Beer Forum

Hey all,

I am very excited about NHC 2014 being right in my back yard here in Michigan. I have never attended NHC and next year in Grand Rapids will be the first. This is where I need help from all if you NHC vets.

I want to blow the roof off of the place with our Cranker's Brewery booth when it comes to Pro Night. I know that it is up to me to try and hit a home run with the beers I bring, but beyond that what would you like to see? Some questions I have is as follows:

How many beers can I pour? Volume cap?

Are the beers donated or payed for?

What would you like to see to really set ourselves apart from the other booths?

What factors have contributed to other breweries stealing the show at other Pro Nights?

What type of styles pour well at these events?

I have discussed briefly doing a collaboration with Nate, and potentially some other brewmasters for the event.

Anyhow, your feedback is appreciated!



Mills

Mills wrote:What would you like to see to really set ourselves apart from the other booths?

With the name and gear in the logo, I'm some big gear driven gizmo at the booth... dry ice 'steam', etc.

Biggest thing for me was having people running the bar that knew the beer. You'll be surrounded by not just beer drinkers, but brewers, who will want to know the technical details of the beers they're drinking. 2013 was my first NHC.

linuxelf wrote:Biggest thing for me was having people running the bar that knew the beer. You'll be surrounded by not just beer drinkers, but brewers, who will want to know the technical details of the beers they're drinking. 2013 was my first NHC.

have some one nearby that knows the beer. I hate it when someone stands at the front of the line asking questions about the beer while others have to wait in line behind them.

2-3 beers is enough. so long as they are good. I'm not going to drink 10 beers from the same table when there are 40 more tables.

On pro night it is tough to keep up if all the breweries are serving high octane beers. Be sure to have some lighter alcohol brews that can sustain the marathon drinker. Just an observation.

Mills, it's just a beer fest like you've always been going to, except Fred announced that next year it's going
to be about 4000 people there, mostly homebrewers who go beyond the normal beer geek stuff.

Every beer in Seattle had to be donated to an umbrella 503(c), but I can't speak to the other conferences. I know that state and local laws affect everything about how the beers get submitted and poured. Meads and Ciders fall under the Wine category, so there are different laws that may affect them, too. (A well known meadery had to pour in the BN booth on club night instead of during pro night in SEA due to some technicality).

Sours are big draws (if well made). So are barrel-aged and smoked. If you have exceptional lagers, they will differentiate your brewery too. I'd guess that more than >95% of the beers poured are ales.

Have a nice easy drinker that packs flavor, too. After a while, it's nice to see something that isn't going to dissolve your teeth or requires a warning sign not to drink near an open flame. If you have a great beer that ISN'T an IPA, bring it. There were booths with nothing but different IPAs. I left those booths alone, and others did too.

+1 on having knowledgeable people nearby to explain the intricacies. Brewery stickers end up in the trash.
Openers are cool; neck lanyards that hold your beer glass are even nicer - (follow the link to the Milwaukee Beer Baron's newsletter then scroll down to page 4 to see it). I actually know Bruce so if you need to contact him, shoot me a pm.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/f ... 5#msg55685

The guys from one of the kit vendors were handing out very inexpensive versions of that (e.g., velcro to adjust the loop the glass goes in, no metal parts, just ~3/8" wide nylon sewn together - cheap but still effective) Lots of folks were walking around with them.

Make sure all your kegs are in good condition so you don't have a 10-15 foot beer fountain like Lagunitas did

I'd like to see the pro's bring some flagship but also some specials for this event. There were only so many so-so IPA's and Pale Ales I could try.

The really special stuff you can set aside for BNA9.....