Talking Head: East Atlanta Beer Festival recap
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Beer me: The eager throng at the EABF
The East Atlanta Beer Festival may be a victim of its own success. A sellout crowd swapped sweat in the narrow confines of the backyard of the defunct John B. Gordon School on Metropolitan Avenue on Saturday. Why don’t they just tear that building down already and make more room for the festival? Fueled by beer samples from over 60 breweries, most attendees did not seem to mind the crush, but I once again was unwilling to dive into the deepest corners of the fest, thus missing out on offerings from Flying Dog, Brooklyn, Unibroue, and perhaps others. Not that I haven’t had most of these beers, but a festival offers the chance to revisit old favorites, or make side-by-side comparisons that are more difficult in other settings.
I also enjoy the opportunity to try things that I may have written off before and give them a second chance. Or as is often the case, reaffirm what I already knew. Either way, one should not discount the value of a retry, since many things can affect the perception of a beer at any given time, including the freshness of the sample, a tired palate, the opinion of others, and experience with a given style. Our tastes change, and it is no different with our tastes in beverages. It’s easy to go on a hophead kick for months, seeking out bigger and bigger beers before taste fatigue sets in and those well-crafted, balanced German lagers start to taste pretty good again. (more…)
