet.  Additionally, there were some other breweries that were brand spanking new there and we got a sneak peak at them before they became widely available.  VERY cool.

I went first and made my rounds.  There was a great steel drum band playing and the weather was beautiful.  Really can't think of a more idyllic place at this time of year and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all of the people who made it possible for us to be there  (including Honda, who makes a fine automobile).

One of the glaring characteristics we all noticed about the crowd was that everyone was just having a great time.  As much as that sounds like a "well duh" statement, it is actually not that common.  These guys we just chillin'.  Even the bathroom mines were extremely courteous which usually doesn't happen.  I'm lovin' the vibes down here!  Never once did I feel overcrowded or rushed.  Very, very good event.

I was able to make my rounds and see some of my favorite buds to search out at events:  Wallace from Terrapin, Chuck from Dogfish, Rich from Brooklyn, James from Harpoon, et al.  I always look forward to seeing these guys.  It's as if we get a little piece of home away from home by our own company.  Very strange but very real.

The folks from Brown were awesome and helped us out huge.  By the time the event ended, we were all feeling pretty well and made plans to meet up later at a really great place called The Porch.

The Porch is a really nice spot sitting inside a large plantation style home located on Caroline Street just off Duval.  They carry a very nice selection of draft beer and wine.  A flight of stairs leads up to the "porch" itself and there is always a nice crowd outside enjoying the sights and sounds of Key West.  Inside, you'll find decor reminiscent of a darker side of Key West, somewhat of a Dia de Los Muertos Light.  With the noise from the street and the activity on the porch itself, we were drawn back outside after ordering some beers and sauntered onto the deck to look out on the streets below.  Very nice to be at a distance and with the commotion at once.  A great spot.

Once finishing the beer festival and beer at The Porch, we headed back to the hotel.  Again, an early night in bed for an attempt at an early morning to get started.

Sunday morning meant a refill at Fat Tuesday and a walk down to a place that Rip wanted to go back and see, The Smallest Bar in Key West.  The attraction - a giant fresh pineapple filled with rums and exotic juices finished with cut cored pineapple.  A meal on its own and a great opportunity to catch a buzz, never mind continuing the buss that Fat Tuesday's brought on.  The proprietor was a nice lady who made the concoction herself after chopping up the fruit and filling the pineapple with the spirit.  I myself had a simple pint glass with the same mix which was quite delicious.  A good stop to be sure.

At this point we needed some grub and had heard some good things about Amigos Tortilla Bar.  Naturally, fish tacos were a requirement so first task was to ensure that they had it on the menu.  Sho 'nuff and we go in to see what is going on.  they had Abita Root Beer on draft!  I love Abita Root Beer on draft.  Ordered one - they were out.  Damn!  Changed my order to a Modelo Especial - out.  Damn!  The waitress brings me a Dos Equis instead - on the house.  YES!!!  Great food and a great hot sauce to boot - Mexican Butt Blaster.

Rip had wanted to hit the water since we arrived and outside of a brief jump in the water at the beer festival, we hadn't had salt outside of that that was on our tortilla chips at Amigos.  Therefore, we looked for a boat to rent.  Something to get us out in the ocean and something we could use to jump into the deep blue for some time.  Sold out.  Labor Day Weekend, duh.  We shoulda planned this better.

Instead, we found they had a few seats left on a giant catamaran that offered all you can drink beer and sparkling wine.  Done.

The company was a massive one in Key West called Fury Water Adventures and they have all kinds of kiosks set up around town trying to sell you different stuff.  I'm not normally into this big corporate stuff, but we had little choice and the catamaran seemed fun enough.  The tickets were $37.  Pretty cheap so I wasn't expecting much considering that it included free beer.  The image in my head was one of an over-packed trip into the water with a bunch of sweaty, smelly tourists sitting elbow to elbow.  not an appealing idea.

When we got onto the boat, we walked up to the third level and found a few people sitting around, mostly in their early 20s taking in some sun and awaiting the captain's orders.  We took a seat on the ground and started taking some pictures.  When the captain finally came on to announce our instructions, he let us know that although we were on the third level and the booze was being poured on the first level, the staff would bring around pitchers of beer and bottles of wine to keep our glasses full.  "Yeah right" I thought to myself.  "We'll be lucky to see these guys once."

