Beer-a-palooza

I apologize to my followers that I wasn't able to keep up on my weekday posts last week. I missed Friday because I was packing and preparing for the weekend. I went out of town and have just returned from an annual beer event that I planned for a group of my friends. This was the 4th year of the event, which we call Beer-a-palooza. It is a weekend dedicated to quality beer!

This event happens in a different city every year. First, I decide upon a city with a brewery that we can tour. (Duluth was our destination this year.) Then I book hotel rooms for everyone in the group for Friday and Saturday night. This is the base of the event.

Visiting a brewery can be a lot of fun, but we have a lot of other time to burn over the weekend. This led me to the idea of planning additional beer activities. This all comes together to give us a great vacation.

On Friday night, I host an organized beer tasting at the hotel. I have to book a large room so that everyone in the group can fit and move around comfortably during the tasting. Each person in our group contributes some money to our beer fund, which allows me to purchase the beer for the tasting. This year, we had 10 tasty beers for everyone to sample. I introduce 1 beer at a time, and give a description and a history of the style. Then we taste. It's a fun format that everyone seems to enjoy. After our tasting, we chat for a while and then rest for the night.

On Saturday morning, we usually get up and eat breakfast in the hotel. The morning usually moves slow because some people need to recover from the night before. When everyone is awake and ready, we head out for lunch and then directly to the brewery for the tour. This year, we toured Lake Superior brewing. Head brewer Dale Kleinschmidt was there to give the tour and share his vast knowledge of the brewing process. He did a great job and I know a lot of people in our group learned a lot from him. When the tour was over, we went back to the hotel.

Saturday afternoon is pretty open. People usually do whatever makes them happy. Some nap, some start drinking more beer, some go out and check out the neighborhood. This year, we even had someone bring their PS3 and play some video games. I typically crack a beer with a group of the guys and watch a beer-related movie. This year we watched "American Beer," which is a fun beer documentary about a small group of friends traveling the country and visiting craft breweries. If you can find a copy online, I recommend buying it.

After our relaxing afternoon, we find a brewpub or a good bar where we can drink quality beer and eat dinner. Since we were in Duluth this year, we visited Fitger's Brewhouse. They make their own tasty beers and also have good food on the menu. We ate (and drank) our fill, and then ventured out to hit some of the local bars. As each person reaches their limit, they get a cab or walk back to the hotel and call it a night.

Sunday, it's back to reality. We eat some breakfast (at least those of us that can eat), check out of the hotel, and head home.

The first year I planned this event, I thought it would be a one-time thing. However, all of my friends asked me when we would do it again! I decided to make it an annual event, and we've been going for 4 years straight. Our group grows larger with each year, and this year we had 18 people. Thanks to my friends for coming, and I hope we keep it going for years to come.