Ginny from the Blog

I arrived at World Beer Festival promptly at noon on Saturday. Organizers had caged off nearly every sliver of downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square with a chain link fence, and all I wanted to do was be inside it. But as my friend Graham and I rounded the corner, we saw the line of the other thirsty festival-goers snaking around a parking lot. We stood patiently in line waiting for our chance to turn over our tickets for one of the small, plastic beer glasses that would be holding our brews all day. The line moved quickly, and soon we were ushered into a tent lined on both sides with brewers ready to pour us as many different varieties of beer as we were willing to drink.

Soon we were sipping on stouts, pale ales and porters from the likes of the Starr Hill Brewery in Charlottesville, Va. to Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colorado. And by sipping, I truly mean chugging. We walked downtown to avoid the inevitable parking hassle a festival-filled Saturday would bring and because of the inevitable beer buzz created by four hours of drinking. So after making the trek in the heat, we were thirsty. The day was punctuated by the sound of volunteers emptying recycling bins causing the glass bottles to clank together a medley that made the crowd erupt with cheers (take a listen below).

After throwing back a few tasty brews, it was time to leave the tent and see what the food vendors had to offer. Graham was satisified with some vegetarian samosas, while I opted for a chicken gyro. It was at that point that beer fest got three times better. Only after stepping outside our original beer-filled tent did I discover that there were TWO MORE huge tents filled with brewers and beer.We wandered in and out of the beer havens for the next four hours. Taking needed brakes in the shade, munching on food and, of course, braving the long bathroom lines. I wish I had kept better track of the beers I drank, because there were so many delicious brews I’d like to seek out again. But there was one that I was so smitten with, that I’ll never forget: the Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery in Denver, Colorado. It was chocolately with an smooth vanilla finish and was the only beer I got refills of.

As 4 o’clock rolled around, we were tired, bloated by beer and ready to go. I called Raleigh Rickshaw for a ride, and we rolled to the furthest edge of downtown, then stumbled the rest of the way home. Here’s a clip from the ride home:

And finally, here’s a cool video made with pictures I snapped throughout the day using animoto. I was introduced to this site a while back by blogger and beautiful picture taker Abby, and finally tried it out. See the rest of my Beer Fest pictures on Flickr.

Were you at beer fest? What did you think?

1. Because it’s entirely possible to go to a fashion show based on the theme of using plastic bags. This show was at the Whole Foods in Raleigh on Earth Day.

2. Because Durham residents are so passionate about local politics that they will go to great lengths to display their support.

3. Because you can go to a wine fest one weekend (this pic was taken at the Great Grapes! fest in Cary last Saturday), then go to the World Beer Festival the following weekend (I’ll be at the Raleigh event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday).

What are three reasons why you love the Triangle (or greater Triangle area)?

Here’s something that’s not hard to get behind: Free beer, education and supporting local businesses.

Once a month, Big Boss Brewing Company offers free tours of its Raleigh-based brewery. It’s almost too good to be true, but since I experienced it first-hand Saturday, I can happily report it’s not.

So you stand in line for like 15 minutes, and you’re given two free drink tickets. Then you can sample some drafts, chat with your friends and then have the laid-back staff explain a bit about the beer making process to you.

Truth be told, this is probably similar to all brewery tours, but since Saturday’s was my first time inside a brewery, I have no comparison.

I fell for my first Big Boss brew a week ago, when I tried the Bad Penny Brown Ale at Landmark Tavern (a new, somewhat swanky bar on Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh).

Anyway, the guys running the tour have just the right amount of sarcasm and pride in their work to make for a fun tour.

If you want to check it out for yourself, the brewery offers free tours at 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month. And if you have any other local beer tips, suggestions, etc., for me, don’t hold out. Please pass it along.

So I checked out the “beer caucus” at Flying Saucer in Raleigh last night to see which presidential candidates patrons most wanted to drink a beer with. I spoke with Dean Plunkett of the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association who clarified that he hoped people based their vote on something more significant than who they’d like to drink with.

If you missed the event, you can still vote online.

Which candidate do you think I picked? I’ll let you know if you get it right.

So you’re at the bar, and in walks the remaining presidential candidates. They each plop down at a separate table, and you’re allowed to join only one of them. Who do you pick?

That’s what the folks at the North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association want to know. They’re planning a “beer caucus” at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Those who attend will be asked which candidate they’d prefer to have a beer with in 2008. They’ll count the ballots and declare a winner.

“With all of the rigors of a campaign – attack ads, phone calls, direct mail – Americans know sometimes it just comes down to who you want to have a beer with,” said Dean Plunkett Executive Director of North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association (NCBWWA). “We hope this campaign reminds voters that at the end of the day, while issues are very important, so is friendly conversation and good-natured debate. Having a beer with someone represents getting to know someone better, and that’s what the campaign season is all about – getting to know these candidates better.”

I think the event sounds like fun (especially since I’m a member of the Saucer’s U.F.O. Club and am working on drinking 200 different beers so I can have my brass plate added to the wall). But I think Mr. Plunkett’s suggestion that “sometimes it just comes down to who you want to have a beer with” is ignorant.

Maybe it is a sad but true reality that some Americans do cast ballots based on who they’d rather sip a beer with instead of a candidate’s stance on important issues (isn’t that how some say Bush got elected?). But that shouldn’t be the reason you vote for any particular candidate. It’s our duty as Americans to research the candidates and enter the voting booth with, at a minimum, a somewhat legitimate reason for why we’re voting for someone.

I don’t care who you vote for in the upcoming presidential election. I don’t care if your vote cancels my vote out. Just please, do not base your vote on who you would rather have a beer with.

That being said, which presidential candidate would you most want to chug a lug with?