Beer Festival Rough Draft (with a side of introspection)
Unbeknownst to many, this writer has a background in journalism, learned during a period of adolescence when the words adult and responsibility were as tangible as cancer and cure. Although I learned about everything from taking notes to speaking in front of a camera, much of the education was lost. But I did recall the importance of bias and avoiding what some called “gonzo journalism.”
For the uneducated, the tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) definition of gonzo journalism means to embed oneself in the subject of which you are reporting. This can be everything from participating in protesting, to working at a grocery store. In many cases, the writer/journalist might fail to disclose they have a working relationship with the subject they are talking about. For the pure journalist, this means you don’t own season tickets to a team if you’re discussing a potential departure from a city, or report on the recent opening of a delicatessen if you yourself are a silent partner.
When I started my website, I convinced myself that to remain impartial meant I did not work at or own any business that I mentioned on a daily/weekly basis. I stayed true to this for a long time. But over the years I started developing altruistic-sympathy for the local business owner, so I came up with the idea of promoting a beer festival, centered on “sessionable” beers. It has remained the only time I've simultaneously reported and promoted myself. With that in mind, I started “Session Fest”, with a few lessons learned along the way. Sitting down, I’ve decided to break down lessons learned.
Lesson #1. Location and attendance.
Excluding the first annual Session Fest, each year of the event centered on 5% and below beers, was hosted at and sponsored by Naked City Brewery and Taproom. As the event evolved it grew from a festival complimented mostly with blonde ales, pilsners, pale ales, and porters (or stouts) to featuring Berliner Weisse, Gose, session IPA, session ales, barrel-aged English-brown ales, and many more. Given the venue, this ‘festival’ was more or less a regular day, featuring a specific draft-list, promoted by the alehouse with a few breweries in attendance to giveaway merchandise to those willing to stop in. It was definitely not a paid admission event.
If I had to do it over again I would probably start with a location, that was capable of hosting no more than 1000 people at a time. It could be something as simple as a local park, an unused warehouse adjacent to a business, or something grandiose as the Crystal Ballroom. But 1000 feels manageable.
Lesson #2. A festival theme should promote trends that are more enduring than provisional
Let’s face it, brewers have been making so-called session ales and session lagers for years. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company built their business on one, called Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Locally, people like Mari and Will Kemper have been brewing lagers for years (starting at Thomas Kemper brewing and continued at Chuckanut Brewing), while the Widmer Brothers began the trend of orange slices in beer with their Hefeweizen. Today, many breweries are embracing this trend while avoiding homogeny with beer styles akin to Gose, Berlinerweiss, Table Beer, Grisette, and Radler.
When I conceived a style criteria it was to promote styles largely ignored either in part because the beer’s brewery lacked relevance or the style was too intimidating. I also failed to consider if ‘session’ beers were a passing fad or would increase in popularity as the industry’s founding imbibers began to grow older, their stamina failing, after consuming a few pints of India Pale Ale. Instead, the term ‘session’ is losing significance despite the beers continuing to be brewed.
Given the opportunity, I would probably focus more on styles which are versatile in their makeup. Begin with a style like a porter, which ranges from the brown porter, and a sessionable range of between 4 - 5%, all the way the barrel-aged imperial porter that is upwards of 14%. Continuing on, I might evolve the notion of a session beer, starting with an Imperial Stout before introducing them to a lighter version of the beer, called a small beer or second running, using the spent grains from the first brewing session. Finally, I would work with brewers to maybe showcase hybrid styles (e.g. India Pale Lager).
Lesson #3. Build a foundation from local breweries but don’t be afraid to go elsewhere.
As Session Fest evolved, I wanted to reflect the philosophy of the host taproom, by incorporating as many local breweries as possible. It started with phone calls to every brewery along the Western Washington, before extending the invitation towards Oregon, Idaho, and even Montana. Like any “perfectly planned” event, there were setbacks both in guaranteed deliveries as well as committed beer being revoked or substituted at the last minute. Overall, I'm happy that a majority of the beer came from within the state.
Given the theme, it might difficult to find local businesses willing to match the design of the festival. This is mostly in part because a beer festival is an opportunity for a brewery to get their beer in your stomach and thoughts. If you’ve ever visited the Oregon Brewers Festival or Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp Across America, you’ve probably posed the question “why haven’t I visited that brewery?”. But as long the breweries were willing to supply the festival with the beers needed, I would always, always, start with local because it’s cheaper (mostly), shipping is shorter, and festival goers don’t have far to drive to refresh their minds and palates about that beer they tried.
Lesson #4. People are inspired to drink beers that match the colors of the season.
Session Fest first began in September during a period when people were looking forward to fresh-hopped ale, Oktoberfest, and much darker beers. Most people weren’t really interested in something that although had the visual characteristics of the sun (bright, yellow, orange) lacked the warmth our gas giant provided. Which explains why people sought out dunkel, marzen, or barleywine, while eschewing a pilsner or pale ale. Needless to say the first year wasn't as popular as hoped.
With a theme showcasing dark and light beers, it might make sense to host between early September thru December, depending on the beer styles chosen (eg. comparing a single hop pale ale with a fresh-hop single hop pale vs. Eisbock versus doppelbock). In addition, the festival would recognize that people’s lives can revolve around sports, which is why we would do our best to schedule it during away or bi-weeks. Afterall, if one has to choose between standing around drinking beer versus sitting in the comfort of one’s home and yelling at the screen, we think we know which they’d prefer.
Lesson #5. Glassware makes the difference.
As Session Fest was hosted at a taproom, I had no issues with glassware as the choices were the same as the previous week. In addition, it made little sense to reach out to a local glass company to design and produce limited-edition glassware. This, of course, was before people began photographing everything and anything that moved. Oh and I cannot stress the importance of researching the location and ensuring whatever glassware you use, is durable and also ‘Instagramable’. Ever listen to the tulcit drones of drunk, festival-goers, after someone shattered their glass on the ground? It's annoying.
If I’m hosting a festival in a warehouse, I will more than likely be using clear plastic glassware. While if it’s in the outdoors, where grass or other soft surface is underneath, I find nothing shameful about providing people with a nice glass pint or snifter. Some examples of styles I prefer can be found at Belgianfest in Seattle, Fresh Hop Fest in Yakima, and the Oregon Brewers Festival.
Ongoing lesson and thoughts.
When I started Session Fest, I spent several hundred dollars and received no profit in return. This was deserved as the business paid for the beer, while I paid for the published advertising. Obviously, it goes without saying that if I’m going to organize, promote, and manage this ‘hypothetical’ beer festival, it stands to reason I would want to charge enough to cover the costs while making sure that every goer walks away happy. In the end, time will tell if I return to promoting a beer festival. But you can be assured that when or if I do, it will be memorable.
