I only ever paid any money the first time I attended the OBF. Starting the next year I volunteered to pour a shift. If you volunteer you get a shirt, a mug, and a bunch of tokens. And I always used public transportation.
There was one around Easter at the Oregon Convention center, same thing tokens and a mug. A couple rounds of tokens and things got real fun.
Maybe the porta-potty.
Tokens at the OBF were $1. A small sample was 1 token and a full mug was 4.
Timing was the thing at the OBF. I'd go on a weekday about 15 minutes after opening (12 pm). It was short to no lines until mid-late afternoon.
Yes. Even on Saturdays it was pretty sparse for the first hour. I'm hoping things improve enough for OBF 2022.
Going to OBF as a homebrewer is tons of fun. Mostly to listen to the 20-something wannabe beer connosieurs (yes I know I spelled that wrong) rave intelligently over this or that brew when they had no clue what the particular hop used was or what SRM means, just to impress their wife/girlfriend/buddies. Yes, petty, I know. They were just there to get drunk and wait to see Darth Vader go by on his unicycle playing his bagpipes (which I admit I eagerly wait for every year). Going early in the week is the best, also on the last day when the breweries bring out their last kegs and might have something spectacular in reserve for when what they originally brought runs out. And, as mentioned before, Voodoo Donuts. And standing in a huge crowd of people, doing our version of "the wave", when everyone yells and raises their tasting glass. 2 years in a row they went with glass tasting glasses instead of the plastic mugs, and many sliced feet were had those years from dropped/smashed glasses. I still have four of them.Yes. Even on Saturdays it was pretty sparse for the first hour. I'm hoping things improve enough for OBF 2022.
