Anyone going to the 2018 Homebrew Con in Portland Oregon?

[Steveruch]

I'm sitting in the a c in my hotel room in Vancouver, cooling off from the drive. I'm two buses and a light rail (about an hour) away.

 

[doug293cz]

Already picked up my credentials and swag bag, and checked into my hotel. Going to the Culmination Brewing/Brewcraft sponsored Homebrewcon Kick Off Party tonight.

Brew on

 

[stella_tigre]

We're checked into the Con and our hotel, sipping the first Charlie 2018. Figure we'll chill tonight, since we've been in the area for a bit. Looking forward to seeing y'all!

 

[shoengine]

I think my room is walking distance. I hope it is since I won't be driving.

 

[Yooper]

See you you tomorrow!

 

[shoengine]

Apparently I parked in the back. Registration was like trying to find the International terminal at the airport!

 

[bleme]

Apparently I parked in the back. Registration was like trying to find the International terminal at the airport!

Where is registration and the best place to park?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Where is registration and the best place to park?

Registration is at pre-function C. That's the NE section of the building. Parking is sketchy in that neighborhood. I would definitely park under the convention center if there's still room. You can get under there on the south side of the building off Lloyd or the west side off 1st.

If it's full I have parked at the Liberty centre garage before. It's a couple blocks away at 6th & Oregon.

 

[shoengine]

Plenty of room still under the convention center. I just got back from running an errand and got my spot back by the SW(?) elevator

FYI, they are giving out free three day bus passes.

 

[6Tap]

Checked into the hotel now heading to the Convention center.

 

[PeteSeattle]

Yup. Under convention is best near any elevator. Dinner and then kick-off party! Cheers y’all. Hope to run into folks sometime this weekend.

 

[shoengine]

So much beer... so much beer....

 

[PeteSeattle]

So much beer... so much beer....

Too many IPAs... too many IPAs...
I like IPAs but ... too many!

 

[PeteSeattle]

Welp, I guess meeting up at a huge convention is tricky. I at least got to meet @Yooper briefly. I did have a blast. Ended up going to Rouge to hang out with attendees and Charlie P. First time experience so it was a little overwhelming. The trade show did put a substantial dent in my wallet (purchased a brew system and the Spike CF10 ... HUGE discount). I saw BrewTubers in passing. Finally joined a club local to me and hung out with them too (they were interested in me hosting topics such as roasting your own coffee for your homebrew). Learned that my brews could easily compete after tasting some entry brews on Knock Out night. Learned that I’m not too different from those who attended. And finally I learned that I can only handle 2 pints worth of samples (I didn’t count the ones I ended up dumping in the bucket). All in all I really had a good time while learning new things even after 20 years of brewing. Wish I could’ve met more of you all but it was such a big and busy yet successful convention. Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

I am so glad I got to meet some of you- even though I only saw @stella_tigre once, and @PeteSeattle once, and also @shoengine. I think I saw @6Tap only a couple of times. I lost track of @doug293cz each time I’d stop to talk to him. Overall it was a good conference, and I really enjoyed meeting people and putting names with faces.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Can't make it. I'll be at the riots...

I hope everyone has fun and stays safe!

 

[doug293cz]

It was great meeting @Yooper . She is a real bundle of energy. Her talk on fermenting different things was quite good, especially since the only thing I ferment is beer.

Sorry I didn't run into any of the rest of you who attended. Did any of you stop by the Impaling Alers' booth on club night and taste my Golden Gorilla Imperial Belgian Triple?

Brew on

 

[Kent88]

So... Any announcements as to a location for '19?

 

[PeteSeattle]

So... Any announcements as to a location for '19?

Providence, RI was announced.

 

[mwilcox]

I am so glad I got to meet some of you- even though I only saw @stella_tigre once, and @PeteSeattle once, and also @shoengine. I think I saw @6Tap only a couple of times. I lost track of @doug293cz each time I’d stop to talk to him. Overall it was a good conference, and I really enjoyed meeting people and putting names with faces.

Thanks for stopping by the side of the South Sound Suds booth for my cider/mead. I can't remember if I poured you NE Cider, dessert pyment or Alcoholic Candy.

Cheers--
Michael

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for stopping by the side of the South Sound Suds booth for my cider/mead. I can't remember if I poured you NE Cider, dessert pyment or Alcoholic Candy.

Cheers--
Michael

Yes- to all of the above!

I especially like that mead that won you mazer of the year! It was so nice seeing you again,

 

[Kent88]

Providence, RI was announced.

Well that won't do.

I move that @Yooper hosts the mini-Midwest Homebrew Con '19. Is there a second?

