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Irish Craft Beer Festival - March 15-19

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  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Must be an insurance thing so.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,080 ✭✭✭✭Big Nasty


    Is it outdoor? If so I can understand the plastics but it would turn me off TBH. Real beer needs to be drank from real glass IMO.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,758 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    MCMLXXV wrote: »
    Is it outdoor? If so I can understand the plastics but it would turn me off TBH. Real beer needs to be drank from real glass IMO.

    It's going to be in a marquee as far as I can tell.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,080 ✭✭✭✭Big Nasty


    irish_goat wrote: »
    It's going to be in a marquee as far as I can tell.

    Probably those massive upturned umbrella things (very effective BTW) but still essentially outside. Again, I can understand but it just wouldn't do it for me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 459 ✭✭Focalbhach


    I haven't been to a beer festival before so I just want to make sure I understand how it's going to work: there's a €10 charge to get in, and after that you buy your drinks at normal price from the various stands? Are there tokens with the entrance fee? It becomes a less attractive proposition if not.


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,758 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    Focalbhach wrote: »
    I haven't been to a beer festival before so I just want to make sure I understand how it's going to work: there's a €10 charge to get in, and after that you buy your drinks at normal price from the various stands? Are there tokens with the entrance fee? It becomes a less attractive proposition if not.

    At the RDS festival, run by the same people, you paid €10, got a branded pint glass to keep, a programme and a token which got you your first half pint. After that you bought more tokens if you wanted more drink.

    I'd hope that they're still giving a token for the first drink at least and if they're not allowed to give out the pint glass anymore they're probably going to need to cut a few euro off the admission price.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,276 ✭✭✭slayerking


    Focalbhach wrote: »
    I haven't been to a beer festival before so I just want to make sure I understand how it's going to work: there's a €10 charge to get in, and after that you buy your drinks at normal price from the various stands? Are there tokens with the entrance fee? It becomes a less attractive proposition if not.

    It seems to be a bit up in the air at the moment as to how this is gona pan out!!

    At the craft beerfest in the RDS last year it was very well run, 10 euro in which included a pint glass and a free glass of beer.
    Once your in, you buy beer bucks for 2.50 each. Each buck will get you a half pint (or 2 for a pint). And the half pints were very generous half pints (almost 3/4 pints!!), so it was actually pretty good value, and nice to chat to some of the brewers.
    Plus the entertainment was very good. You could also buy weekend tickets for 20 euro.

    This time round, I'm not sure exactly what the craic is!! 10 euro in, but not sure whether thats just to get in the door or whether it includes a glass/beer or whatever. :confused:


  • Registered Users Posts: 459 ✭✭Focalbhach


    Thanks! Guess I'll wait and see, and hope for more details on the website!


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    oh what to do, what to do :(

    On the one hand, I've been off the beer since Christmas and I hate paddys weekend, too messy.

    On the other hand, the IFSC is right beside work and I NEED to taste some clotworthy dobbin again.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Bambi wrote: »
    I NEED to taste some clotworthy dobbin again.
    I don't see Whitewater on the brewery list, unfortunately. You might have to make do with a bottle at home.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    BeerNut wrote: »
    I don't see Whitewater on the brewery list, unfortunately. You might have to make do with a bottle at home.

    So I noticed :(. The only place where i've seen it is the celtic whiskey shop.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    The Beer Club (Next Door in Santry, Harold's Cross & Kimmage) usually has it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,276 ✭✭✭slayerking


    Just seen that its now possible to reserve a table for €250 for a table of 10, includes 1 pint per person.


    A bit of a rip off if you ask me!


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    slayerking wrote: »
    Just seen that its now possible to reserve a table for €250 for a table of 10, includes 1 pint per person.


    A bit of a rip off if you ask me!

    Yeah I saw that today. I'm all for making money, but I think it gets away from the point of the festival, or maybe I'm wrong.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,429 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Is anyone else REALLY excited about this festival?
    I absolutely can't wait! :D


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    I think it gets away from the point of the festival
    I think you might be inventing a point for the festival.

