ElJefeBrews
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Hey looks like everyone is coming here to SD. I likely won't make any conferences but I'm always up for some beer drinking shenanigans. Let me in on the plans
NHC 2015 San Diego- roll call!
- Thread starter Yooper
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I'm up to do something as well. I didn't think I would enjoy the banquet, so opted not to add that in.
Plus I don't leave until Sunday mid-day.
I had a lot of fun at the Craft Brewer's Conference banquet. Is the HBC banquet much different?
Someone else will have to chime in on this... I've never been, as this is my first NHC.
I'm glad I went to the first few banquets. It's pretty cool to see everyone winning their medals. It took me 5 years in a row to tire of it. I do think it's getting a little expensive for what you get, but not overly so. Consider it a high end beer pairing dinner with 1500 highly dedicated homebrewers.
msbrewblog
Well-Known Member
Someone else will have to chime in on this... I've never been, as this is my first NHC.
Last year was my first NHC. The banquet was cool. I'd say everyone should do it at least once. I can see where if you were not with friends it might be a looong dinner. I was with 2 friends from home last year and one won gold, so it was a fun night.
This year, one of my entries made it to final round. So I'll be there
OP
OP
I'm up to do something as well. I didn't think I would enjoy the banquet, so opted not to add that in.
Plus I don't leave until Sunday mid-day.
Great!
The banquet is very nice. Last year, AZ_IPA won the Ninkasi and the year before Pjj2ba won a medal so that is always great when one of your tablemates and friends goes up front- but I've had my fill. I will congratulate any winners later!
We could go to 30th St for food and beers, and meet the others back at the conference after the awards banquet (it's a long one, takes forever!)
OP
OP
Hey! I just had a thought! (not easy this time of day................
)
If there are, say, 6 or 8 of us, why don't we rent a van to drive us up to Green Flash in Miramar, and go to a couple of those places, for dinner and a few beers, and then back to the hotel by 10 PM for the rest of the shenanigans? Since I don't want to drive (so we can drink), and we'll need sustenance anyway, that might be fun and it would be affordable.
)If there are, say, 6 or 8 of us, why don't we rent a van to drive us up to Green Flash in Miramar, and go to a couple of those places, for dinner and a few beers, and then back to the hotel by 10 PM for the rest of the shenanigans? Since I don't want to drive (so we can drink), and we'll need sustenance anyway, that might be fun and it would be affordable.
I've never been to CBC, so no frame of reference. The beer/food pairing is decent, but I'm a finicky eater, so it's not a big draw for me. The trick to enjoying the banquet is to pick a good table (good meaning the one where the best beer is being shared lol). I had a 6am flight to catch last year, so I didn't actually sit through all the awards. This year, I'm in the hunt so I'll actually stick around.
That would have been my suggestion. Toronado and Waypoint Public. Waypoint probably has a little better food selection.
PackerfaninSanDiego
Member
I somehow stumbled across this topic today. Never knew about the NHC being held here. FYI, there is a thing called, "June Gloom" here in San Diego. Mornings and early afternoons could be foggy from the marine layer off the ocean. Pack accordingly and leave your rainy gear at home.
Here is a good map of our local breweries.
http://www.sandiegobrewersguild.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/SDBG-Map.pdf
Here is a good map of our local breweries.
http://www.sandiegobrewersguild.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/SDBG-Map.pdf
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I wish everyone told me about the supper boycott prior to my purchasing of the full conference ticket (including banquet). I'd rather go hang with Yooper & Bobby_M.
OP
OP
No, you have to be there to cheer on AZ and others who are "in it to win it". I'm just a flunkie who is judging it- but that's on Thursday so I have Saturday night to party!
In Philly, I skipped it too, spending a grand total of $5 on a "slice" and a beer before joining you guys when Pjj2ba got a silver.
The dinner IS quite nice and I don't mean to slam on it.
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Well last year I was having such a good time chatting with Brewer John from Bob's brewery that I showed up late and missed the main portion anyways, so I'm not all that attached to it.
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FYI.
SoperTour planning has begun. I'll start my own SoperTour thread in a couple days and post a link to it once I get a few details worked out.
Edit: Ok why wait. Here's the link to the SoperTour thread.
SoperTour planning has begun. I'll start my own SoperTour thread in a couple days and post a link to it once I get a few details worked out.
Edit: Ok why wait. Here's the link to the SoperTour thread.
I'll be at the banquet. I've been to it every time I've attended NHC to this point, why stop now. The food last time in San Diego was good, not great. Seattle was a step up in my opinion.
Woo hoo! Conference ticket and hotel are booked for my first NHC. I'm driving in on Wednesday night and leaving some time Sunday. Hotel is about half a mile down the road from the Town and Country, which I consider stumbling distance. I didn't get a ticket to the banquet -- I'm skeptical that there will be a vegetarian option -- so I'm also free on Saturday night.
Any beer requests from the Santa Cruz area? I'm thinking on bringing whatever Sante Adairus brews I can get in a bottle plus some of whatever homebrew I have on hand.
How do we recognize each other? Is there a secret HBT handshake?
Any beer requests from the Santa Cruz area? I'm thinking on bringing whatever Sante Adairus brews I can get in a bottle plus some of whatever homebrew I have on hand.
How do we recognize each other? Is there a secret HBT handshake?
How do we recognize each other? Is there a secret HBT handshake?
