Author: Marshall Schott

In one short week from today, hoards of homebrewers from around the world will be convening in Minneapolis, MN for the 39th annual Homebrew Con, an event where massive amounts of beer will be consumed, fascinating information will be shared, and lifetime friendships will be forged. This will be my 3rd Homebrew Con and I couldn’t be more excited for all the rad experiences to come!

With only 1 week to go, I thought I’d help others prepare for this event by going over the stuff I’ve come to accept as crucial to include in my BrÜtility Belt or any other obviously less cooler carrying device conference attendees might be using. It’s important to remember most of the seminars, Expo, and other events are in a location that’s not super close to hotel rooms, so its important to have as much on hand as possible to avoid frequent trips back to one’s room.

Before we get to the list, a couple announcements and reminders…

The Brülosophy Store Is OPEN!

We finally bit the bullet and opened our very own online store, which is super exciting in that it affords us many more opportunities to get rad Brülosophy merch into your hands. Only thing is, we don’t have much to offer at this point, just BrÜtility Belts, our awesome new mesh back hats, and some stickers. We actually sold out of our Brütron can taster glasses the day after the store opened a couple weeks ago, which proved to me there is a demand. I’ll be placing orders for new merch soon including a couple different styles of taster glasses, but I wanted to reach out to get ideas of what other kinds of merch you all would like to see in the store. We’re open to pretty much anything and would appreciate if you left suggestions in the comments section below!

Regarding t-shirt sales– we’re still relying on Amazon for that for the time being, but we are actively looking into ways to move that in-house as well. The biggest issues I’m running into is that we have multiple designs that we’d want printed on various shirt sizes and colors, meaning I’d have to convert a portion of my already packed garage into a clothing warehouse. I’m not totally against this, but I’m open to hearing advice from anyone with experience doing this sort of thing.

International shipping? Absolutely! Shipping prices will be determined based on where your order is shipped, so you can now get Brülosophy swag regardless of what country you live in!

Chop & Brü Prefunk Party 2017 at Insight Brewing

If you’re going to be in Mpls for Homebrew Con and plan to show up on Wednesday, June 14, there are only a few tickets left for the Prefunk party we’re hosting with our friends from Chop & Brew. Read more about all the badass stuff going down and how to buy tickets on our Chop & Brü Prefunk page… trust me, it’s going to be a night to remember!

BrÜtility Belt Packing Guide

(or 12 Things To Bring To A Beer Conference)

What follows is a list of items I’ll have in my BrÜtility Belt with links included for those who want to snag some (quick shipping for Amazon Prime members)

1 | Cash & Cards

Wallets allow us to cram a gazillion useless things like old receipts, pictures, and cancelled credit cards in a single space for safekeeping, which while nice at times, can quickly become an inconvenience at a beer conference. This is why I’ve started bringing with me only the essentials: driver license, one credit card, one debit card, and some cash. I prefer racking up points by using my credit but like to have the option to pull cash out of an ATM with my debit card, hence the reason I include both. The Expo offers ample opportunity to buy neat shit, which becomes all the more enticing as the day proceeds, plus you’ll want to have dough for food and such. Do NOT forget some form of valid identification as well!!

2 | Mobile Phone

This one’s a no-brainer, I know, I include it only due to the amount of people I talked with the last couple years who left their phones in their hotel room. Don’t do that! How else are you going to make all your friends who couldn’t make it to the event jealous on social media?!

3 | Charging Cable & Adapter

I’m giving this one its own section because of how incredibly convenient it is and the fact most people don’t typically lug around their charger with them. At the last 2 conferences, there’s been a booth with a bunch of outlets for people to charge their phones while sipping on a beer and chatting with others. It’s great but they don’t provide charging cables, which can be easily stowed away in the BrÜtility Belt!

4 | Portable USB Charger

In those times when your phone’s battery is getting scarily low and you’ve no access to an electrical outlet, a portable USB charger can come in super handy! The one I use was gifted to me for speaking at Homebrew Con 2016 and can charge my smart phone from dead to 100% in about an hour while sapping only about 50% of the charge. There are similar options available online for cheap, one being this Anker PowerCore 10000 that I’ve heard works equally as well if not a little better than mine.

