NHC San Diego- Can't decide.......

Hey guys,
Can’t believe I am even writing this but I am having a hard time convincing myself to go to the NHC in San Diego. I have never been to a NHC and I only live 3.5 hours from San Diego so it would seem like a slam dunk. Between the cost of the conference, hotel room, meals, and time away from the family… The biggest draw for me is the presentations…but the AHA puts those online. I am sure the beers are great…but I will spending several hundred dollars to drink homebrew? So past attendees…PLEASE convince me to go!! What am I missing here?

That close and you don’t go, you WILL regret it. I had just started home brewing the year before the NHC came to Minneapolis, did not go, even though it was only 30 minutes away. I had no idea what I was missing and I regret it all the time. Went to my first in Michigan it was great. Homebrewers are THE BEST people you will ever meet, don’t go just for the presentations, or to drink homebrew, go for the experience and camaraderie. You will not regret it.

Best 3 days of beer related activities ever!

This will be number 10 for me and the wife.

Yes. And you will LOVE it.

But seriously? Just go. You will love it. We drove 11.5 hours each way last year and are going back this year again. Like Jeff said, best 3 days of beer related activities ever.

I’ve been brewing for 20 some years and this will be my first NHC. I’m looking forward to meeting the people and taking in the sessions. I’ve been to a few of the smaller homebrewing events and always had a good time and picked up some good information. Now that I’m semi-retired I may be taking in a few more.

So, I urge you to just do it.

Bruce

And don’t forget the potential forum meet up with Denny, Drew, AmandaK, and others.

I’m bummed I can’t make it this year (I mean it is on the other corner of the country for me).  It’s a great time to meet and talk with other homebrewers, have face-to-face time with the “celebrities” on an equal basis, form friendships, and of course, try all kinds of beer, mead and cider - homebrew and commercial.

The pre-conference events are usual great too - The BN anniversary party, brewery tours (a lot of time with some special things you don’t see on the normal tours), etc.

It’s also a chance to get some hands on with the equipment and ingredient suppliers in the homebrewing industry.

Did I mention you may see Denny and/or Drew?  That should be enough! :slight_smile:

Trust me, you won’t regret going. What you will regret is every year you miss one. I will not be going this year and I totally regret that!

I am in the same boat, but I live even closer and already registered.  I just haven’t booked the hotel yet.

The online seminra will never be able to get across what happens in real time…especially for Drew and me.

Trust me, NHC is anything but boring.  Where else can one find the FBI and the MOB happily coexisting in the same building? :slight_smile:

At Grand Rapids it was the best way to start a Saturday morning…plus all of these guys are genuinely approachable and they didn’t seemed creeped out by the beer geek attention they were getting!  Maybe they really are just like the rest of us.

If you can go, you should go.  They may have limited conference tickets, rather than the whole shebang, but if it were me, I would opt for the whole shebang.  Plus you can get some great feedback from knowledgable Brewers, if you bring some homebrew.

Same here. :frowning:

Where else can you go and talk about beer and drink beer with like minded people for 3 days?  The seminars are awesome and as others have said, they listening to them as a podcast or on video don’t do them justice and club night is a blast.

I have been to the last four and am bummed I am not going to make it this year.

Since 1996 I have missed 3 cities and I regret each one.  Every year you go, you make new friends, so that by the time you’ve attended three or four, it seems like you know everybody or that everybody knows you - kinda like “Norm!”
It’s not just the beer.  It’s not just the seminars.  It’s not just the chance to explore a new city.  It’s the people.
I am looking forward to seeing a couple thousand of my best buds at my 16th conference.

I was shut out of Seattle (and I am still bummed about that), hit Philly for my first, Michigan for my second, and decided for family’s sake to skip San Diego…and boy, am I regretting that decision…enough to start to fantasize about excuses to make up to get to go.

The seminars are interesting, but they are the least part about the conference.  Your fellow AHA members are the real value.  The only issue is that it goes by too fast…it could easily be a week long (who could afford that!).

Go if you can.

This. So much this.