 

[Braufessor]

Well that won't do.

I move that @Yooper hosts the mini-Midwest Homebrew Con '19. Is there a second?

HA.... I will second that. Don't think I will be traveling to the east coast any more than the west!

 

[PeteSeattle]

HA.... I will second that. Don't think I will be traveling to the east coast any more than the west!

Same sentiments for it being on the other side of the U.S. for me. I’d rather spend 3 hours on the road paying for gas vs the pain and cost of air travel. I was just so thankful that it was close this year. Now, if it were more mid U.S. then it might be a different story.

 

[marjen]

I am glad it will be east coast this year as RI is only a couple hour drive for me, so I hope to go to my first HBC, but....Providence? Not exactly a good beer scene there. Only one brewery I even know about in RI (Tilted Barn) and that probably a half hour from there and very small. Boston would have been better. Oh well, still looking forward to it.

 

[mabrungard]

Recognizing that proximity is important to attendance, the conference location does move all over the country. We'll be in Providence next year and in the midwest/south, the year after.

I'm hoping everyone is enjoying the changes to the conference format. I find that the deletion of the banquet and substitution of the award ceremony/knockout party is much better. The other thing that is helpful to everyone, is that all the bottles of untouched Second Round beers are served at the knockout party. While you won't have any idea who brewed a bottle, you are assured that they are pretty good beers since they made it to the second round.

Congrats to Wilcox on his medal!

 

[Kent88]

I wish there was a way to have a few locations going. I heard a little bit about what they did with the Pacific Northwest Homebrewers Conference and I would think that there should be a way to get a few of those around the country going regularly.

Kind of like how I think Penny Arcade Expo has an east (Boston), west (Seattle), and south (San Antonio) expo every year.

Not that I'd want to have it at those locations.

But I'm looking forward to whatever @Yooper comes up with for next year for the Midwest & Western Great Lakes Regional Homebrewers Conference. And I know @Braufessor is too . I think it would be nice to have it the weekend after some local fishing season opener.

 

[Yooper]

Recognizing that proximity is important to attendance, the conference location does move all over the country. We'll be in Providence next year and in the midwest/south, the year after.

I'm hoping everyone is enjoying the changes to the conference format. I find that the deletion of the banquet and substitution of the award ceremony/knockout party is much better. The other thing that is helpful to everyone, is that all the bottles of untouched Second Round beers are served at the knockout party. While you won't have any idea who brewed a bottle, you are assured that they are pretty good beers since they made it to the second round.

Congrats to Wilcox on his medal!

I really like the changes- I went to a few of the banquets, in the earlier years, but found that they were expensive and not as good as a similiar priced meal in an upscale restaurant so it wasn’t enjoyable for me. I did like to see the awards, though- so I’m glad we have the format now.

It was nice seeing you Martin- I feel like these conferences are often more about seeing old friends and making new ones than attending as many seminars as I used too. I saw a couple of people that I met in 2008 in Cincinnati and havent’ seen since, so we were able to catch up.

I was spending quite a bit of time with some folks that haven’t been around HBT in several years- and all three of them have had two children each in the meantime! Time really does fly!

@mwilcox ’s mead was awesome.

 

[Steveruch]

The other thing that is helpful to everyone, is that all the bottles of untouched Second Round beers are served at the knockout party. While you won't have any idea who brewed a bottle, you are assured that they are pretty good beers since they made it to the second round.
Congrats to Wilcox on his medal!

There were some good ones, unfortunately they ran out way too early.

 

[Bobby_M]

I am glad it will be east coast this year as RI is only a couple hour drive for me, so I hope to go to my first HBC, but....Providence? Not exactly a good beer scene there. Only one brewery I even know about in RI (Tilted Barn) and that probably a half hour from there and very small. Boston would have been better. Oh well, still looking forward to it.

Boston likely would have been too expensive for many to attend. I think Portland was at the limit with hotels at around $200 a night. I've been going to the conference since Oakland in '09 and while many of them have been in good beer locations, this is definitely more about the homebrewer scene. Getting new area homebrew clubs to attend is the name of the game. I get a lot of enjoyment meeting a bunch of people out in regions where I'd otherwise never meet them. That is the motivation for me to travel as far as I have to.

However, it is nice once in a while when it comes within driving distance so the clubs I'm involved in can drag their beer out for homebrew night. I do try to get out and visit some breweries but many of the larger regional breweries will show up for the Thursday night beerfest anyway. Also don't forget that there are a bunch of vendors that won't travel too far due to costs so moving around the country allows for the expo scene to change.