Now that is a good question. We should have some way to recognize each other. I've been thinking about a t shirt with my avatar or some other distinguishing markings. My crippling social awkwardness might be an issue, but usually a few beers will help with that.
I want in on the Soper Tour this year!
I'm easy to recognize. I look exactly like my avatar. I actually had a couple people recognize me last year. I have the opposite of social awkwardness. I'm socially oblivious.
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I'll have a bicycle sprocket around my neck.
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Soper, do you remember the bar we closed down last time in San Diego? That place was great and sorta off the beaten path. I don't remember the name, just remember taking a cab home with Cape at ~3am....
I will be wearing shirts with my logo on them every day. Won't be too hard to miss me.
They do normally offer a vegetarian option. You may need to let them know in advance, but they have traditionally offered one in the past.
In Seattle my girlfriend got the vegetarian option. The 'meat' dish was fish and she doesn't like fish so she went with the vegetarian. Sean Paxton actually came over to our table specifically to ask her how the vegetarian dish was.
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Ha! You think I remember even being IN San Diego that year? Was it Small Bar?
Just found out something interesting in the AHA forum. Apparently there's some sort of restriction in CA against serving commercial beer and homebrew in the same venue (was mentioned since there's a forum meetup planned in a 'homebrew' room and commercial beer couldn't be shared because of that). Anyone in CA know if that's how the law works?
I am no lawyer, but I believe you generally can only serve homebrew at homebrew festivals. It can be served at events with commercial beers as long as it is donated and it is a charity event.
I'm referring more to people bringing their own homebrew (as in a bottle or bomber) to share among a few other people at a seminar or at their table at the banquet.
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Don't think I've seen any kegs at the banquets, but there are lots of coolers & bottles being opened. Also, the line for the banquet gets quite large about 30 min. prior to the event. Plenty of time to share in line.
OP
OP
I'm not sure of the laws in California, but I think this is the reason that the AHA "took over" the entire T&C grounds- so that we could imbibe just about anywhere on the grounds. The laws vary state to state- for example, in Philadelphia, we could not drink "in public" (ie the bridge to our rooms) but all of the open areas of our conference were fair game. In Ohio, the elevator was the "Vertical Tasting Suite" and beers were poured from kegs and bottles even in the elevator. In Minneapolis, I don't think we were allowed do drink homebrew in the main lobby, but a whole wing was "NHC" and so there was homebrew (and commercial beer) everywhere.
There is lots of sharing in line, and at all of the seminars and between seminars, and at all other times including during the banquet usually. Most people just bring in coolers and bottles, and not kegs, from what I have seen.
It could be that the license that allows commercial beer doesn't allow homebrew- but all of the commercial beer consumed isn't being purchased so maybe that makes things different?
OP
OP
Yeah, me too. I look exactly like my avatar, I mean. Except different.
Last year, a bunch printed out their avatars/HBT IDs and taped them on their lanyards, but I always forget to do things like that. One year, we had T-shirts, with our "names" on the back.
I think everybody knows what Soper looks like, and I think my mug has been around enough for everybody to know (if they care to), but if you are a Facebook user, you can "friend" me and we can share some basic info if that would help.
From what i've read CA has some wonky laws. I guess there will be certain seminar rooms that are commercial beer only and certain ones that will be homebrew only. This doesn't mean you can't walk into the room with whatever you have but I guess it is a limit on what can be poured in said room. This includes the Banquet I guess as well. So that would be commercial beer only.
Apparently, there's still some question about how the law is going to deal with the banquet. Apparently there is some question about what counts as "serving". There has to be a clear delineation (the Expo will be divided into homebrew and commercial). To quote Gary:
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Hopefully the California ABC enforcement people have better things to do that week/weekend...
I won't be ready/following any "commercial beer only here..." signs...
I won't be ready/following any "commercial beer only here..." signs...
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I also won't be spending any time in a "commercial beer only" room.
The laws in California had to be changed about a year ago. Without the change the AHA wasn't going to be able to hold the conference here this year. Someone higher up had decided to reinterpret the laws. I know you now can have homebrew and commercial beer together now and even pour them into the same glass, formerly not allowed, but that generally applies to charitable events. I believe there may have been another clarification of the law regarding organizations set up for the appreciation of beer/homebrew. Anyway, best source of what we can and can't do at this event is going to be the AHA themselves. I'm sure they are going to make it quite clear what is and isn't allowed.
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Thanks Shooter! You're the man!
Can I ask your advice for a few things regarding the SoperTour?
Can I ask your advice for a few things regarding the SoperTour?
Sure, but a good 40-60% of the time I have NO idea what I'm talking about.
Incidentally, if anyone doesn't have Uber yet and is interested in signing up, my referral link is below. If you sign up with that link, you'll get your first ride free, and I'll get up to a $20 ride discount. We used the heck out of Uber for the Beer Bloggers Conference in San Diego last year.
https://www.uber.com/invite/ubervirtualtoby
https://www.uber.com/invite/ubervirtualtoby
OP
OP
I was waiting to sign up, as I knew someone would benefit (including me)!
I just signed up. Thanks!
msbrewblog
Well-Known Member
This link below will get you $20 discount and you can hitch an Uber ride with me to the local pubs and I'll buy you a pint.
:cross:https://www.uber.com/invite/ubermsbrew
I signed up Toby, I hope you get the credit.
