State College Microbrewers' Expo 2003
7/26/03

 

Our favorite trip of the year to the 6th Annual State College Microbrewers' Expo took place at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center on July 26, 2003. It proved itself once again to be one of the premiere events on the East Coast. The special guest this year was Stephen Beaumont presenting a seminar on Old World vs. New World Beers.
A lineup of the finest breweries in PA, regional and national favorites was there to please the throngs of craft brew lovers from all over.(see the accompanying page)
The Expo runs 2 sessions: 12-4 and 6-10 and for $32 you got a souvenir glass, an outstanding Internatiuonal Buffet, 3 seminars by well-known beer personalities and all the beer-tasting you can handle.


Speaking of lineups, those who came early were glad they did! The lines form quickly and stretch down the hall, but these people have it down to a science and the crowd moves rapidly into the hall. The first session is less crowded than the second, but is far from empty. Those who wish to talk to the brewers have a better chance at this one. Of course, you could always attend both!

The seminars are what separates this festival from all the rest. Every year, they present three different classes on varying topics. This year world-renowned beer & food writer and critic, Stephen Beaumont, compared classic styles with their modern-day counterparts, Heavyweight Brewing's owner and brewer, Tom Baker, brought in beers aged for 6 months and the same fresh to compare, and Andy Musser of Phillies broadcast fame, told the story of Anchor Brewing Co. (he is the East Coast Rep) Knowing what you're drinking is an important facet to this craft brewing revolution and the more you know, the better you can appreciate the beers.

Every year this event gets bigger and better. Though they have reached the limits of the breweries they can accommodate, the crowd at the early session could handle a lot more but the evening is just about full.
You can vote for your favorite beers also. The People's Choice Awards are given from the results of the popular vote. This year the results were as follows:
Best of Show:
Gold- Lancaster Milk Stout
Silver-Selin's Grove IPA
Bronze-Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout
Ales:
Gold- Victory Hop Devil
Silver- Red Seal Ale
Bronze-Unibroue Ephemere
Lagers:
Gold- Appalachian Mountain Lager
Silver- Penn Dark
Bronze-Czechvar
Specialty:
Gold- Lancaster Milk Stout
Silver- Lancaster Strawberry Wheat
Bronze-Unibroue Ephemere

This is actually our favorite festival of the year. We help set up and spend some time with the organizers, Michael Goldfine and Greg Somers. And lets not forget their families and the loyal group of volunteers who keep this event running smoothly. We have begun a tradition of having a Friday night tasting of beers that we have collected over the year while last minute touches are being done and brewers are coming in to set up early. This year, we were lucky enough to have Stephen Beaumont and his wife, Christine, stop by and join us. Rich and Jo from Stawski Dist., Tom & Peggy from Heavyweight, and Volker & Rich from Brewers Art also partook of our selections.

So, put this one on your calendar for next year. Go to www.scbrewexpo.com for all the latest info when available. See you there!

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