AlphaBeer VIII Was Great

A little less than three years ago I had the crazy idea to host an event featuring craft beers. 26 of them, to be exact – one for every letter of the alphabet. Since then I’ve hosted eight “AlphaBeer” events, and I can say without a doubt that last Saturday’s at Local 22 was the best.

Don’t get me wrong – these events are ALWAYS fun. How can they not be when we’re trying a beer for every letter of the alphabet, each one introduced by an expert who appreciates the passion and craft behind these brews? I’ve noticed a pattern. When people arrive they’re rather subdued. They’re excited, sure, but they’re also fairly quiet as they wait for the tasting to begin. By the time we get to letter F the volume has noticeably increased, and after O you can’t hear our AlphaBeerMaster over the chatter and laughter.

One thing AlphaBeer is not is a “drunk fest”. Sure, if you drink every ounce of every beer you should not even think about driving and you should probably think about calling it a night, but inebriation is not the goal. People who attend these events love beer, and more specifically they love the art of craft beer. They want to know where the hops come from – the terroir, in wine-speak, what food would pair well, the ABV and the IBUs. They are serious about their beers.

So are we. So is Local 22. So is Chef Jill Houk, our AlphaBeerMaster for 2012. She researched in detail what we’d be trying, and notes for each beer A through Z were displayed on Local 22’s flat screen TVs.

The staff was incredible. I allot three hours for this event but it’s a challenge to serve a room full of people the same beer at the same time 26 times in a row. Local 22 took us from A to Z in two and a half hours, and the timing was perfect. They even provided abbreviated menus on the tables to speed up any food orders (get the chorizo poppers!).

I could not be more pleased with Local 22, with Chef Jill, with AlphaBeer VIII. If you love craft beer, too, then I hope you’ll join us at AlphaBeer IX!