Craft Brewers Conference 2018 kicked off yesterday evening with a welcome reception on 5th Ave, just outside the Music City Center. I’m not good at estimating things, so I’m just going to say there must have been between 2- and 5-thousand people who passed through in the course of the evening.
Craft Brewers Conference Initial Impressions
There are a TON of Breweries in This Country!
I stood in one beer line and counted at least ten brewery names I hadn’t heard of before just in the first few seconds since I got in line. I was in line for a brewery I had never heard of. There were maybe ten more booths from breweries I’d never heard of, besides maybe a half dozen from breweries I knew.
I don’t know if I should feel an embarrassment of riches or the anxiety of finitude. (I mean, probably the former, obviously, but still). There are so many great beers I will probably never try. I’ll have to console myself with knowing they once existed…
#CBCsoWhite
This is still an event very heavily skewed towards 20–40-something white dudes with respectable beards. I saw one black woman and several ethnic-Asian women and men.
The Brewers Association is, of course, trying to take active steps to change this situation, and there are sessions on diversity coming up this week. I look forward to seeing what those have to offer.
Beer is Still a Family Affair
That said, there were also plenty of multigenerational parties and what I inferred were family concerns represented. It’s not just for young bros, after all.
Spotted
Charlie Papazian. He was actually walking by himself wearing what I think of as his uniform: jeans and a denim shirt. I thought, “How is Charlie Papazian here by himself?”
No doubt that guy is never truly alone at an event like this. I wanted to say something to him, but I had nothing more intelligent to say than, “Hey, you taught me how to homebrew!”
He probably hears that all the time, but I was a teacher once, and I have a feeling he doesn’t really get tired of hearing it.
Sam Calagione. Sam had what looked like a little crew. I decided to leave him alone, too, because I didn’t think I was cool enough to.
Grits Are Still Not That Great
Okay, okay, chill out, southerners. I think grits must be like oatmeal. If you grew up with it, you eat it because it’s warm and nostalgic, but not really because it’s good.
If you put oatmeal in front of me today, I probably wouldn’t be that impressed. So, too, with grits. They had a fancy grits bar at the reception, with shrimp and crawfish and bacon and what not.
I tried, as I’ve tried in the past. I just don’t see the appeal. I’m not trying to take them away from anyone; I just don’t need them, myself.
