Let me first transmit a “thank you” to my beer network. There are enclaves of friends and acquaintances out there who are listening to the grapevine and letting me know of beer events. This time it was my Goodyear crew that alerted me to Kingman’s second annual Beer Fest this past Saturday, May 31.
I’ve been in Kingman for some twenty years now and have attended a handful of events around town. There’s been only one alcohol related event that I found palatable. So I entered this beer festival with trepidation and left with … well, mixed feelings. That is, oddly, better than I anticipated.
But, first, the beers. A beer festival is all about the beers!
This brewery is from Lake Havasu City, Arizona. They had great beers at the last festival I attended.
Sweet Devil Nitro Stout. Can’t help but love this beer. It’s thick and dark and creamy, the desert’s answer to Guinness.
Jesse’s Malt Liquor. The moniker “malt liquor” always makes me think of a sweet, thin, cheap beer for hoboes. That’s not this beer. Nay, it is a medium bodied delight heavy on sweet caramel. It triumphed as my fave of the fest.
Big Blue Van. Just try it. Ye shall not be disappointed.
Another brewery from Lake Havasu. It’s been there since 1997. They were among the first places I went as I discovered craft beer.
Kickstart Oatmeal Stout. It was supposed to have espresso notes. Alas, though, I found this one unrememberable.
Tripleberry Wheat. This wheat beer sounded intriguing and finally drew me back to their table for a sample. The cranberry was most prominent. It was well balanced but in the end it was just liquid bubblegum.
A third brewery from Havasu. They had about a half dozen or so of their beers on tap from their refer truck. I always go to Full Moon when I see Mudshark. As I’ve written before it is my favorite wit ever. So far. However, it was too cloudy and bland this time. Very unhappy.
V.C.P. They were also pouring their new vanilla caramel porter. Nice even color, chewy body, but not too heavy on either vanilla or caramel. I’d like to try it again. Somebody go buy me a Sharkcage.
This is Flagstaff’s newest brewery. That town just can’t stop producing breweries and good beer.
Piehole Porter. I did not notice it was a cherry vanilla porter. But the cherry and vanilla jumped out right away. It tastes like a pie. If it had not edged toward soda, like an ice cream float, this would have been my favorite.
Joy Rye’d – I did not try this for I dislike rye. But my beer Fest associate could only say it was “tooooo hoppy”.
Every Day Special – a “hopped up Pilsner” according to them but I tasted none. They must have dumped into the rye.
This brewery from Williams brought their American Pilsner and Sunset Amber. I like Sunset Amber, though it veers toward hoppy side instead of malt.
Laughlin’s brewery did not bring their Rehab Red but they had several other selections.
Loaded Jefe Mexican Lager. Not bad, good color, smooth. Laughlin’s version of Modelo.
Watermelon Wheat. Better than the berry.
The AB wholesaler truck had some good beers available and they dominated as far as selection. Some memorable beers: Odell’s Lugene Milk Chocolate Stout. Odell Fernet Aged Porter (this beer is a personality to be reckoned with, to be sure. It’s in my top three beers of the day. But it is so powerful it’s almost difficult to quaff). There were several other Odell beers; plus some from Sleepy Dog in Tempe. And lots more.
So the beers were mostly delicious and enlightening. Now on to the rest. How did the Kingman Beer Fest hold up in the context of the beer festival world?
Attendees received fifteen tickets for $25. It wasn’t a bad price for several good beers. However, we did not get a tasting mug. Well, okay, the first fifty people did receive such a cup. The rest of us could get one if we wished to pungle down $3. I felt that was just cheap, Kingman cheap. Every other festival I’ve been to included a commemorative mug upon entry. Even the wine festival held here provided a glass. So, it’s a little thing, but it would be an improvement.
At first most of the people staffing the tables that I met were local volunteers not brewery employees or brewers themselves. That was distressing because they didn’t really know anything about the beer. For example, at one table where a pilsner and an amber were offered I was simply told one was their light beer one was their dark. Not quite accurate and it made it obvious the pourer did not know the product. It’s nice to go to these festivals and be able to interact with the brewers. But to be fair that was just the first hour I was there. Knowledgeable types did arrive.
While I was personally disappointed in the beginning the more I spoke with people, especially the visiting brewery staff, I began to feel a little better about the event. Some visitors remarked that Kingman is in a decent area for beer festival since it’s on a corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas. Many remarked that it wasn’t a bad festival for this being only its second year. There is potential for growth. Almost all the breweries said they would come to year three.
If there is year three, some modifications are in order. The booths and tables were tightly arranged in a corridor beneath the bleachers at the Fairgrounds. When I first walked I could look left and right and easily see the entire festival. My initial impression was that this was a tiny place and absolutely the wrong venue for a beer festival. Person after person commented that the location was too crowded, too small.
Mudshark’s refrigerated truck was running the entire time which did not go over well. It dominated the ambiance of the … corridor. However,I shall not lay blame at Mudshark’s fins. They were having mechanical issues with the truck from the moment they left Havasu. If the festival had been held in a more open area, say, a park, as the wine festival has been held in, the mechanical issues would not have been so noticeable and annoying.
Speaking of sound, there was a good buzz happening when I entered the … hallway. The good buzz was conversation that could be heard above even the Mudshark truck. I took that as a good sign. Another sound point: I heard over and over again that people wanted music, especially a live band. And, once again, if the festival would be held at a different venue a band would fit. Live music makes a festival memorable.
However, I also heard, from attendees and brewers alike, that this year’s locus, though cramped and loud, was still an improvement over last year. Why? It kept everyone out of the sun. And if the beer festival shall continue to be held at this time of year a shaded setting is imperative. Imperative.
So, festival organizers take note. This beer festival is a positive thing for Kingman. Choose a better location. A beer festival needs space; attendees need to be able to wander, chat, enjoy the beer in a laid back atmosphere. And there needs to be some live entertainment.
Combining the variety of beers available at this beer event with the annual Oktoberfest that is held downtown would vastly improve both events. Then we could start truly calling the thing a beer festival. Oktoberfest already has an okay venue (the whole, you know, train passing by thing annoys me) and live entertainment. I’m not sure which has better attendance. I’m leaning towards this beer event I’m writing about over the Oktoberfest. Put the two events together until it gets unwieldy and then we can move on. While doing that, add some additional food vendors if possible and consider a home brewing competition. There’s a good amount of home brewers around here and we wouldn’t mind showing off our art.
Everyone said that the beer selection was better this year. That’s my focus. A beer festival can provide some community interaction, sure, and it can highlight local businesses, okay; but let’s not turn our local beer festival into a lame Chamber of Commerce mixer-like event. No, it needs to be about the beer. Bring the beer and the rest will fall into place.