My first year (2012 - Seattle), I went alone. I had no club to go with but I wanted to go anyway. This past year (2014 - Grand Rapids) we went with 9 club members and did club night. A cliff notes of a few experiences for you:

  • I talked my way into judging the 2012 Final Round as a Certified judge with recommendation from the BJCP West rep at the time (GMII). I learned so much during that judging experience! My first flight was with Ron Price, who was on the AHA GC at the time, and I picked his brain on all things AHA and English bitter. My second flight was with Randy Scorby (who had just won AHA Homebrewer of the Year the year prior with a rauchbier) and we judged Cat 22. I picked his brain about all things rauchbier and ended up taking that knowledge home with me to brew the best rauchbier I had ever tasted. Randy and I still stay in contact via the BJCP (he is now one of the Education Directors and sets our club up with CEP sessions 4-6 times a year). When I saw him at 2014 NHC, he met my now husband and gave us pointers on where to go for our upcoming honeymoon.
  • Sitting at the bar on Friday night, by myself at my first NHC, I started talking with an older gentleman. Very nice man. He invited me to sit with his group at their table so we could all eat dinner together and continue our conversation about beer. I sit down, look around at everyone, and everyone is wearing a Blichmann polo. I jokingly ask, “What is this, the Blichmann table?” John reaches out his hand for a handshake and says, “Yeah, I’m John Blichmann. Very good to meet you!” Ha! Anyway, we all hung out all Club Night. Had a blast. One of the younger guys at the table, Pete, and I ran around all of club night, coming back to John and the rest of the crew when we found an excellent beer. It was awesome.
    We met again (they still all remember me somehow) at 2014 NHC, shared some hugs, laughed, and my husband thanked them all for keeping me company during Club Night. Love those guys! The found us during Club Night 2014 and hung around our booth for probably an hour.
  • I met Stan Hieronymus at GABF 2012 on a hungover plane ride and we have kept in touch, but during 2014 NHC the husband and I were running around with him during the welcome reception. Stan was running off to grab me beers he thought I should try and such. I’ll never forget the look on on of our newer club member’s faces, as if to say, ‘Holy sh*t! Are you guys talking to Stan H??’. Haha, it was great. Of course, we introduced them and they chatted it up. Stan is such a wonderful person - would recommend being hung over on a plane next to him. :slight_smile:
  • Denny and Drew. Enough said. My husband is a huge fan of them (he’s the weird beer brewer) and was elated to meet them. It is super neat to have met and kept in touch with people who’s book you have on your coffee table.
  • Martin Brungard. Awesome person. Since I knew what he looked like, I ran up and introduced myself. I was promptly greeted with a hug and a smile.
  • AHA Forum meet up. Once this gets arranged, don’t miss it. It is awesome to put a face/person to the names we’ve all been talking to for the whole year. Last year, I did a mini-beer swap with Jimmy K where we traded a special beer/cider that we couldn’t respectively get.

These are just a very small handful of the experiences I’ve had at NHC. And I’ve only been twice! Just go. You won’t regret it.

I did not know about the conference in 2013 when I started brewing. I could not make it happen in 2014, and already had commitments this year with family events. Next year is already on the calendar for roughly  the same week.  And I penciled in Asheville (cause that’s where I think it will be. No inside info, just my rwag.) Have fun this year everyone. Ps. If I was as close as you say you are, I would try to at least make a day trip for one of the days but I understand how life gets in the way…

Nice write up.

You left out that you introduced yourself to a “D List” Homebrewer like me last year.  ;D

Ha, yes I remember! I thought I scared you a bit since I basically accosted you in the registration line. :slight_smile:

I can’t wait to go back!

This will be my 5th.  I missed Grand Rapids last year ONLY because my daughter was graduating high school on club night.  Like Jeff said, it’s kind of like “Hey, Norm!”, but at your class reunion every year, and your class gets bigger and bigger and you somehow remember more and more classmates from all over the world.  It’s great hanging out in person with the folks you’ve been talking with on the boards for so long, putting names to faces, and sharing all those beers.  And its always great judging 2nd round.

Steve