What is always my favorite beerfest of the year took place on July 27, 2002 to eager crowds of beer lovers. This year, the guest speaker was Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewing and well known food connoisseur, who did a seminar on pairing beer and cheese. Michael Goldfine, co- founder and promoter of the festival, explored the world of cheese prior to the festival and made a connection at a local gourmet grocery chain, Wegman's. The manager of the department supplied the products as well as the cutters and the training to accomplish the preparations.

The six cheeses were excellently matched up with the appropriate beer along with informative history and tasting comments by Mr. Oliver. A most enjoyable time it was!

Other seminars were: Culture and Perspective, Belgian-style Beer in America by Randy Thiel of Ommegang and Exotic Ingredients in Brewing Beer by Brian Selder filling in for Sam Calagione whose wife was ready to deliver their second child. A powerful lineup of beer world celebrities to meet and a lot of information for one to assimilate. The educational aspect is quite important to founders, Michael Goldfine and Greg Somers, who are teachers in real life and hope that the beer experience will be enhanced by greater understanding of the brewing culture. Their motto is "Drink less, drink the best!". This philosophy allows one to enjoy himself without the consequences.

The bottle pyramid grew this year with another(and final) tier added. Michael's collection is quite extensive with a lot of effort expended to seek out the best beers in the world. As you can see also, the crowd was voluminous and eager to start the tasting of the 100+ beers available from local breweries, brewpubs and distributors. The aim is to present as much diversity as possible and allow the attendee to experience the entire spectrum of styles.
The last several years, my wife and I have helped to set up the expo along with a great crew of volunteers. What has become a custom now is a Friday night tasting of special beers brought by myself and others. The principals and their family are not able to enjoy the fruits of their labors on Saturday, so I felt they should have a chance to wind down a bit before the event. This year, Tom Baker and wife Peggy joined us to enjoy some of his creations with Mike and Greg as well as beers from around the world. It ended up to be a late night, but an enjoyable one.

We made some new friends and got to see some old ones as well. We had met Cris from Bullfrog on Thursday at the brewpub and spent some time talking to us about the beers and food there. It was nice to see someone so attentive to the public.
There are 2 sessions of this festival: 12-4PM and 6-10PM. The early session is not as crowded as the second, but to me that means easier access and more chance to talk to the brewers and reps. Think about it for next year!
With both, you get a great buffet included in your $30 ticket. Sausages, stir fry, potatoes, dessert and beverages to help extend the tasting time were available for your gastronomic pleasure.
They did away with the judging this year and just held the People's Choice Awards. The winners are posted here.
The steady growth of the attendees attests to the quality of this festival. Some festivals go begging for participants, but here the clamor for a spot in the lineup is sought by many. Unfortunately, space is limited and invitations are sent to achieve the diversity I mentioned before.
This festival should be on your calendar every year. It is always the last Saturday in July and, unless you are heading to Oregon for that festival, your compass should be pointed in State College's direction.
Accomodations can be had at the site of the Expo, The Penn Stater Conference Center, on a limited basis which means nothing more than stumbling to the elevator.
Check out their website for all the info from this year and next. We hope to see you there!