Love them or hate them, you can't argue that Three Floyds doesn't do things exactly how they want. Saturday's 15th Anniversary party wasn't just a party and beer release; it was a triumph of conviction. 
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Of course, there was beer: Baller Stout --
"This massive stout [that's the] combined effort of Three Floyds, Surly, Struise and Mikkeller. Literally, we brewed Darklord, Darkness, Black Albert, and Beer Geek Brunch with our friends at our brewery then blended them. This is a celebration of not only our fifteen years, but also the international craft brewing industry and those of you that support it."along with additional bottles of one-offs and leftovers.
In addition, the parking lot was covered with a tent and became a sort of beer geek's bier garden paradise, with full selections from the collaboration-participating breweries, in addition to selections from Floyds' friends Port Brewing.
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There were bands, food, lines (there are always lines), but in general the crowd seemed like a happy one, with beer geeks from all over sharing in the wealth that had descended upon the brewery once again.
To say that one beer was the star of the show would be ludicrous - everything was great (including the ridiculous sandwich above). While some beer did eventually run out - have you ever been to a beer event with endless selection? - the smiles on the faces of those around sent a clear message - this was another great event.
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Our congratulations to the entire Three Floyds crew, who deserve every bit of success they've had. It's inspirational to see folks who did it their own way win. Here's to the next 15 years and the continued reign of Three Floyds.
Fool me once... I'm so glad I decided not to attend another piss poor managed FFF event. All sorts of wonderful stories coming out from this weekend's Anniversary "Party" fiasco. I suppose if you enjoy showing up to a party that you paid to attend, and then having to wait in line for 3-4 hours before being let in, then you might have had an amazing time.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those complaints, I read Beer Advocate too. All I can tell you is that everyone I knew - folks that came early, and folks that came late - got in, got their beer, and had a good time.
ReplyDeleteWaiting in line four hours is certainly a problem - it seems like that if you showed up at 1:30 you basically got fucked. I can understand the frustration.
I'm not sure why 1:30 seemed to be the exact wrong time to show - most folks actually seems to have had a good time despite whatever issues they had with the event.
If these are the sorts of things that (justifiably) drive you nuts, your policy of non-attendance is the right one. But I also know a few thousand folks that'll be back next time.
lentils on a sandwich?!? hmmm.
ReplyDeleteand I'd go through quite a lot to get a taste of some of those beers. Pizza Port's 'plant to pint' = do want.