This was my first realistic chance to attend NHC, since I’ve started brewing. Although a bit pricey from the outside, I can say for a true beer geek, it is worth the cost of admission. I’m just going to give a review of our trip from a newbie’s perspective and try to keep it as short as possible.

I’ll start with the evening events, then the seminars, the equipment and then some other highlights.

If you have made it this far, please continue.

Evening Events

Welcome Reception (formerly, Pro-Brewers Night)

Overall, we were disappointed in the welcome reception for two reasons.

One, those serving the beer were merely employees of the convention hall and couldn’t answer anything about the beers they were serving. Perhaps there is a good reason for it, but it would have been nice if each beer served had representation from the brewery that made it. At a minimum, it would have been helpful for each beer to have an explanation beyond just a name and type.

Two, honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the offerings. Nothing really blew me away.

It was cool that almost all the breweries represented were from Michigan, but again, no representation. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that!

Club Night

Ok, so as disappointed as we were in the welcome reception, we loved Club Night. Almost everything I tried was spectacular or was at least something I had never before tasted. Variations on mead, a Braggot, Kombucha and some other interesting twists. We only made it to about a third of the booths, because we were having such a good time talking to the brewers, meeting new people and trying the beer. Before we knew it, the lights were dimming and we all reluctantly (but politely) vacated the premises.

Some of my most memorable beers were from the W.H.A.L.E.S. Brew Club, where one brewer (last name Hansen) was showcasing some historic beers. The one that blew me away the most was the 1839 XXX based on Ron Pattinson’s 1839 Barclay Perkins XXX. I think brewing historic beers is going to me my next venture into beers I’ve never tasted before.

We also had a nice long conversation with a recently engaged couple from Kansas City. They were from the Kansas City Bier Meisters. The women (Amanda) was a like minded engineer and she had an excellent beer on tap called Face Melter (Imperial Dark Saison). And yes it was!

Awards Banquet

I heard it was great, but being a dad is kind of a big deal to me, so we packed up the mini van and headed home so we could get back in time to see our kids again and be well rested for the Father’s Day activities the next day.

I’ll be breaking my thoughts into a few posts:

Part 1: Evening Events (This post)

Part 2: Seminars

Part 3: Homebrew Expo

Part 4: Other highlights and parting thoughts