Eat Real Festival - Jack London Square, Oakland

Eat Real Festival

I think this might have been before GABF.  I can't remember much about it except it was really hot outside, and it was way too crowded.  All the beers were coming from one trailer, with lines extending in different directions.  It was hard to see what was available, and since I was still pretty new, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to try.  At the last minute they changed the ticketing - it had originally been 8 4-oz tastings, but when we got there we learned it was changed to 4 8-oz tastings.  I wasn't too excited about that - my favourite part of festivals is the chance to taste a bunch of stuff and see what I like - only getting 4 tickets but committing to 8oz of a beer that might not turn out well...it wasn't the best.  Also, the lines were way too long.

Basically, I stuck with what I know - I tried all the stouts and thought they were good, of course.  I did experiment with Barleywine for the first time.  While the Lumberjack thought its sweetness would be a good match for me, I found it a little too alcohol-esque, and wasn't a fan.