Hello all…
A small contingent of brewers from my club will be going to Homebrew Con for the first time this year and we are serving at club night.
We have gotten some feedback from a member of a neighboring club on what to expect, what to plan for, etc.
We have all read through the first timers guide to Homebrew Con and all of that but looking for information from those that have attended before aside from “there will be a ton of beer, don’t try to drink it all.”
Cheers and thanks in advance!
Think Mardi Gras with home brew! It will be the best night of your life. (If you’re married, it’s probably best not to mention that to your wife.)
My lame strategy is to try beers from those I know that make good beer. I also rely on word of mouth from those I know that say, “Go to both X and try beer Y!”. You can’t try them all these days.
If you are pouring, and people come to your booth and say “I was told by Z that I have to try this beer, it is a great example”, then you are doing it right. If the big names come around and try your beer, and smile and nod, you are doing it right.
Hope this helps.
Ridiculous costumes are optional.
See this is a big question of ours. We are kind of doing a theme for our booth but it will be totally chill and no crazy costumes. We were essentially told that nobody will drink our beer because of that.
My thought is that if the beer is good, it won’t matter what we are dressed up like…as long as we are actually dressed.
Ugh, this old dude won’t stop following me around. 8)
My guess is that if you believe you need a theme to get people to drink your beer, then it’s probably not good enough in the first place. Focus on your brewing.
See, I don’t think a theme is necessary. Fun? Sure. Required to give away beer…for free? No, not really.
And what varieties of free beer is your club going to be offering?
Oh, a decent selection I believe. Saison, Pils, Vienna and then some other fun ones
I see. I think I have you guys pegged already. I’m guessing you’re the type of club that will doctor up a Blonde Ale with coffee or lime and pass it off as fun. Probably have one of those New England IPA’s on your menu too. Probably name a dank IPA with a weed reference. I bet you guys even thought of trying to bring in a Wavy Arm Inflatable Guy to draw people to your booth.
Except that no one will know the beer is good if you can’t get them to your booth to try it. Themes and costumes are one way to do that.
We have either been to some drastically different Club Nights, or some drastically different Mardi Gras. lol
I hear you Toby. Never been to NHC, but I have been to NO several times, once for Mardi Gras and I suppose I would have made a larger effort to get to NHC if I thought I could find a good use for all of these beads
You? Ciders and meads please. 8)
last year I brought 10 ciders and 4 meads; since we’re in the land of 10,000 Mead Makers Of the Year I expect that will be reversed. I’ve got beer and will bring a little but I’ll mostly let the rest of KCBM handle that. (and yes, the KC Bier Meisters will have a booth)
on the subject of Club Night, I know it is a lot of people’s favorite event and I can see why. However I find the quality to be very hit and miss and have preferred Pro Night for years. Please, dumping a keg of mediocre beer that your friends don’t want to drink into your club pool isn’t what it should be about! It doesn’t have to be rare or expensive but I think this event deserves our best efforts.
/soapbox
on the subject of Club Night, I know it is a lot of people’s favorite event and I can see why. However I find the quality to be very hit and miss and have preferred Pro Night for years. Please, dumping a keg of mediocre beer that your friends don’t want to drink into your club pool isn’t what it should be about! It doesn’t have to be rare or expensive but I think this event deserves our best efforts.
/soapbox
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This is one thing we are paying attention to. We plan to do a little vetting of beer prior to bringing beers. Luckily, the members that are participating aren’t generally the type to pass off crappy beer at an event like this.
This is one thing we are paying attention to. We plan to do a little vetting of beer prior to bringing beers. Luckily, the members that are participating aren’t generally the type to pass off crappy beer at an event like this.
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We’ll see. What club should we all be looking for?
Yes. Dump buckets are your friend. ;D
For the OP: Enjoy the craziness! Make sure members take shifts so everyone can walk around and experience other clubs. There are a ton of booths, so some kind of interesting theme, costumes, gimmick can entice people to stop by. It’s when they come back for a second or third sample when you are doing it right. Some clubs just have the name recognition, regardless of theme. Take notes for ideas you can make your own in future years. Drink water.
Homebrewers Local 402 out of Omaha, NE