Firkin Fest!
One of my favorite beer festivals of the year, Firkin Fest, is announced for March 20th at the Happy Gnome.
$10 in advance, $15 at the door. Tickets can be bought in advance here.
Tasting tickets will be available in the tent.
February 2, 2010, 04:44pm :: Posted by Eric in cask beer
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so you pay 10 dollars just to get in? thats kinda lame.
if you’re going to charge me cover for the privilege of buying alcohol atleast have a crappy band play very loud making conversation imposable.
So, is it a $1 ticket for a 1oz pour again? Or have they changed that at all?
There’s always been a cover charge for the event and then tickets purchased for the beer. I think part of the reasoning behind that has to do with whatever city ordinances/licensing they have to function under.
Haven’t heard yet details on what drink tickets will cost or what that will get you.
And as far as music, they had it last year so I would guess they wil again.
yeah, I read about the event and really wanted to go until I heard there is the $10 cover and then tickets for each sample. Very lame!
How much was the cover the last two years?
I have not been to this event, yet. Question: So, let’s say, you want a 12 ounce pour of a brew you really like, do you then pay 12 bucks for 12 one ounce pours ???
Duke – The cover was $5 when we went in 08 and it was $20 for 10 tickets. Not sure why or HOW I remember that. Maybe because I left early.
Cecil – Can’t get a 12oz pour in the tiny tasting glass you get but you could keep going back for another sample several times.
Cover was $5 in 2008 and 2009 so it has gone up this year. Just look at the cover charge as paying for the pota-potties and your little tea light sample glass. Tickets were $1 each last year. Purchase $20 worth and you got to sample the 2 specialty casks, Harviestoun Brewery “Ola Dubh” 12 year Highland Park Scotch Whiskey and Thornbridge Jaipur India Pale Ale.
They also charged $2 for the program last year.
That Ola Dubh was worth it!
Tickets are actually $11.54 as there is an unavoidable service charge. So if you try 10 beers, you will be paying either $21.54 or $25.00 for 10oz of beer.
I loved it in 2008. 2009 was ok – thought the selection could have been better and it was very crowded. I still applaud the guys who put this on but I’m on the fence this year unless they pre-publish the beer list (which I don’t think has happened in the past) and it looks interesting.
I’d like to say that I’ll go again, but I think I’m gonna pass on it this year.
In addition to the weather, the main reason I had a good time last year was because I had to drink it fun, mainly by finding a friendly guy pouring Maharaja and going back to him, repeatedly, until I had drank enough to forget that I had spent $1/oz on something ridiculously easy to obtain in Minneapolis.
The way that most volunteers were pouring last year, there wasn’t even enough beer to get a sense of what I was drinking, let alone enjoy it. I realize that it’s the goal of the fest to make money, it’s also pretty silly to charge someone the equivalent of $16+ for a pint of cask beer, not even including the $10 entry fee this year.
[...] Firkin Fest is a bit more than a week away and Summit’s let the cat out of the bag about what they’re bringing. Extra Pale Ale dry-hopped with Chinook Winter Ale dry-hopped with Ahtanum Oatmeal Stout dry-hopped with Goldings [...]
Wow. I bought tickets under the impression that the door charge WERE my drink tickets. This is pretty lame – the Gnome should have been more forthright about needing to buy separate tasting tickets at the event. $1 a pop at that. Last one of these we’ll be attending.