    If I were organising something like this, my main aim would be to get out of it with my shirt. If corporate entertainment is one way to help secure the possibility of running it again, then I'm all for the suits subsidising the rest of us.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 14,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭johnnyskeleton


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    slayerking wrote: »
    Just seen that its now possible to reserve a table for €250 for a table of 10, includes 1 pint per person.


    A bit of a rip off if you ask me!

    Yeah I saw that today. I'm all for making money, but I think it gets away from the point of the festival, or maybe I'm wrong.

    If anything, these things should be aimed at increasing the popularilty of microbrews and fostering competition among them. Fans of micro brews often pay more in pubs so they will pay more in a festival. But johnny six pack won't bother unless it is the same price or cheaper than an ordinary pub.

    Moreover, what chance does one microbrew drinker have of bringing his/her buddies along if it is more expensive with what the buddies percieved as an unknown, possibly inferior product.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    BeerNut wrote: »
    I think you might be inventing a point for the festival.

    If I were organising something like this, my main aim would be to get out of it with my shirt. If corporate entertainment is one way to help secure the possibility of running it again, then I'm all for the suits subsidising the rest of us.
    True enough. But it'll irk me to think that most of the seats would be used up for corporate tables (assumption here) at the expensive of the type of person that supports the microbreweries. But maybe that's the price to pay for having these events put on by the organisers.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    If anything, these things should be aimed at
    But again, here you're up against the hard financial realities of running these sorts of events. If the sole aim was product promotion there are much less stressful ways to spend money.

    Bear in mind that this event isn't a combined effort among the microbreweries to collectively promote their product. It's one person's business idea.

    It's very easy to sit on the sidelines setting aims and objectives, devising market strategies and identifying target audiences. But the bills for staffing, insurance and infrastructure have to be paid or else there's no festival.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    But it'll irk me to think that most of the seats would be used up for corporate tables (assumption here) at the expensive of the type of person that supports the microbreweries. But maybe that's the price to pay for having these events put on by the organisers.
    I think it is. However they're only advertising the corporate element now so I very much doubt it'll be booked out.

    One of the horrible things about Oktoberfest in Munich (and there are a few ;) ) is how corporate it is and how hard it can be to get a table once the big business bookings come in. Get in early and get out early is my preferred tactic.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 19,492 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    BeerNut wrote: »
    They work a deposit system for that, I think. The organisers of this thing actually want people to take the glasses away.
    Perhaps we could bring our own glasses along with us? Not sure if that would comply with the terms of the insurance for the event? I still have a couple of All-Ireland Craft Beerfest glasses that now sadly spend most of their time filled with water. It's about time they got put to proper use once more!

    Really hoping to get out to the festival, but once again, my timing is stupendously bad. Off the beer/alcohol for 5 weeks in the lead-up to a sporting event, but once again, I'll give myself a special dispensation for this one. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    If anything, these things should be aimed at increasing the popularilty of microbrews and fostering competition among them. Fans of micro brews often pay more in pubs so they will pay more in a festival. But johnny six pack won't bother unless it is the same price or cheaper than an ordinary pub.

    Moreover, what chance does one microbrew drinker have of bringing his/her buddies along if it is more expensive with what the buddies percieved as an unknown, possibly inferior product.

    In fairness, renting the IFSC over st patricks weekend is going to cost the organiser beaucoup readies I'd say.


  • Registered Users Posts: 255 ✭✭Ronan cork


    I would have thought if they sold you a souvenir ( a glass) but provided plastic glasses it would be hard to stop people using their souvenir instead as they paid for it. The guards would have picked up on the fact that everyone is given a glass on entry and that they leave with it but a stand selling t-shirts, hats and souvenir "mugs" would have gone under the radar!!
    Probably just a price you have to pay for holding an even that weekend but I'd say there are a few thousand beerfest 2012 glasses that will never see the light of day!


