Getting tix for Madison "Great Taste of Midwest" beerfest

We've never done Dark Lord Day (and from the hassles I read about in that thread, probably won't in the future, either), but last year, we lucked into two tickets literally at the eleventh hour for the Great Taste up in Madison. Not wanting to leave it to chance this time, we're heading up to Madison this weekend to score tickets of our own. Our strategy is to get in the line at Capital Brewery.

Has anyone here ever gone up for tickets for the fest? How early should we get in line? I know SOME people will camp out overnight, but is this necessary? Or is an arrival around 6 a.m. good enough?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I went up last year to Steve's on Mineral Point. Got there around 6:45 am and was probably the 70th person in line. However, even people that showed up at 11 am were able to get tickets. I would say 6 should be fine. Bring something to do, because it gets pretty boring sitting there for 5 hours waiting for the tickets to go on sale.

Wish I could make it up there this year to ensure I get tickets. The Great Taste is the best of the best when it comes to beer festivals.

Now that we have our tickets in hand, I thought I would post a follow-up in case someone searches for this next year.

We got a room Saturday night at the Staybridge Suites, which is practically next door to the Capital Brewery. The night before, we drove past the brewery about 11 p.m. on our way back to the room to see if anyone was waiting yet, and they were not, although I did see a car or two in the parking lot. I had heard through the grapevine that the first people in line had arrived around 11:00 the night before, so either they arrived just after we drove by, or they may have been sitting in the cars I saw.

At about 6:15 a.m. Sunday, I took a walk past the brewery to check on the status of the line. I estimate there were around 80-100 people in line at this point. Immediately, I phoned my husband who was still back at the hotel to let him know he needed to mobilize immediately so we could claim our place in line. I got back to the room, we grabbed all the stuff we would need to endure a 5-1/2 hour wait and headed back to the line. I would say by the time we got there, it was 6:30 and at this point I guessed there were 120 people in line ahead of us. Well, my estimating skills are pretty keen because when they passed out numbers, we ended up being 121 and 122. More and more people kept arriving -- I would say the peak time for arrival was 7:00.

It was a beautiful day to be outside -- at least once the sun came up to warm us -- and the 4 hours till they opened up the biergarten passed quickly. Needless to say, everyone in line shared camaraderie and fellowship. After all, we are all craft beer lovers! I didn't hear of any incidents of latecomers trying to jump into line, and in fact representatives of the event sponsors, the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild, were kind of patrolling the line to ensure this didn't happen and that the line-up stayed orderly. There was no problem for people already in line getting up from their chairs occasionally to use the bathroom (an icky porta-potty in the park across the street), running to grab a cup of coffee from a nearby pastry shop, greeting friends elsewhere in the line, etc. We all knew what the people lined up on either sides of us looked like, and in general quality beer lovers are a peaceful bunch.

Shortly after 10:00, they announced that they would soon open the biergarten and that we could start packing up our lawnchairs, Scrabble boards, etc. As we filed into the entrance to the biergarten, they handed each person a number, and this is how we maintained our places even after spreading out at picnic tables in the biergarten. Like I said, we were numbers 121 and 122, so, with a ticket limit of two person and 400 tickets total, we knew we were certain to get tickets. However, some people toward the end of the line were told they may or may not get tickets, and there were definitely people who left without tickets. I would guess that everyone who was in line by 8:30-ish was assured of tickets.

Tickets went on sale at noon. About 15 minutes before this, they had us line up according to our numbers. Ticket sales were handled quickly and efficiently. We had our tickets in hand at most a half hour after the sales started. In fact, I would say this event is VERY well-run.

Definitely, the beer gods were smiling upon everyone with the beautiful weather. If it had been cold or rainy, I might be telling a different tale. On the other hand, if weather had been inclement, perhaps the lineup would have started an hour or two later. All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a sunny Sunday morning.

Take a look at your bank accounts if you sent in for the lottery. My check was cashed a couple of days ago.

Ridiculously long beer program for this Saturday has been posted here.

There's also an iPhone app that let's you search the beer selection and take notes on beers you try.

Ronna

VERY excited about this. Scored tickets from a friend of a friend a couple weeks ago. It will be my girlfriend (who attended UW) and I's first time. I really didn't know it was this crazy of a ticket procurement process.

Any tips for noobs? Are the special tappings/releases on the hour (or half hour) hard to get a taste of?

I didn't know that there was an iphone app. Thanks...should come in handy!

The program is nothing if not overwhelming. Focusing on local breweries, the FFF limited offerings should be great (the only one I haven't had is that Ronaldo). However, it wouldn't surprise me if 95% of festival goers will also be heading there. Revolution's table looks great and will likely get less traffic. As mentioned in another thread, their barrel-aged stouts/porters have been really, really good.

My own griping about Goose notwithstanding, if you can get their Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout, it will be worth it. Again, expect everyone to be after it but that's one hell of a good beer.

I've never made it up there so I can't really make further suggestions about how best to navigate the festival. But as with any tasting event, drink plenty of water and don't be afraid to dump a pouring of beer if you don't like it! Too many other options at the next table.

