BEER HERE!

So the California Beer Festival comes to Ventura California and it did so only half heartedly. The event was billed as 60 + beers in Mission Park, Pre sell tickets for $35.  The event sold out their alloted 2000 advance ticket sales one week prior to the event, promising more at the gate and let the success stand there.

I personally am part of the masses that procrastinated in buying a ticket expecting that a I could purchase entrance to the event at the gate. I found possibly 1000 others eager beer lovers at the gate when I arrived to buy my entrance to the guzzling event to benefit DARC (Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center) and learned that people had been waiting nearly 3 hours already. I met up with my friend at the front of the line to purchase tickets and encountered others like my friend who had been waiting since early morning.  It was not long after 1pm that the ticketed 2000 people began their two hour march to get to the brews.  THAT is RIGHT.  The line for the people with the coveted presell tickets actually took 2 hours to get from the back of the line to the front  (From the time that they started letting people in at 1pm until the last of the presell tickets was admitted).  

Meanwhile, as the coveted ticket holders made their long slow march to the gate, the 100's of beer lovers without tickets were informed that the event organizers were not selling ANY tickets at the gate, which they had previously posted on their website that it would be possible to buy tickets the day of the event. The mass of people gathered with hopes of buying tickets to celebrate OctoberFest at the California Beer Festival, were disappointedly dispersed and Downtown Ventura area enjoyed an unprecedentedly busy Saturday afternoon.

I waited! No matter what the Official People said, I waited, I did not move from my spot.  After two hours of watching people with tickets wait patiently and move slowly to the gate like sheeple, I was informed that the DOOR was not even checking tickets and that I should just come in.  I made my way to the gate only to find it was true, I was FREE to Drink, .  WOW.  A little perseverance goes a long way.

I am in and so were the few that remained in the line to buy tickets, but no one actually had to pay for tickets.  WHAT A JOKE!

Once inside we found bountiful booths of beer.  There were beer makers from Karl Strauss, Blue Moon, Stone Brewing Company, Santa Barbara Brewing Company, Carpenteria Brewing Company, Boston Beer Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, as well as many others which were not as easy to find.   We also found only 7 bathrooms for the admitted 2000 beer lovers.  WHAT A JOKE.  The event organizer candidly mentioned that "he should have gotten more bathrooms."  Oh so easy to have such 20/20 hind site if you are a VIP with access to private bathrooms.  Oh how nice it is to be the privileged.
In the end, what do I have to say?

The event was OPTIMISTIC.  It had great intentions and a cool yet blurry vision. The organizers brought in great brewers that brought just barely enough beer, if that.  The organizer planned one of the best music lineups that I have seen (heard) at a beer festival in years and though they only invited local talent, they got the best in Orlando Napier, My Brother's Band, and Rey Fresco.  All of this in the name of Dyslexia Awareness, though little if any information was available.  The event was planned for a measly 4 hour slot from 1-5 pm this Saturday and got a slow start at the gate at that.  In fact, if you did not arrive early ( around 10am) then although the gates opened at 1pm, you did not see entrance until at least 2.30pm.  (I am talking about people with presell tickets)    ( If I had PAID, I would Have been pissed!)

THE BEERS, and MUSIC were awesome.

THE VENUE was SMALLER than the crowd called for, and the LOGISTICS were DISORGANIZED and LACKING.  THERE WERE A NEGLIGENT AMOUNT OF RESTROOMS and THE EVENT PLANNED TO HELP the DYSLEXIA AWARENESS and RESOURCE CENTER FELL SHORT by turning away as many as ONE THOUSAND eager BEER LOVERS.  By my calculations, THE CALIFORNIA BEER FESTIVAL missed out on nearly $40,000 revenue(1000 x $40/ ticket)  WHAT A SHAME!


Though I had a great time, I always feel bad when people who spend hard earned money and valuable time don't get what they pay for.  This event promised far more than it delivered and I would like to register my VOTE of LESS THAN IMPRESSED, yet smiling and drunk.


Here are a few links to learn about Dyslexia, it may affect you or someone you know.
* Facts
*Symptoms
*Information About Dyslexia
*Dyslexia Awareness Resource Center
* International Dyslexia Association


Here are some additional links about:
*Beer Knowledge
*Beer Festivals
*One Delicious Beer