Beautiful blue sky, sunny, and so glad it wasn't raining but I believe this was the hottest day of…read morethe year so far. I was melting as soon as I got out of the car... thankfully the event was well organized and the "check-in" was a breeze. We got our tickets at the "will call" tent and in less than 2 minutes we were in. Immediately greeted with our tasking beer mug to quench the thirst.
Tents were labeled clearly, including Yelp, first in line, helping welcome everyone. They had some tents for crafts, jewelry, and clothing vendors, as well as some wine, vodka, and tequila brands.
The breweries' tents each had at least 2 different beers from their line for us to taste. Everyone was very friendly, explaining the differences between the beers they were offering, and some even took the time to learn a little about your beer taste to make recommendations. Was surprised how even being so hot outside, they managed to maintain the beers cold which was so much appreciated and so refreshing. Plus the amount of beer served was great, not that sip you usually get at some other tasting events, and if you liked it, you could come back for more.
I'm not too familiar with beer, just recently I started enjoying drinking it at social gatherings or with friends so I love these types of events to help me learn more and have more options for what to bring to a party or serve my friends when entertaining. Obviously I was able to find some I liked here. Between all my tastings here's the ones I'll be adding to my "Beer List":
Rooney's Old Irish Ale
Widmer Brothers Brewing Alchemy Ale
Coronado Brewing Company Idiot IPA (must admit I tried this one for the name) :p
Breckenridge Brewery SummerBright
Know Breing Wilua Ale
I loved that they had a selection of local beers on tap like Holy Mackerel, The Native, TBC and more.
Now, this was also a Burger event so of course we tried those too. I don't know how many there were to try but I do remember my favorite ones.
Chuck, in my opinion, definitely wins the "Best Burger" title. That burger was perfection. Classic, juicy, flavorful, comforting... Not surprised at all they got the "King of all Burgers" title last year.
My "Best Alternative" went to Cha Cha's with their slider Kale & quinoa burger with humus on whole wheat.
My last award, the "Most Innovative Burger" went to Vic & Angelo's Saltimbocca Burger. This was a sage infused burger with black garlic aioli, sun-dried tomato marmalade, prosciutto di parma, gorgonzola dolce and baby spinach. All I can say is I want more!! Absolutely amazing that burger...
Other two worth mentioning were the ones from III Forks and Four Seasons.
This was their Second year doing this event and, by what I experienced, I'd say (and hope) they have many more years to come. It was an excellent event, fun, delicious, and great way to promote their businesses. Making a note to lookout for next year's dates.