Chester County Home-Brewfest

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jwible204

jwible204

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Did any of you guys participate in the Chester County Home-Brewfest? I was there and it was an awesome time. It's totally unique as far as I know, guests pay $35 for an entry fee and they get food and a taster glass. There were 27 of us homebrewers serving up beer (most brought more than 1).

It was a great experience and a ton of fun, I can't wait for next year. My Citra IPA did well, took 2nd place in the People's Choice. :mug:
 
Is that the one that charged you a $50 deposit in order to give away 4+ gallons of homebrew for no prizes? No, I did not participate.
 
BrewThruYou said:
Is that the one that charged you a $50 deposit in order to give away 4+ gallons of homebrew for no prizes? No, I did not participate.
Click to expand...

They did that in order to ensure people actually showed up. Additionally, they said they tore up the checks last year even for people who didn't show up. The whole thing is for charity and it was so much fun. I will do it again next year and probably bring 2 or 3 beers.

Sounds like you're in it for the prizes, that's quite stupid.
 
jwible204 said:
Sounds like you're in it for the prizes, that's quite stupid.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's the economist in me, but the event just had no incentives. Paraphrasing the website, it said that the event was providing people "willing to drink your beer" like that was a huge selling point. Unless a beer is horrible, there should always be people willing to drink it...friends, family, yourself, etc.

The brewers were giving up a lot ($50 deposit, time it took to brew the beer, ingredient cost, hassle of schlepping keg(s) and dispensing hardware, having to serve beer for hours, etc.) and getting comparatively little in return (food, "bragging rights", helping the Elks raise money).

The incentive for commercial breweries in beerfests are to get the company's beer tasted (and hopefully well-received) which could lead to increased sales. The incentives for homebrewers entering contests are constructive judge feedback and possibility of ribbons/prizes. At this particular event, you are acting like a brewery with no chance of sale, no chance of judge feedback and no chance of ribbons/prizes...while providing a $50 deposit for the "privilege" of people drinking your homebrew.
 
BrewThruYou said:
Maybe it's the economist in me, but the event just had no incentives. Paraphrasing the website, it said that the event was providing people "willing to drink your beer" like that was a huge selling point. Unless a beer is horrible, there should always be people willing to drink it...friends, family, yourself, etc.

The brewers were giving up a lot ($50 deposit, time it took to brew the beer, ingredient cost, hassle of schlepping keg(s) and dispensing hardware, having to serve beer for hours, etc.) and getting comparatively little in return (food, "bragging rights", helping the Elks raise money).

The incentive for commercial breweries in beerfests are to get the company's beer tasted (and hopefully well-received) which could lead to increased sales. The incentives for homebrewers entering contests are constructive judge feedback and possibility of ribbons/prizes. At this particular event, you are acting like a brewery with no chance of sale, no chance of judge feedback and no chance of ribbons/prizes...while providing a $50 deposit for the "privilege" of people drinking your homebrew.
Click to expand...

Actually there were 4 BJCP judges there, including one of the most well-known National guys. Additionally, it was a really fun time so there's great entertainment value. Every singly person who participated, who I talked to, said they will absolutely do it again. In addition to serving your beer you also are tasting other beers, chatting with other homebrewers (novices and advanced) and of course answering questions to the guests.

I'm not here to convince you it's worth it, but it's for a damn charity and it's a great time to boot. I think you'd change your opinion of it if you actually participated.
 

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