tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87120916463415542.post7036873177815153887..comments2024-02-23T08:43:07.382+00:00Comments on Wee Beefy's beer and pub blog: SIBA BeerX Sheffield 2013wee beefyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16922755344809968104noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87120916463415542.post-83547358926750444542013-03-21T01:14:00.259+00:002013-03-21T01:14:00.259+00:00Amusingly I now know who you mean!
I take your po...Amusingly I now know who you mean!<br /><br />I take your point re brewers - who can afford to give away £100.00 of beer? Well apart from Thornbridge and possibly Wells/Youngs, I suspect few. But my point was consumer wise. It makes it better for the consumer. I am one. Does the average punter base their opinion of a fest on price or necessary consideration of impact on breweries? <br /><br />Well, no, of course not. Doesn't make it fair of course. Just a more enjoyable customer experience.<br /><br />Also, I would have loved to have been able to afford to attend the Shakespeares fest but I had to prioritise. So, as a long time advocate of the Shakes, I know i'd have enjoyed that as well, but could not afford both. <br /><br />Overall the unrestricted choice of their's plus the huge range of styles at SIBA would have been the best option. Meaning neither was the ultimate format.<br /><br />Finally, I agree re the 500. Assuming the beers were donated (wastage consideration) and the rotation scheme was used in extremis, 500 beers were unlikely to have made it. But once again, I loved all but one of those I tried. And for Neil B, I should point out that I did so by choosing breweries I rate. Sure fire satisfaction, apart from 1.<br /><br />Perhaps a Shakespeare fest the weekend before would have made it the best fortnight of beer for many years?<br /><br />Ywee beefyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16922755344809968104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87120916463415542.post-78039610217439090222013-03-20T10:17:01.065+00:002013-03-20T10:17:01.065+00:00annoyingly, I probably would have had another stab...annoyingly, I probably would have had another stab Friday and/or Saturday, but for the fact the weekend was unbelievably cluttered, what with the Shakey and the Star in Hudds also having fests... as it happened the Star had 3 of the 10 breweries I wanted at Beer X, so I potentially missed 3, though I doubt all 500 beers even made it to the pumps over 3 days so who knows...<br /><br />As for the wastage policy, you say that makes it better... but for whom? certainly doesn't make it better for the brewer who has to donate probably over £100 worth of beer, and then buy it back for £3 a pint like everyone else!<br /><br />that's why for my money a pub fest is always better than a CAMRA or SIBA one - generally all beer available at start, and less concern about wastage cos the pub is still there after the fest. Ok they'll never have the sheer numbers of some 'proper' festivals, but they'll often have more than you can drink in even 2 or 3 sessions, and in any cases the list will be more interesting (partly due to not having to stick to intransigent BAGS rules and policies)<br /><br />obviously it would be unprofessional to name the 'celebrity' giving the speech, so lets just say in the case of his pub and brewery, 'Can He Fix It? Can he phuq!'Dave Uhttp://www.steelcitybrewing.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87120916463415542.post-82413293077820660162013-03-19T19:25:18.261+00:002013-03-19T19:25:18.261+00:00Hello Dave,
in some ways am quite glad that...Hello Dave, <br /><br /> in some ways am quite glad that there were some downsides - writing this post it felt very unnatural and disturbing not to have been annoyed. And am not being facetious when I say that.<br /><br />I didn't get Thursday night alas so not sure about any speech related malarkey.<br /><br />And I did consider that if you had a must have list you might be disappointed. I do agree in so far as I wanted to try plenty that in the end I never saw, and I suppose you could say that the rotation system means you didn't even know if they'd been on and run out or were still to come.<br /><br />I'd really like to know for definite if the beer was donated, as that is kind of pivotal to my interpretation. If it's all free then it could be considered expensive, although there is the benefit of all of it in one place (even if not at one time....) which is co-incidentally an argument for going to any beer festival, despite legitimate cnocerns over quality.<br /><br />Re which, I think I was swayed by the quality. That's what made me go back Saturday as much as choice to be fair.<br /><br />I think it's difficult to compare with a CAMRA festival because like you say there is probably no concerns about wastage. But then that just makes it better, even if the option to provide so much choice at the end is much more difficult for CAMRA fests where I am certain they pay for all the beer. <br /><br />Still, the main sense i came away with is that I'd enjoyyed what I'd spent my money, which is a decent bottom line. <br /><br />Seizure Soon.<br /><br />Y<br /> wee beefyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16922755344809968104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87120916463415542.post-19548796012191474382013-03-19T13:40:18.298+00:002013-03-19T13:40:18.298+00:00interesting take on it all, mine was slightly diff...interesting take on it all, mine was slightly different, as you can probably guess...<br /><br />the 'one price' system is common to all SIBA fests I've been to, frustrating if you want to drink lots of mild good if you want lots of keg IPA. overall it probably balnces out, though a tad steep given as you say the beer was donated (had at least 2 brewers tell me that)<br /><br />The rotation system is IMO ridiculous. The festival is advertised as 500 beers, yet you'd be lucky to see 100 at any given time. If like me you went with a 'shopping list' then you would be disappointed - I went to try 10 new to me breweries, NONE were available. Also, if you're gonna rotate them, there's no excuse to not have all pumps occupied at all times. <br /><br />As for plenty of beer left at the end - well it's a tad easier when you're not bothered about wastage cos the cost is borne by the brewers not the organisers!!<br /><br />Agree thirds were a positive, may more festivals in Ponds Forge take that lead...<br /><br />Heating-wise, I don't think one can blame the venue, most of the head was emanating from the light things over the bar, which I assume SIBA either supplied or stipulated, since they weren't in use for the BAGS fest<br /><br />Finally, on the Thursday I can't help but feel they looked a bit silly, following Keith Bott's SIBA chair) speech about all that is good about beer, to have a middle aged bloke trying to act like a 20-summat character he plays years ago, especially given said fellow took on a pub and bankrupted it, as well as having a phantom brewery while getting the piss-poor beers (not so) secretly brewed elsewhere<br /><br />So, overall, while it had a few good features, I think it's by a long way the second best festival at Ponds Forge...Dave Uhttp://www.steelcitybrewing.co.uknoreply@blogger.com