Update: We are giving away a pair of tickets. All you need to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment below and answer this question: What craft beer do you think best exemplifies life’s finer pleasures? Maybe it’s your favorite local beer. Maybe it’s the coveted Unobtainium Triple IPA from that really cool brewery in California. Or Maybe it’s that really expensive and rare Belgian beer you love so much. Whatever the case, leave a comment about the beer you think exemplifies the good life. We’ll pick a winner at random on the morning of Thursday, April 17.
Those of us who enjoy craft beer are also prone to enjoying some of life’s other finer pleasures. Like fine whiskey, for example. The annual Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival celebrates the good life, and we are happy to have them aboard again this year as a sponsor. Beer, scotch, cider, wine, mead and more. This is your last chance to save a few buck on early bird tickets. You have one more day to get the best price on tickets. Get tickets here.
More than 20 breweries will pour at Hopscotch this year, along with a handful of cider producers and mead producers. In addition, there will be special tastings of some of the finest scotch and whiskey available. Not to mention wine. This event is a sort of like a smorgasbord of goodness, allowing you to focus on whichever libation you choose. Or all of the libations.
Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch festival takes place at Fremont Studios in Seattle on April 18 & 19. Event details and tickets.
I have theory about beer festivals. It occurs to me that some beer festivals are more about the beer and less about the festival, while other beer festival are more about the festival and less about the beer. Some of the most serious BEER festivals consider atmosphere an afterthought. Think of Washington Cask Beer Festival, for example. Beer geeks are so excited about the beer that organizers could hold the festival in a bomb shelter. In fact, they practically do. Nobody complains because that event is purely about the beer.
In contrast, some beer FESTIVALS consider beer an afterthought. They focus on the ambiance, the music, the food and the social aspect (the party) more than they do the actual beer. As for that other kind of beer festival, where they fail to take the beer seriously, I can’t really speak to that: I stopped going to those festivals years ago. But I know they are still out there.
Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival happily falls somewhere between those two poles. Hopscotch takes all aspects of the event seriously. It’s a fantastic venue: Fremont Studios. The beer lineup is solid. The booze lineup is outstanding. You will actually be able to hear the music and even understand the words (no under-powered tinny speakers). It’s a fun, party atmosphere with outstanding libations.
For you scotch and whiskey lovers, they offer flights, including a flight of Northwest whiskeys. There’s even a Scotch Workshop that allows you to delve deep into scotch appreciation and meet a real Scotch Master.
To get a better understanding of this event, read our report on Hopscotch 2011 here.
And remember, the time to get ticket is NOW. TODAY! SAVE!
For complete event details, visit the official website at http://www.hopscotchtasting.com/