5 | Ibuprofen (or Pain Reliever Of Choice)

Walking around all day can take a toll on one’s feet and legs, constant high-fives and hugs can really do a number on the arms and hands, and of course there’s the possibility of a freak knee tweak or toe stub. It’s for these reasons I always include a full bottle of Ibuprofen in my Belt, which I’ve heard is also helpful for the rare hangover headache.

6 | Caffeine Pills

Want people to erroneously assume you’re a crack-head? Keep a bottle of caffeine pills around! Seriously, it’s amazing to me the weird looks I get from people when I take (or offer them) a pill containing a measly 100 mg of caffeine, less than half of what exists in a standard cup of expensive coffee. So what if I’d prefer to get my midday and usually late night pick-me-up in the form of a small perfectly legal pill rather than a steaming cup of Joe that’ll likely result in me needing to take an extended “break” from the fun!

7 | L-Theanine

Sounds weird, but it’s really not. L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea that’s purported to provide a less jittery burst of energy with some claiming it also has anxiety reducing properties.

8 | Electrolyte Concentrate

The consumption of alcohol, which happens at Homebrew Con, leads to depleted electrolytes in the body that is believed to contribute to some of the more unpleasant symptoms of a hangover. As such, replenishing those electrolytes can ostensibly help relieve those symptoms, which is what products like Hi-Lyte and LyteShow are all about. Just mix a few drops in some water, which is at every turn at most events, and drink. My wife swears by the stuff and while I’m pretty skeptical of products like this, it has seemed to help the few times I’ve used it. I’ll be packing some with me more as a way to increase insurance of avoiding a hangover than as a panacea.

9 | Antacid Chews

Beer is acidic, we drink a lot of beer at Homebrew Con and other beer events, and we also don’t eat the best. Bring some Tums, your tummy will thank you.

10 | Writing Utensil/s

You never realize how nice it is to carry a pen around until you need one when one’s not available. Given their small size, a pen hides nicely in the bottom of the BrÜtility Belt and provides assurance you’ll be able to sign receipts, jot down reminders or notes during seminars, or give a buddy a temporary tattoo while eating a Double Decker at Taco Bell. I also like to bring a Sharpie with me for those situations where a more permanent solution is sought.

11 | Bottle Opener

Where there’s beer there are bottles, and those bottles need to be opened. Having a small bottle opener easily accessible can help save table edges and teeth. Toss one in! And if you forget, bottle openers seem to be a popular giveaway item, keep your eyes peeled and you’ll likely find one in no time.

12 | Stuff You Want Others To Have

Stickers, business cards, pins, etc. If you have small things you want others to have, load up your BrÜtility Belt to avoid pretending you’ll find someone later to hook them up. Heads up to anyone who wants a sticker– I plan to re-stock my Belt every morning before hitting the convention floor, if you find me, don’t hesitate to ask for one 🙂

WHAT NOT TO BRING

To finish this list off, I wanted to go over a few things I think its best not to bring to Homebrew Con and other beer events.

Tasting Glass

This is often unnecessary since the event usually includes a commemorative tasting glass with the purchase of a ticket, this has certainly been the case at every event I’ve attended. Broken tasting glasses due to accidental droppings is bound to happen and tend to result in a fun-loving collective groan of everyone around. BrÜtility Belt wearers are at much lower risk of this occurring since it features a convenient tasting glass holder!

Home & Car Keys

The large majority of Homebrew Con attendees stay in a hotel and don’t drive during the day, which I’d imagine, nay hope, is the case at most beer events. In order to avoid the terrible “oh-shit-where’d-my-keys-go” experience, I strongly recommend leaving them in a hidden place in your hotel room. Take only the card to access your room and leave behind anything you don’t want to lose, it’ll make for a much less stressful trip home.

Bad Attitude

Homebrew Con and other beer related events are intended to be fun, leave the shitty ‘tude at home so that you and everyone else can enjoy themselves. I guarantee, regardless of what you think of yourself, you’re no better or cooler than anyone else attending. Be friendly, accept beer from and share beer with strangers, offer constructive feedback, don’t boo. Basically, don’t be a dick. Have fun!

That’s all I’ve got, see a bunch of you in a week at the Chop & Brü Prefunk Party and Homebrew Con 2017!

If you have any other good ideas for things to pack to make beer events go smoothly, please share in the comments section below, and don’t forget to leave us your ideas for Brülosophy merch as well!

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