ABV

AC/​DC BAG AC/​DC BAG.
Location: In this Unilocaler’s opinion, this was a pretty good location. NRG did not want to straight out copy Snallygaster by putting AVB at the same location yet this was still close to a METRO (THIS IS KEY if you are serving alcohol) and of course it was close to BlueJacket. There really isn’t anything else to say about this.
Variety: This was billed as a spring time event with all types of alcohol (not just beer) and it was put on by the same guys that put on the BEST BEER Fest on the East coast (i.e. SNALLYGASTER). With that being said, there were very very very small selections of beer (and really only sours — I mean I am not a fan of those but come on…) Also, there really wasn’t a wide selection of wine or cocktails :(
Website: Oh where do I begin. there really wasn’t a REAL website (like snallygaster). Wait wait, NRG, do you see a theme here? If you put on an EXCELLENT like snallygaster and you set the bar at that level, anything that you do that is not GREAT like that just kind of sucks. But the public information on this was not up to par at all… But NRG’s website kind of sucks too so what should we the public expect.
Weather: So NRG cannot control the weather – I get that. I mean, it rained during the 2014 SnallyGaster but it was a light rain for most of the afternoon. At ABV, there was a tornado watch – the wind was out of control as was the rain. But NRG just kept going until the POLICE had to shut them down. And then NRG wanted the volunteers to stay to help clean up. I know that stuff needs to be put away but not at the risk of human safety.
Treating Volunteers: Speaking of those pesky volunteers, NRG has a new volunteer cordinator – Ms Stacy Price. The volunteers kept receiving emails about ABV and in each email the volunteer time just got a bit longer and longer and longer. We are volunteers — aka NOT GETTING PAID for this. The simple request is for NRG to put the correct times out at the beginning. Additionally, since the event ended early (and nobody could really go to BlueJacket afterwards) NRG mailed the volunteer gift certificates out. For Snallygaster the past few years, this has always been $ 50 (and then spent at BlueJacket that night. For ABV, it was ONLY $ 25.
I am happy to volunteer for events like this but again, the bar has been set by SNALLYGASTER and anything less than that is just sub-​par – form the lack of human safety to the lack of respect for the volunteers, this was just a piss poor event.

What a disappointment: the small, unimpressive beer selection; the complicated ticket process; the outdoor venue. This event had more hype than Savor without the payoff.

The spring and summer season in DC is basically one non-​stop succession of weekend drinking and eating festivals, and ABV, in its inaugural instance, sits somewhere in the middle of the field of events. It felt more like something fun to do on a nice day (which later turned not so nice thanks to Mother Nature), rather than a must-​attend event like Cochon, Lamb Jam, SAVOR, Snallygaster etc…
It had been billed as a collaborative event from some of Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s (NRG) brightest minds on booze, with a different specialist on beer, spirits, and wine. I’m quite familiar with their beer and cocktail experts, but I tend to do most of my wine consumption at home, since I have always had better access than many restaurants. This event definitely lived up to the billing of filling a need for those people who want to go to these types of events but aren’t into beer, since that’s the dominant type of alcohol served at festivals. Beer, for me, is the most interesting of the three when it comes to uniqueness at an affordable range, so I spent all of my time at those booths and can’t comment too much on the quality of the other items.
Part of the lackluster feeling I had about the event was due to the overwhelming duality of styles. There was basically 60−70% sour/​funky ales (aged in wine barrels, aged with raspberry, aged with brettanomyces, etc), and then a few other things mixed in. I don’t «hate» these types of beers like other people do, but they’re nowhere in my top 5 even of styles, and it seems like breweries are trying SO HARD to make them be a popular thing. SAVOR last year seemingly had 50% sour beers being offered, the trend is undeniable. I did appreciate there were at least a couple beers that were darker, with some richer flavors, but one of those got kicked pretty early. The other thing that left a more obvious sour taste in our mouth was the pour sizes for each of the beers. For about $ 6 – 8 for each beer you got a 7oz pour, and double that if you wanted a bigger cup. When you’re actually holding their 7oz plastic cups it feels more like a big shot glass than anything else, and even if it is truly 7oz it doesn’t help that at most stations you were getting 25% head on each beer, effectively limiting you to about 4 to 5 ounces of drinkable beer per serving. It’s just not enough to really enjoy.
And yet, the event as a whole I still really did enjoy. The setting, although not all that impressive in Canal Park, offered plenty of curb /​bench seating options, and sort of grass if you brought a blanket or mat. The live music was nice, and there were several hand washing and water stations. The food looked really good, although we did not partake after having a large lunch beforehand. And really, the drinking options were all of high quality (Cantillon and BFM being poured, hard to complain), even if not catering to my particular favorites stylistically. The weather was beautiful for the first couple of hours, but then quickly changed into a rather severe thunderstorm, causing them to cancel the event abruptly at 7PM rather than 8PM (as instructed by law enforcement on site). Luckily, we had already used up all of our tickets /​stamps for the day, and I’ve not heard word what they did for those who bought them but were unable to cash them in. This event could use a few tweaks here and there, but overall I think it provided a nice kick start to the season of outdoor events.