Working for a college has its perks: I still get spring break! On Wednesday and Thursday I tooled around Little Rock getting chores done that no one with a 8 to 5 job could possibly do. On Thursday afternoon Rory and I set off on an adventure to Dallas for the Bluebonnet Brew Off!
http://www.bluebonnetbrewoff.com/
It is one of the largest home brew competitions out there. Rory had never been to one of these conventions/competitions. We had no idea what to expect. We arrived in Dallas on Thursday night and grilled out with his friend Rick. The next day before we headed to the competition, I made Rory try a bean and cheese taco. He now understands what all the talk is about. Thank goodness for Taco Cabana. They pleasantly surprised me with a new dip: half ranch, half their dark salsa!
We then went to the Westin to register for the competition, where we received our tasting glass. Rory didn't submit any beers this go around, but he plans to next year. We met up with some of the other Central Arkansas Fermenters and headed to the Hospitality Suite. This was the start to a long beer tasting adventure!
The hospitality suite was open from 2-6:30pm both Saturday and Sunday. This was where they had at least 3 or 4 different home or local commercial brews on tap. We almost got a chance to judge some of the entries but the spots were already filled once we got there.
Rory and I headed for a bite to eat before the next event. From 8pm to 10pm the Commercial Brewers from around the globe were there to hand out tasters. The glass came in handy for this portion and the next. At 10pm we switched to the other half of the conference room and got to taste the home brews. Each different home brew organization had their own station. Rory is a member of the Central Arkansas Fermenters. For a while, they even let me hand out and talk about their beer. I knew VERY LITTLE about it, but they invited me to help out again in October for Octoberfest!
The next day Rory woke up bright and early to go to the Beer Tech talks. Rick and I ended up at Denny's for a good hearty breakfast! Then we went to hang out in the Hot Tub and swimming pool on the roof of the hotel that overlooked the DFW airport. Rick informed me that the DFW Airport is larger than Manhattan! I was blown away by this fact.
Once Rory was out of his tech talks we headed to an amazing sandwich shop!
Then we laid low watching movies and eating dinner until the Awards Ceremony at 8pm. Rory won a ton of hops during the raffle. He was pretty excited about it. The awards were over and then we all hung around to try the remaining beers.
Oh and I almost forgot...It snowed starting at 2pm on Saturday and was snowing for an hour of our drive back to Arkansas.
Overall, it was a phenomenal weekend. Hopefully Rory and I will be able to go back next year.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, all convention centers look the same.
http://www.bluebonnetbrewoff.com/
It is one of the largest home brew competitions out there. Rory had never been to one of these conventions/competitions. We had no idea what to expect. We arrived in Dallas on Thursday night and grilled out with his friend Rick. The next day before we headed to the competition, I made Rory try a bean and cheese taco. He now understands what all the talk is about. Thank goodness for Taco Cabana. They pleasantly surprised me with a new dip: half ranch, half their dark salsa!
We then went to the Westin to register for the competition, where we received our tasting glass. Rory didn't submit any beers this go around, but he plans to next year. We met up with some of the other Central Arkansas Fermenters and headed to the Hospitality Suite. This was the start to a long beer tasting adventure!
The hospitality suite was open from 2-6:30pm both Saturday and Sunday. This was where they had at least 3 or 4 different home or local commercial brews on tap. We almost got a chance to judge some of the entries but the spots were already filled once we got there.
Rory and I headed for a bite to eat before the next event. From 8pm to 10pm the Commercial Brewers from around the globe were there to hand out tasters. The glass came in handy for this portion and the next. At 10pm we switched to the other half of the conference room and got to taste the home brews. Each different home brew organization had their own station. Rory is a member of the Central Arkansas Fermenters. For a while, they even let me hand out and talk about their beer. I knew VERY LITTLE about it, but they invited me to help out again in October for Octoberfest!
The next day Rory woke up bright and early to go to the Beer Tech talks. Rick and I ended up at Denny's for a good hearty breakfast! Then we went to hang out in the Hot Tub and swimming pool on the roof of the hotel that overlooked the DFW airport. Rick informed me that the DFW Airport is larger than Manhattan! I was blown away by this fact.
Once Rory was out of his tech talks we headed to an amazing sandwich shop!
Then we laid low watching movies and eating dinner until the Awards Ceremony at 8pm. Rory won a ton of hops during the raffle. He was pretty excited about it. The awards were over and then we all hung around to try the remaining beers.
Oh and I almost forgot...It snowed starting at 2pm on Saturday and was snowing for an hour of our drive back to Arkansas.
Overall, it was a phenomenal weekend. Hopefully Rory and I will be able to go back next year.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, all convention centers look the same.
1 comment:
Nice commentary!
Will we get to taste some of Rory's brew this weekend?
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