So, as I mentioned the other day, I dropped by the Edmonton International Beer Festival this afternoon. I spent an hour or so observing the goings-on and sampling a few beer. These kind of events are useful for someone who writes about beer, as I had some productive conversations with the brewers there, picking up some intriguing news about things coming. For example, watch for some news from Creemore Springs in the next couple of weeks, and there are some yummy seasonals on deck for Brewster’s in Alberta.
But, here is my conclusion about Beerfest. It is no longer a beer festival, which is a damned shame.
By my count, less than half of the exhibitors were serving beer. The majority were marketing shooters, rum, tattoos, motorcycles, mixed martial arts events and various other products. Key craft beer players, like Alley Kat, Wild Rose, Paddock Wood and Steam Whistle, were completely absent, which says something. Plus the pumping dance music was a bit of a sensory overload.
The worst of it – and I acknowledge this may not be the organizers’ fault – was the display from Union nightclub, located dead centre of the room. Young women in low cut tops were serving some lime beer atrocity who really only served as an appetizer for the main attraction – a stripper pole on a raised platform. Now, the woman gyrating around the pole was keeping her (scant) clothes on, but something about it really didn’t sit well with me. What does that have to do with beer?
I understand that this festival targets a younger crowd, which is not a bad thing. As Brewster’s head brewer Rob Walsh explained, this demographic is the next generation of beer drinkers, and so we need to educate them. But I have a hard time believing that you need to go to such exploitative, sexist extremes to persuade young consumers to spend some time sampling beer.
The sum of it all tells me that the focus of this event is not beer and its appreciation, but a space for public partying. This is a conclusion that brings me no satisfaction, for I truly want the Edmonton Beer Festival to work. I want a weekend where the centre of attention are well-made, original craft beers and where the average member of the public can discover a new dimension to beer. I believe that would be an important addition to our beer scene.
I am struck by the contrast to the beer tasting event I hosted on Friday – where 150 people mingled and visited and discovered a number of beers new to them. It wasn’t snooty or geeky. It was about exploring the range of their beer palate and take away new information about the beer for sale in western Canada. It was fun,but not cheap.
And that is what I wish the organizers of Beerfest learn. I hope they take mycomments in the manner in which they are intended – to strengthen Edmonton’s beer culture. They need to ditch the shooters and sexist nightclubs in order to create space for the dozens of breweries wanting to showcase their wares. I think that can draw just as many people, and the experience will be more universally satisfactory.
April 25, 2010 at 9:38 AM
Yukon Brewing was not at this event and has not taken part in these types of events for many years.
Yukon Dave
April 25, 2010 at 2:46 PM
Two things:
1. I agree regarding the event. It was not a beer event, it was a “Youth Lifestyle” event, which is to say that it was like a Frat party, if a frat party was paying to have the girls from the local nightclub come out to pretend they didn’t think you’re an idiot. A real beer event would draw a differnet crowd, and would not conflict with this event’s demographic. It might not draw as big a crowd, but over time it might manage to improve beer knowledge among the wine tasting demographic.
2. While the pole set-up at the festival was pretty much as you describe, my wife is a militant fitness-poledancer, so next time you see her, don’t use the term “stripper-pole” and don’t lump together what you saw at the beer fest with the female-empowered version that is enjoyed by tens of thousands of non-stripper women around the globe (Or she will kill you with a platform stilletto heel through the temple).
April 25, 2010 at 3:35 PM
No worries. I am appropriately intimidated by your wife and will thus watch my step. I hear your point about fitness-pole dancing, but I am pretty sure that is not what the young woman at Beerfest was doing, hence my use of the phrase.
April 25, 2010 at 3:06 PM
This pseudo beer event is a lost cause it seems to me. Operators are in it for the money, not love of beer. Real beer festivals are run by nonprofit organizations (eg. Brewers Association > Denver’s Great American Beer Festival). I don’t know if there is an Edmonton organization with the institutional heft to put on a festival locally. Edmonton Homebrewers perhaps? In partnership with Alberta craft brewers? Or with the Original Fare/local eating folks? Edmonton Slow Food puts on their BBQ at Alley Kat – a great event, but focused on the food. Jason – you get the ball rolling and we’ll applaud from the sidelines!
April 25, 2010 at 3:38 PM
Peter,
You raise good questions. I am not sure how to best build a craft beer festival. Events of that nature are A LOT of work and take a fair bit of upfront cash. I actually have some respect for the organizers of the current festival – it ain’t easy to do, and I think they are working with a market they know fairly well to minimize hassle. However, if you have a some cash laying around as seed money, I will happily start organizing something…
April 25, 2010 at 5:04 PM
I would agree that what was happeining at the event was not fitness pole-dancing, or pole dancing at all. Dancing next to a pole dressed to attract the demographic sought by the Union nightclub would be more the idea. Just remember – the phrase is always “dance pole” never “stripper pole” Not all strippers are pole dancers (although the best ones are, they tell me) and not all pole dancers are strippers.
April 25, 2010 at 11:44 PM
Having taught in Poland for a few years, I can confidently say that I’ve known a number of Poles who were not strippers.
In retrospect, the Polish beer was usually so awful that even a good Frat party wouldn’t have been able to get me to swallow it!
Beer festivals should be about beer. Period.
April 27, 2010 at 1:50 PM
http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com
http://www.gcbf.com
A couple CANADIAN examples of beer festivals.
Alberta is serious lacking in the craft beer department. No real Interest, for the most part, from the averag beer drinker I guess, which is directly tied to our lack of craft brewers.
April 28, 2010 at 6:33 PM
I went and like you said it was terrible. There was only like one row of vendors that actually had any decent beer. I was in line behind a guy who got two samples of Edelweiss and watched him shoot the first one and then 2 shot the other. Nice. I will not be attending again next year. How is the Mayfield one?
April 29, 2010 at 10:32 AM
The Mayfield one last year was not much better, but it will not return, as the key organizer passed away shortly after the festival.
Jason
May 2, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Mike Tessier organizes a fundraising cask-ale festival every year in Calgary that is both an event beer geeks can get their mojo working and a worthy party. IMHO he strikes just the right balance – maybe you could pick his brain about how he does it.
Totally agree about the lack of craft brewers in Alberta – not to knock the ones we do have, but we need more of them, quite desperately.
April 19, 2011 at 12:54 PM
As some one who has was a part of the First Edmonton Beerfest, one of the founding members of VCBW and the events co-ordinator for many beer fests in Vancouver for CAMRA Vancouver, I totally agree with you Jason, that there is no need for “sex” and scandily clad women to promote beer. Women love beer and good beer and want to attend festivals to appreciate and enjoy good beer.
Cheers!
March 11, 2015 at 2:01 PM
I agree totally. What a disappointing ‘beer’ fest. ‘International’ was a total joke with the Liquor Depot serving the only Belgian beer, on tap. Bull riding and scantly clad girls at the Coors kiosk. Did try a few new interesting domestics but when the beer selection is better at the local Liquor Crossing in Red Deer, than at the beer fest, what the! Albertan pseudo, ersatz, beer fest! Lol!