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Ronan cork wrote: »
    I'd say there are a few thousand beerfest 2012 glasses that will never see the light of day!
    They got them printed last year and were smart enough not to put a date on them. They'll keep until September, unless they're banned from that festival too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 255 ✭✭Ronan cork


    Yeah I hope it doesn't become the norm.
    The high grade plastic glasses arnt too bad but they do need a good rinse before use and arnt really disposable as they're not cheap. As long as they're not using the really cheap ones you get with water coolers id say it'll be ok.
    The lads on the €250 table might feel differently though!


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 14,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭johnnyskeleton


    BeerNut wrote: »
    If anything, these things should be aimed at
    But again, here you're up against the hard financial realities of running these sorts of events. If the sole aim was product promotion there are much less stressful ways to spend money.

    Bear in mind that this event isn't a combined effort among the microbreweries to collectively promote their product. It's one person's business idea.

    It's very easy to sit on the sidelines setting aims and objectives, devising market strategies and identifying target audiences. But the bills for staffing, insurance and infrastructure have to be paid or else there's no festival.

    Ok, but you are at worst facing the same overheads as a pub or similar event that don't charge as much. Plus, even though whoever is organising it isn't interested in promoting the beers, I'm sure the breweries are. So the breweries might provide staff at no cost to the event organisers, and they might also offer their beers at a reduced cost or even free.

    To be honest, the greatest benefit of the festival might be that seats in the black sheep, bull and castle and l mulligans are more widely available.

    Bear in mind we are already paying a lot for drink in pubs, and this festival wants us to pay above the odds. No thanks.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 14,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭johnnyskeleton


    Bambi wrote: »
    If anything, these things should be aimed at increasing the popularilty of microbrews and fostering competition among them. Fans of micro brews often pay more in pubs so they will pay more in a festival. But johnny six pack won't bother unless it is the same price or cheaper than an ordinary pub.

    Moreover, what chance does one microbrew drinker have of bringing his/her buddies along if it is more expensive with what the buddies percieved as an unknown, possibly inferior product.

    In fairness, renting the IFSC over st patricks weekend is going to cost the organiser beaucoup readies I'd say.

    That's fine if they want to benefit from the central location and busy weekend.

    But it once again points to this being all about a big profit for thr organisers - which if it is successful they are entititled to. But if it were a more beer-centric event they could have it out in some field at a random weekend at half the price.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,332 ✭✭✭Mr Simpson


    Really looking forward to going this weekend, should be great craic. I assume it will be in a marquee on the pontoon like other events in George's Dock?


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Ok, but you are at worst facing the same overheads as a pub or similar event that don't charge as much.
    I don't think you can compare them. A pub is a long-term business. Many pubs don't break even for years. The festival has to make all its money in just five days.
    So the breweries might provide staff at no cost to the event organisers
    On Friday last I was talking to Ronan from Galway Hooker at the Against the Grain Meet The Brewer event. I asked if he'd be in Dublin for the festival. He said he'd be around for one of the days and his business partner would do another. He said he was glad they didn't have to come up for the full five days, plus a day's set-up and a day's take-down, as it would be mean paying for accommodation and would also mean no beer being brewed back at the brewery.

    What you're suggesting wouldn't be practical for them, and they're one of the better-established Irish micros.
    they might also offer their beers at a reduced cost or even free.
    Remember that the duty still has to be paid on free beer. A few kegs at a pub promotion or to brewery visitors is manageable. Five day's worth of serving would amount to too much free, or cheap, beer for the short-term publicity it would garner. Drank beer is soon forgotten, as the fella says.
    No thanks.
    And that's a perfectly fair response: if you don't want it, don't buy it. If enough people do the same, one of two things will happen: either they'll drop the price for future events or they won't hold any event at all.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 13,823 ✭✭✭✭Zebra3


    I assume a licence for the festival doesn't come cheap either.


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