Auburn Brewfest

After attending the Auburn Brewfest in 2013, I had 1 chief complaint: no free drinking water. Readily accessible drinking water is important at beer festivals (see my previous review). Thankfully, for 2014, there was plenty of free drinking water available. &, for that, I am grateful.
The rest of the brewfest was pretty much the same as last year, which is to say, really good overall. I think there were a few less breweries & a few less beers this year. But, most notably, Knee Deep was there & they were pouring Simtra. That was almost worth the price of admission alone.
For 2014, the Auburn Brewfest kept most of what was good for 2013 & completely eliminated the 1 big problem they had last year. Good job, way to go & I’ll be looking forward to doing it all again in 2015

2014 was the second year I attended the Auburn Brewfest.
Unlike last year, the weather, considering the area, was mild and the problem with guests not being allowed to bring outside water was fixed by having big water-​filled coolers in several places. Also, the crowds this year were a bit larger and we found from the organizers that this was the first year they actually sold out.
Despite the increase in attendance the lines for beer were not bad at all and I don’t think we waited for longer than a minute or two for anything once in line. The vendors this year seemed fewer that last year though, and the biggest disappointment was two of the biggest NorCal breweries bringing bottles instead of kegs. The food vendors were exactly the same as last year, there was one BBQ place and Round Table pizza so this is clearly the area where the organizers can do better next year. There was live music that most of the folk did not care about and they also had rolled cigar vendor which made Auburn brewfest somewhat unique as most of the other brewfests I’ve been to do not allow smoking anywhere, except for designated areas. Here everyone was puffing away… on tobacco mind you.
So as for the best of the brewfest I have to give props to two local breweries: Knee Deep and Auburn Alehouse. While Knee Deep only brought two beers, one of these was Simtra which is widely considered one of the best triple IPAs in the world. And they brought few kegs, not one. Auburn Alehouse, on the other hand, had the best selection and the most taps running. As the main sponsor, this was expected from them but they brought it home once again. For the worst I have to give it to Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada. Two of the largest craft breweries in California can do much better than bring bottles. Come’on, you guys.
Auburn Brewfest 2014 was fun and great value for the price. For next year I would like to see more vendors and some better food options. If that happens this little brewfest has the potential to become something much more bigger…