So on Saturday I spent a couple hours at a ballpark and there wasn’t a baseball game going on.
Instead I went to the Mashing (Edmonton), which bravely sets itself outside on the grounds of John Ducey Park (not its current name but I don’t care), Edmonton’s river valley baseball stadium. And it was a great time!
I went last year as well and, even though some of the beer was good, the event was a trial. The temperature was plus-1 with rain and, I think, some flurries. Not really a great environment for an outdoor beer festival. But this year worked out. When I was there it was plus-20 and sunny. I regretted not wearing shorts.
And so it made focusing on the beer much, much easier. And there was some good beer to be had. I will say, to start, that I focused my attention on breweries I hadn’t tried or visited, given that I am trying to catch up after 18 months away.. I also got to some old favourites, just because.
But what I want to do here is not talk about the beer, but about the event.
I really like the venue. A baseball field, tents closely clustered but there is enough space to feel the sun and wind. In September in Edmonton, that is a bold move. But, at least this year, it worked. It is way better than a concrete convention hall.
I also appreciated that the vast majority of the breweries were Albertan, but that some good regional breweries were welcome. It created a nice balance between local and regional and no corporate to be found (or at least that I saw).
A small niggle is that I would have liked to have seen some of the newer Southern Alberta breweries host a booth. I really appreciated being able to sample my first sips of Establishment Brewing and try some rarer New Level brews, for example. I also hear there was a similar absence of northern breweries at the Mashing Calgary. I get they are small, but if you want to build your name, you need to reach out beyond your local community.
I have always had a mixed feeling about the VIP category they do. In a way offering a few small advantages is nice, but at the end of the day do they realy make a difference?
On the whole I had a fun afternoon. The location was creative, the range of breweries decent, and I got to drink beer on a beer diamond, which I can’t say I get to do very often. Watch the wather forecast, but I would suggest you consider The Mashing tickets next year.
September 24, 2019 at 9:30 AM
Having visited the OBF in Portland several times (held in a big park downtown the last weekend in July) I’ve never been able to bring myself to go sit and drink beer inside a depressing convention centre. I didn’t make it to The Mashing this year but I would definitely consider going next year. Would be nice if they could have it in July or August but then I guess you’re trading a chance of cooler weather for a chance of evening thunderstorms.
I assume some archaic bylaws regarding public alcohol consumption are what prevent us from having an outdoor beer festival in a “real” park like Hawrelak or Gallagher?
The other thing that irritates me about the beer festivals we have here is having to pay for admission, as well as buying the beer! Isn’t it time we had some kind of Alberta small brewers’ association that could hold one of these things not-for-profit?
September 24, 2019 at 11:22 AM
Thanks for your take. Interesting thought about having the brewery association do it. They likely are too small still (lots of breweries but most small so pay lower dues). A model I like is a higher ticket price but then all the samples are free.