# Ballarat Beer Festival 2014 - SAVE THE DATE



## GrumpyPaul (15/5/13)

I know its early - and we have GABS to get through first but the date for the Ballarat Beer Festival 2014 has been set.

Mark it in your calendars.





or click here


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## jimi (9/1/14)

The wife and I have adopted the kids out and will be making our way to the event for the first time this year, any tips from those that have been before?


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## slcmorro (9/1/14)

Take lots of money


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## Truman42 (10/1/14)

Get there early so you get a table in the marquee and you can sample the beers before the crowds come and you have to line up for 10 mins at each one.


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## idzy (10/1/14)

Is anyone going or has gone before? I am sure it's great, but the tickets for the dinner are $125 and entry is $45, just wanted to find out from someone in the know, as I have no idea. Was thinking of getting a few friends to come along, but wanted to make sure I am not going to have egg on my face 

Calling all plugs...!


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## Yob (10/1/14)

there is a few threads for previous years with plenty of info

>HERE< the 2013 thread has loads of good info.


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## idzy (10/1/14)

Yob said:


> there is a few threads for previous years with plenty of info
> 
> >HERE< the 2013 thread has loads of good info.


That link has a virus.


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## idzy (10/1/14)

Also, who's going from Melb?


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## Yob (10/1/14)

What? Bullshit, its just a search from this site mate..


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## GrumpyPaul (10/1/14)

No virus for me...link worked fine

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk


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## SimoB (10/1/14)

Yob, you trying to hack everyone again? getting everyone to buy bulk hops or something?

I don't trust it.


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## jimi (10/1/14)

There seems to be a few less breweries involved this year, anyone tried either of the savarain brews?


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## idzy (10/1/14)

Sorry not a computer virus, just a nasty link doesn't work kind of virus. Just brought up some ads and a google search and all these hop deals australia windows kept popping up...just kidding


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## SergeMarx (3/2/14)

I went last year and enjoyed it to a point - quite a few good brewers. this year - also quite a few good brewers, but.... When I go home, sun-stroked from lack of shade (forgot my hat - refused to pay $30 for a shitty straw one with BBF logo it), head-ached from lack of easily available water ($4 a bottle at one tiny little store, or find a tap on the oval), sunburned because the only free sunscreen was at St John's Ambos at the back (or pay $10 for tiny tube at front), sober, because each 100ml sample takes you ten to 15 minutes to get hold of, and broke, because hell, $50 entry + $40 in tickets and all i got was one hamburger and two pints. Also, I was subjected to shitty music the whole time.

Complete rip off.

This kind of insane money grubbing gives the entire craft beer industry a bad name, as do the swarms of cashed up bogans who use such events just to get smashed and act like complete tools further ruining the day..

$90: one hamburger, 2 pints. Sunburned and sober. Never again.

I am pissed off about this, because I want craft beer events to occur - but why should I be paying for the privilege of paying for more beer to a event organizer that can't do simple things like provide free water, enough shade near the booths and sunscreen?


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## New_guy (4/2/14)

SergeMarx said:


> I went last year and enjoyed it to a point - quite a few good brewers. this year - also quite a few good brewers, but.... When I go home, sun-stroked from lack of shade (forgot my hat - refused to pay $30 for a shitty straw one with BBF logo it), head-ached from lack of easily available water ($4 a bottle at one tiny little store, or find a tap on the oval), sunburned because the only free sunscreen was at St John's Ambos at the back (or pay $10 for tiny tube at front), sober, because each 100ml sample takes you ten to 15 minutes to get hold of, and broke, because hell, $50 entry + $40 in tickets and all i got was one hamburger and two pints. Also, I was subjected to shitty music the whole time.
> 
> Complete rip off.
> 
> ...



Well said mate - I don't go to a lot of such events where I have to pay for the privilege to wait in line in the sun with 5000 muppets to walk up to the bar and pay for a 100mls of beer
Much rather support my local craft beer establishment where entry is free, food is better and beer can be had by the pot or pint


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## Yob (4/2/14)

@ $1.50 per taster, which on the rare occasions I got one were always poured over.. I pay more for pints in the pub.. (of craft beer)

I wasnt gunna chime in on this one, but $10.50 for over a litre isnt bad.


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## GrumpyPaul (4/2/14)

I didnt make it to this one, but have been to the previous two....

But let me get my head around your feedback.

You went out on a hot summers day, forgot your own hat, sunscreen and water and its the fault of the event organiser?

You went to an event where there was lots of people and you didnt like that because it meant you had to queue up?

You went to an event that mecandise was being sold at inflated price? 

I am not sure what you expected from an outdoor event i summer.....


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## SergeMarx (4/2/14)

Yob said:


> @ $1.50 per taster, which on the rare occasions I got one were always poured over.. I pay more for pints in the pub.. (of craft beer)
> 
> I wasnt gunna chime in on this one, but $10.50 for over a litre isnt bad.


At B'rat it's $2 a token (minimum purchase of 10), which at 100ml tastes is $20 per litre (or $15 at Geelong for the $1.50 tokens) - and yeah, that's not even outrageous, I'd pay that happily.to get the variety you get at these things. But $50 just to walk in? Suddenly you're up to $70 for your litre of samples and how is that good value? At that point the event doesn't exist in order to showcase craft beer, it exists to make shit loads of cash. And even that I don't have a problem with providing the event organizers provide more for that money than entry, shitty music and an opportunity to sample beer. Oh, and a plastic wine glass on a lanyard. At least at Geelong we got a proper little mini pot glass.