ETA: fixed a typo

danimalarkey wrote:I've made it up there so I can't really make further suggestions about how best to navigate the festival. But as with any tasting event, drink plenty of water and don't be afraid to dump a pouring of beer if you don't like it! Too many other options at the next table.

SSDD

Yes, headcase, a shocking suggestion, I know. Perhaps one reason why I tend to be in slightly better shape after our trips to StoutFest every year!

They have KBS listed as a bourbon barrel aged imperial ipa under founder's. That's a typo, right? Just making sure I'm not missing something.

Unless Founders is planning on some big changes to their line-up, it is a typo -- KBS is their breakfast stout aged in bourbon barrels. That Cashew Mountain Brown also sounds amazing. I was disappointed with the CBS I had at Goose Island last spring, but I suspect it's because the maple flavor had faded quite a bit (my expectations were also pretty high, perhaps unfairly so). Hopefully, this Cashew Mountain Brown will be a little fresher, with a stronger maple flavor.

danimalarkey wrote:Unless Founders is planning on some big changes to their line-up, it is a typo -- KBS is their breakfast stout aged in bourbon barrels. That Cashew Mountain Brown also sounds amazing. I was disappointed with the CBS I had at Goose Island last spring, but I suspect it's because the maple flavor had faded quite a bit (my expectations were also pretty high, perhaps unfairly so). Hopefully, this Cashew Mountain Brown will be a little fresher, with a stronger maple flavor.

Anyone else make it up there? I had a blast and actually wound up hangover-less! As for the two beers mentioned here, KBS is actually a pretty different recipe to start with from normal breakfast stout. As for Cashew Mountain Brown, that was quite the let down for me. Just didn't really pop and was under-bodied.

Top beers of the fest, in no particular order:

Kuhnhenn Dark Mild
Surly 5
Destihl St. Dekkera Cerise-Cherry Imperial Stout that was soured with bacteria and Brett
Bells Black Note
Goose Island/Evil Twin blend to round out the day (Bourbon County blended with Soft DK (dookie) and blueberries
Jolly Pumpkin Biere De Mars Grand Reserva

next year will drive down and stand in line for tickets---never lucky in this lottery either!! Did you check out Oso Brewing??

I agree the Founders Brown was a let down. It wasn't a bad beer, but the description had me expecting much more.

I didn't really like the Jolly Pumpkin Grand Reserva. The sour character is very dry, almost astringent. It's a profile I like in so many beers, but something about the way Jolly Pumpkin uses it (across their beer line) doesn't work for me.

My favorites from the festival were

Carrot Cake from Short's - Really tastes like carrot cake, but in a good way!
Guajillo flavored Moloko from Three Floyds - Damn I wish they bottled that one, the heat sneaks up on you and lingers beautifully.
Play in the Hay series from Kuhnhenn - I love the brewery and this series with the different flavors (mango, blueberry, tangerine) was a lot of fun.

The biggest surprise for me was Destihl out of Normal, IL. I hadn't heard of them before, and the couple beers I tried from them were terrific.

Had a great time in Madison last weekend. The Goose Island party at Madison's on Friday night was awesome. Free Lolita and Vanilla BCS for 2 hours. Couldn't believe it was actually free. The Brickhouse BBQ party set up by the Beer Spot was pretty great too, although a bit busy.

Favorites at the fest on Saturday.

3 Floyds Ronaldo
Kuhnhenn Play in the Hay (all 4 flavors, blueberry was my favorite)
Fitger's Decadence (imperial stout with raspberries & cocoa nibs)
Goose Island/Evil Twin collab - 1/2 Evil Twin Soft DK & 1/2 Elijah Craig BCS w/blueberries
Goose Island Juliet sno-cone
Surly Five
Short's Captain Fantasy
Revolution Tart with a Heart
Destihl Saint Dekkera Barrel No.13 Sour Strawberry Ale

The only things I missed out on that I really wanted to try were the Neapolitan BCS & Pomegranate Juliet.

the wimperoo wrote:Had a great time in Madison last weekend. The Goose Island party at Madison's on Friday night was awesome. Free Lolita and Vanilla BCS for 2 hours. Couldn't believe it was actually free. The Brickhouse BBQ party set up by the Beer Spot was pretty great too, although a bit busy.

Favorites at the fest on Saturday.

3 Floyds Ronaldo
Kuhnhenn Play in the Hay (all 4 flavors, blueberry was my favorite)
Fitger's Decadence (imperial stout with raspberries & cocoa nibs)
Goose Island/Evil Twin collab - 1/2 Evil Twin Soft DK & 1/2 Elijah Craig BCS w/blueberries
Goose Island Juliet sno-cone
Surly Five
Short's Captain Fantasy
Revolution Tart with a Heart
Destihl Saint Dekkera Barrel No.13 Sour Strawberry Ale

The only things I missed out on that I really wanted to try were the Neapolitan BCS & Pomegranate Juliet.

FWIW, the Pom Juliet was disappointing. It seemed too sweet (which is a problem I have with most Pomegranate beers).