Once we got out onto the water, the first round of drinks came out and filled up our cups.  About halfway through, another round.  Then another.  Another.  These guys rocked!   And they were super friendly.  Nice, polite fellas who seemed to be enjoying spending time with all we smelly people.  The captain was super friendly and we sailed straight at the sun until it started to hit the horizon at which time we started back.  Great picture opps the entire time and I wish I had had a better camera.

For $37, Rachel pointed out we would have spent more than that at a bar having drinks.  This way, we got a cruise and really cool people.  I would highly suggest this trip if you head down to Key West.

After the boat, we were whipped.  Back to the room and the end of our trip.  A great few days and I feel very, very lucky to have been able to take part.  Thanks to everyone who made it happen and as always, Cheers!

Wazoo Festival and Some Great Folks

If you are around something long enough, you can grow weary of it.  Even as wonderful as the beer scene is, it is difficult to get up for spending hours giving beer to people.  It sounds fun ,and believe me it is.  But there are only so many times that you can hear the statements "Gimme the lightest thing you got", gimme the strongest thing you've got", or my favorite "just pour something in my glass."

As professionals who takes this business very seriously, it is important to us that we spread some knowledge about our product and hopefully get them excited about our brand.  This is very difficult with 500 people throwing cups at you and telling you how much they love Blue Moon while you pour them a perfectly balanced and citrusy IPA just to watch them throw their tongue out and dump the sample in front of you as if you just took the jam out of their doughnut.  

What's worse than 500 of these people?  5000 of these people.

So when we get asked if we want to give our brands some "exposure" and donate beer to an event where there are 5000 meatheads in Affliction shirts wanting to show off to their girlfriends who don't like beer how much they have learned over their past 6 months of drinking $3 Shock Tops at their local bar - we're not as excited as you may think.  Personally, I'd rather work an intimate event with a fraction of that number of people who really care about the business than Mr. Affliction, but somehow these massive moneymakers get the attention; so we go, go, go with a smile.  

What we need here is some enthusiasm.  

Me and my crew arrived at this Mega-Event at 4:00 to prepare for the 7:30 start time and began to set up our tables.  Bringing lots of really nice stuff, setting it out, and pulling it off the tables because it would be tampered with or stolen is no fun - but it seems every time that decision is made in the interest of prudence.  This occurs as always and the crew left me behind to gather our volunteers and get them up to speed on product.  

As it turns out, we were going to be given three helpers per booth and that was great news.  This event gets packed and the more help the better.  As it turns out, the help we got was not just help, but lifesavers.  Some call it divine intervention, some maybe just a result of good juju, but I just look at it as a constant lesson to appreciate what you got.

What did we get?  We got 24 hands who were awesome, awesome, awesome; and they spread that excitement that I needed to get back into this business that I love so much.

When they showed up, each group selected which table they wanted to operate (we had 4) and started getting to work getting set up.  Mind you, these folks had never worked a beer festival before, but all were ready to jump doing the heavy lifting, filling up the ice, getting organized, and preparing to the onslaught.

We went from table to table, explaining the brands and the flavors of each; a little history on the brands; and some FAQs that we have found over time.  All were extremely attentive and were very interested in what we were telling them.  Now this is what I love about the business!

When the crowd finally started to filter in, there was a calmness over the crew that I wasn't feeling myself.  having been through this before, my heart was pounding preparing for the madness.  But strangely, the calm of the volunteers made me feel much better and what I saw in them made me feel completely confident in what we were about to do.

Then came the rain.  And a power outage.


This was no small mist either.  This was a downpour.  In fact, we joked a little about being at the Zoo and expecting Noah's Ark to pull up to let them in.  And as with all water - it got into everything.  Our volunteers got soaked.  They tried to move the tables under the shelter at the carousel where we were located, but they got drenched in the process.  The beer got all washed out and the ice in the tubs disappeared.  It was getting late, cold, and miserable.  Add to this there were no lights.  People were holding their phones up for lights, glow sticks, lightning bugs, whatever they could find to emit some light.  

The great folks helping us didn't relent.  Smiling, they got everyone served and never complained one bit about the rain.  This massive crowd was stuck elbows to elbows in the shelter and the rain showed no sign of slowing, but everyone was having a great time.  My smile and faith in humanity was indeed returning.

While I don;t always enjoy larger festivals, this episode of the Wazoo Festival was great and I ma thankful for the volunteers who stepped up and showed some amazing spirit given terrible conditions.  These are the people who end up making me feel proud to be in this business and man was I glad to have them there that night.  Cheers!