OK, having said all that I recognise I have no idea of the actual costs are to run the event and without that info my argument falls in a tenuous heap awaiting more data for resurrection. Obviously the desire for profit makes a thing possible, and craft beer events obviously need to be on the calendar.

Last year's B'rat had information sessions and mini lectures which I was hoping to attend this year but did not seem to be part of the events (I could be wrong). That would have been good value. At Geelong they had a home-brewing store with ingredients and gadgets, a nice addition. How hard would brewing demos be to set up, or organized Q+A sessions with some brewers? There are lots of ideas that would have made the event be what it should be - a beer expo.


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## SergeMarx (4/2/14)

GrumpyPaul said:


> I didnt make it to this one, but have been to the previous two....
> 
> But let me get my head around your feedback.
> 
> ...



No, my being a dick-head and forgetting hat, sunscreen and water was all on me, not blaming the organisers for my stupidity. Rushed out the door, the four year old needed sorting out at Nan's, weather was cool and overcast, and yeah, I made some silly choices. We all do it sometimes.

But where I rushed out the door and had a last minute life fail, the event had _months _to plan. An event exclusively about serving alcohol in the heat and they aren't actively walking around offering water? That's simply not responsible. Same for the sunscreen.

The hat, ok, I don't expect free hats, and yeah I do expect big merch mark ups, but I never understood why that should have to be. Cut the margins, sell more, have happier customers. You may make slightly less (or may not), but then you have more folks sporting your logo. Win. What happens to all the overpriced merch that doesn't sell? I would be shocked if wasn't destroyed and claimed as a tax loss. If you think that since this is normal practice I should be happy about it, or even accepting of it, then perhaps we should reflect on what this specific attitude has done for humanity historically.

On the queuing - that really didn't bug me, no-one's fault and it gives you a chance to chat to fellow revellers. That's fun. So I retract any whiny bullshit about the queues I may have earlier uttered.


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## Yob (4/2/14)

Mate.. That was you r day and your experience, I can't make it better or worse for you, just offering a POV on how I see it. I kinda think of it like a gig, you pay not only for the bands but the venue, staff, etc. It's a part of the cost, I don't expect it to be a charity and I think I paid $135 for the ticket and my accommodation (with pool) not counting extra tickets I bought. All up, a pretty good and cheap day out really.

That said, we all went with loads of sunscreen and hats and had shade too, undoubtedly made a difference to the overall experience for us. 

At the end of the day mate, that was your experience, mine differed. No biggie, but I still don't consider myself ripped or gouged for the day. I reckon that what I was paying for what I was getting was pretty good.

YMOV


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## zeggie (4/2/14)

SergeMarx I have to disagree with nearly everything you said.

There was heaps of free water taps, next to the Eureka tent, which was also hosting brewers talks and events all day (which you *also* seem to not have been able to find)

Events are not your babysitters. Hat, sunscreen is your responsibility. There were umbrellas with tables scattered around and a huge Marquee tent in the centre of the oval you seem to have not been able to find.
"they aren't actively walking around offering water".... you being serious or trolling? GABS, BDO, Soundwave, none walk around and hand you free water.... you get given a map with the location of NUMEROUS free water fountains.

Not to mention an IGA and a pharmacy a footy kick away across the road that sell hats, water and sunscreen as well.

The tickets were $45, not 50.

SEVEN bands, plus venue, plus security, plus toilets and facilities cost money

A festival is always going to have queues. Don't want a queue? Stay on the couch.

Your posts have irritated the hell out of me because it was a great day out, a lot of great brewers turned up with great beer, entertainment was great, the weather was great and the crowd was well behaved.


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## SergeMarx (4/2/14)

OK, fair points all zeggie - as Yob points out, it was my experience not his, or yours and obviously some bad planning on my part stuffed it a bit for me. Glad to hear there was indeed brewer's talks - and I did hit the marquee often. Change one or two factors in my control, I probably would have had a rockin' day. I had a great time last year after all. And I DID get some amazing beers. There was a 3% Berliner Weiss that blew my mind, Boatrocker had some awesome drops as always and the Kooinda Porter I can just keep going back to, 

I was being serious about the water though - maybe not about walking around handing it out, but at a drinking event on a hot day it could have been a bit more obvious than a tap behind a tent on the boundary on the oval. Other events I've been to supply tankers of spring water - always seemed a good considerate idea to me.

Anyway clearly I'm being a bit of sook. I put it down to drinking more wine than beer this summer.


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## jimi (5/2/14)

My wife and I went along for the first time and really enjoyed it. Although she is not a big fan of beer, she loves the chocolate beers that were on hand. We both thought that the boatrocker summer berry stout was the best beer we tried, with the Moo Brew triple just behind. Boatrocker suggested they might not do it again, I hope that won't be true, it was awesome. The line ups were long initially but by the afternoon (about 2:30) I thought they were very short and reasonable. I used the taps by the entrance to the stadium for water during the day, but it did run dry by the end of the day. I'm glad I didn't take the kids (there's a line I never use  ). My wife is insisting we do it again next year, and I can't think of much higher praise than that.


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## SergeMarx (5/2/14)

That summer berry stout was freakin' amazing!


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