Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Day 15
Posted by Kirsten Henri on February 21st, 2008
15 days?! Just 15 days until Philly Beer Week begins? Amazing.
While we’re as excited as anyone about the celebration of craft beer, we’re wondering if Beer Week might be getting a little… bloated?
At last count there were something like 114 events and it made us think of the rambling overkill of the now-defunct Book and the Cook.
Obviously, we’ve been hyperventilating about Beer Week here and so has the local beer community, but outside of that… crickets. And we’re wondering, can local beer fans sustain 114 events, some of which are repetitive? It’s starting to feel more like quantity than quality. We know it’s the first year, but why not start with something manageable and less all-over-the-place?
A suggestion from Team Foobooz for next year: Why not have a (reasonable) entrance fee for bars and breweries to participate? The money could go towards promoting the event.
Speaking of promoting the event, this is a festival that could garner some national attention (or, at the very, least regional) and yet we’ve seen little of it in the regional and national pubs (save for a brief mention in the NY Times Datebook this past weekend). We received info on the Savor beer fest in D.C. months ago and just got an official press release for Philly’s Beer Week last week. The website and calendar just went live in the last month or so. The local press has done a lot of promoting (ahem), but it’s a big event and the Philly-Belgian connection gives it an interesting angle that takes it beyond Philly.
Before our beloved beer geeks get all up in arms, keep in mind, we’re not hatin’, we’re just suggestin’. The idea is to bring craft beer beyond the beer geeks, right?
Philly Beer Week [Official Site]
Related Tags: Philly-Beer-Week
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Day 13-10
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Days 27-25
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Day 23
- Isn’t Every Week Philly Beer Week?
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Beer Week Eve
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Day 22
- Some Beer Week Picks From Joe Sixpack
- Beer Week Starts Friday
- Countdown to Philly Beer Week: Extremely Nuttery Beer News
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:05 am
for real, thank god someone finally said this… Philly beer week is awesome, and i can’t wait to participate, but lower entreance fees (more love for the little guys and also the big guys, read yeungling / orgilio) and more national press are essential. why not start with the first year being more about love of beer and less about fees and competiition. are there good hotel deals for out of towners? is there press on national beer geek sources? tria (which sells out every event they ever do) have several spaces available for there beer week stuff (someone please sign up for the steven beaumont aged beer thng, it’s a freaking great idea).
I guess I’m just saying I’m nervous, it’s a great idea, that is lacking a little heart and soul. i love beer, i’ll be there spending and drinking, but i’m worried about the finacial successs of the event for the smaller players… peace… love and respect beer