This years event at the Morristown Armory is in the history books.
Last year there had been issues with the bathroom wait times (in the order of 30-45 minutes) and with the scanning system crashing causing an hour so delay for GA entry. On those fronts the problems were solved. Entry was easy and smooth, And from as far as I could tell there were never any restroom lines.
Maybe the morning session was quieter, but even during the height of it, there was never really more an a person or two line for any beer, and usually that seemed to be from people talking to the people manning the tables. It was a very relaxed atmosphere over all, no pushing, no overly drunk folks. We had pretty much tried everything in the venue we wanted and had ample time to wander around during the session, (and even left a little early to beat the traffic with no regrets).
It was great to finally be able to meet the people I have been talking to on twitter, and get to say hi in person. Shout outs to CraftGeer, Carton, Slumbrew, & Dominion. Great to finally see you in person!
Personally I found my stand outs to be:
- B Nektar’s Meadery’s Black Fang,with its bled of blackberry and cloves was fall / winter in a cup. I have to give their NecroMangocon credit for the name and label, a bit too sweet for me but still worth a try. I will checking out their other offerings, especially Cherry Zombie Killer
- Moonlight Meadery’s Kurt’s Apple Pie (a deceptively easy drinking 16ish%) which had a nose of apple pie, crust and all, and a taste to match.
- Warwick Valley Wine Co’s Docs Pumpkin Apple Cider, which would my pretty much be all end all of ciders for me. Not sweet, very balanced on the spices, and super local. Good Times!
- Carton’s Milk. Their keg of Pumpkin cream kicked early and they replaced it ASAP with Milk, oh the shame, oh the horror. Milk is a 4% abv stout with a huge coffee and chocolate nose, yet contains neither. All the flavor comes from the malts. This was one out of the park, can’t even compare anything to it especially at that ABV. Not only was this one of the few i drank the whole sample of, I had a second as we were talking with the Carton Guys.
We had a wonderful time and are already set to come back next year. Honestly my only complaint, and it is a minor one at that, was with the VIP buffet. It only ran for the VIP hour, but I do not think that was listed anyplace. We happened to luck out and get on the line just before it ended, but after they had fun out of plates. The food was still amazing though, and in a weird way, eating off of spoon sizes portions and things added to the charm.
