Comments on: Six tips for enjoying World Beer Festival

By: AntoniaMatthews

AntoniaMatthews — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:41:19 +0000

I have to disagree with Kevin – I really prefer the Durham Beer Festival (although I’ve been to all of the Raleigh Beer Fest’s since they started holding the event in Raleigh in the Spring).

There is something more genuine about the Durham venue – maybe it’s just the ballpark connection as Ginny mentions. I do think that the tent set up tends to be better in the Athletic Park than it is in Moore Square – and having nothing but grass to hang out on is nice – no sidewalks or concrete curbs.

I usually skip the hourly tastings – but based on Jeff’s assessment above, know I will need to make time to check those out this year!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:46:41 +0000

I can definitely endorse the hourly tastings. At the Spring Raleigh Festival I partook in those for the first time.
Here’s why they are great:
* Sit down
* No crowds to fight
* A flight of 6 beers grouped around an idea
* Interesting information about the beers
* Chance to try beers in a new context
* Volunteers come to you to pour your sample

Cheers.

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:44:52 +0000

Ginny totally agree on your Durham logic. I always seem to have more fun in Durham. Another tip to possibly add is to talk to the brewers and see if they are having any special limited edition brews available for limited tasting. Last year I remember Stone Brewing, Brooklyn Brewery and Smaltz (the people who do “Hebrew” Beer) all had special edition beers only available at a certain hour for tasting. In both cases they were worth the trip back to that part of the tent.

By: jonathan

jonathan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:24:54 +0000

so very excited. i went to wbf durham last year and had a ball.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:56:24 +0000

@Kevin I will not correct any grammatical mistakes, but I must say that I believe that the Raleigh venue is not better. I’d like to use the word “different” and not give preference to either venue.

Some things you might not have considered (or been aware of) about Durham’s venue: It is within short walking distance to the gorgeous new transportation center (helpful for Durham residents who want to take the bus). I assume this would also get you to a Triangle Transit Authority bus, allowing you to transfer over to Raleigh/Cary/Chapel Hill, etc. Though I am not sure about that. Here’s a link to my pretty pictures of the new facility:
http://www.ginnyfromtheblog.com/2009/02/04/new-durham-transportation-station-will-improve-bus-service-for-bull-city/

Next, the ballpark is within easy walking distance to quite a few restaurants in Durham, including Brightleaf Square. My personal favorite, The Federal, is easily walkable. The American Tobacco district is also walkable, so you can continue the fun at Tyler’s Taproom or eat at Mellow Mushroom or the new, very cool Cuban Revolution.

And while the shade of Moore Square is nice, you have to admit that being on the grounds of a ballfield is pretty awesome. There are plenty of tents to hang out under. And you always have the shade of the seating area to relax.

So, I hope you will consider my counter argument and perhaps agree that Raleigh’s venue isn’t better, just different.

All the best,

Ginny (from the blog)

P.S. Definitely do not take exes. Also, I caution against hooking up with anyone you meet at Beer Festival. Talk about the opportunity for beer goggles to change your perception.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:47:04 +0000

Please excuse my poor use of tense and many grammatical mistakes.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:46:06 +0000

I’m not trying to knock Durham, but I think the Raleigh venue is much better. I believe Moore Square provides a nice shade tree environment, with surrounding restaurants and bars. Not to mention your friendly local homeless. Moore Square is also adjacent to Moore Square Station, Raleigh’s central bus station. I took the bus downtown for my last WBF, and it was super convenient.

Now having said that, you wait for Raleigh and skip Durham? Absolutely not! You should do both.

Some lessons from my prior experiences:

1) Do not drink before the festival. This was a poor move on my part.
2) Do drink after the festival. Keep the party going.
3) Do not take your ex-girlfriend, regardless of how “ex” she is.
4) Do consider taking your current girlfriend.
5) Do not drive, there’s no way you can make it through this event and operating heavy machinery.
6) Do consider public transportation. It’s free in some circumstances, cheap in all others. Raleigh or Durham, these festivals are accessible via bus in at least one direction.

By: jmeadows

jmeadows — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:44:39 +0000

I attended the Durham festival year before last and I actually enjoyed it, considering I’m a self-professed “beer-hater.” This is a good way for those that don’t really like beer to find some that they actually like!

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:52:56 +0000

Great post. This is my first year attending WBF and I`m pretty excited. That’s weird that they haven’t sold out yet because I had to try three different hotels before finding one that wasn’t booked solid.

I never heard of the Pretzal necklace. Great idea though!