I went to the MN Craft Brewers Guild Autumn Brew Review on Saturday. I gotta say, I was kinda disappointed.

Not all the brewers present were from Minnesota. I got the impression that the point was to highlight local brewers. Of course a few from Wisconsin would be okay. But Colorado and Michigan? Meh.

Also, at another similar event I’ve attended, a lot of the participants highlighted their specialty brews, not just the stuff that you can always get off the shelf in the liquor store. I didn’t get the impression that this was the case here.

I like that it was all-you-can-drink. I like that they had port-a-potties. There were plenty of dump buckets and water for rinsing or drinking. I was concerned about Peavey Plaza as a venue, but it turned out to be just the right size and I think the fact that the plaza is below street level sort of naturally contained the crowd.

There was a guy walking around selling lanyards that you could use to hang your tasting glass from your neck. Super cool. Even better: the proceeds will benefit Bolder Options.

Counting down, my top three favorites were: the London Porter from Arcadia in Battle Creek, MI; a pumpkin lager, can’t remember who from, but somewhere in Minnesota; and the Czar Jack Imperial Stout from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery.

The weather was fantastic, so overall, it was a pleasant afternoon. Nice to be outside in the sun. I certainly drank my $30 worth of beer, got a nifty souvenir glass, and gave a little to charity on top of it.

Related posts:

1. Autumn Brew Review 2006
2. Autumn Brew Review
3. To London:
4. Antoine’s, a Second Review
5. K-I-S-S-I-N-G