As for Destihl, they have continually improved since I first went there back in 2009. They are putting out some outstanding sour beers and their main line is really improving. Of the 30+ beers that I have had from them, I can definitely say that they have several standouts and are only going to get better as they expand. They have recently opened a location ins Champaign with plans for Burr Ridge and (I think) Peoria in the works. And Matt Potts (the owner) is a pretty awesome guy to boot.

It's hard for me to imagine pomegranate being overly sweet--it's much more often too tart. I really enjoyed the Pom Juliet myself, as well as the Neapolitan BCS. Not my favorite BCS, but interesting nonetheless. I didn't particularly care for that Founders Cashew Brown, either, nor did the rest of my gang. Both Moloko variants I tried were just killer, and I wish they'd make appearances at the brewpub.

I had a sizable group of friends at the event, so it was easy for one or two people to camp out in lines while the rest roved about getting a wider variety of beers, then coming back to share. Definitely the way to get things done at GTMW.

My only problem this year was the rain towards the end--my friends and I wound up doing a tent crawl that, well, ended not so well Still, a great event, even better than my previous experience.

FWIW, my buddy (who had previously claimed that Cashew Mountain Brown was better than Vanilla Bean Dark Lord) was also very underwhelmed with this batch from Founders. Apparently, it was very toned down from the initial batch that was available at the brewery. He retracted that statement, BTW.

I read the Beer Advocate reviews recently, and it's obvious we were served a bad batch.

Here's one review

Nose is amazing. Good booze smell with some molasses/brown sugar smell. Maybe a hint of maple.

Up front a bit sweet with lots of brown sugar notes. In the middle some great nuttiness appears. The end is a wonderfully sweet maple mixed with the heat from the booze. One of most gloriously complex beers I've ever tasted.

This couldn't be further from what I had there. Bummer, it sounds great.

mtgl wrote:It's hard for me to imagine pomegranate being overly sweet--it's much more often too tart. I really enjoyed the Pom Juliet myself, as well as the Neapolitan BCS. Not my favorite BCS, but interesting nonetheless. I didn't particularly care for that Founders Cashew Brown, either, nor did the rest of my gang. Both Moloko variants I tried were just killer, and I wish they'd make appearances at the brewpub.

I had a sizable group of friends at the event, so it was easy for one or two people to camp out in lines while the rest roved about getting a wider variety of beers, then coming back to share. Definitely the way to get things done at GTMW.

My only problem this year was the rain towards the end--my friends and I wound up doing a tent crawl that, well, ended not so well Still, a great event, even better than my previous experience.

Pomegranate, while seemingly tart in it's fruity and juice form, is really high in sweetness. It is commonly turned into a syrup as a natural sweetener. Usually, what causes the tartness is the mallic and tannic acids from the skins moreso than the juice. That being said, the sweetness was surprising, given that "normal" Juliet is one of my favorite beers ever...

NobleSquirrel wrote:Pomegranate, while seemingly tart in it's fruity and juice form, is really high in sweetness. It is commonly turned into a syrup as a natural sweetener. Usually, what causes the tartness is the mallic and tannic acids from the skins moreso than the juice. That being said, the sweetness was surprising, given that "normal" Juliet is one of my favorite beers ever...

I'm quite familiar with the eating the fruit itself, and find it generally very tart, as fruit goes. I thought the Pom Juliet struck a pretty fine balance between assertive fruit presence without being aggressive. It was nowhere near as sweet as, say, Wisconsin Belgian Red or Raspberry (not as) Tart, or even the Neapolitan BCS--the strawberry in that was a one-note sweetness, separate from all the maltose.

Oh, and I think you mean maLic acid--one L--you're not the only know-it-all around here

This year's event is right around the corner, anyone driving up this weekend?

pacent wrote:This year's event is right around the corner, anyone driving up this weekend?

I'll be there. Still ISO another ticket if anyone has an extra.

Can't wait!

ziggy wrote:

pacent wrote:This year's event is right around the corner, anyone driving up this weekend?

I'll be there. Still ISO another ticket if anyone has an extra.

Can't wait!

I have an extra ticket if you're still looking for one. $50 face value. Can meet up somewhere in the city/suburbs tomorrow morning or early afternoon or Thursday afternoon. PM me to discuss if further detail.

For anyone interested, program here:
http://www.mhtg.org/system/uploads/docu ... rogram.pdf

Goose Island is bringing it. Not surprisingly, though, they don't appear to be using the current name for the Sofie variant, "Screw You, Jeppe". Bummer!

danimalarkey wrote:For anyone interested, program here:
http://www.mhtg.org/system/uploads/docu ... rogram.pdf

Goose Island is bringing it. Not surprisingly, though, they don't appear to be using the current name for the Sofie variant, "Screw You, Jeppe". Bummer!

Yes they are. Looking forward to the concord grape Sofie, Laura and Blackberry Dominque. Thankfully I've had all of the other ones multiple times so I'm not going to fight the crowds on those.

Surly, the Livery, Dark Horse, Revolution and Floyds are all bringing their A game as well.

Great times at the Great Taste again. It seemed more people were there than ever before, but it was actually pretty easy to get any beer that I wanted. In no particular order my favorites that I tried.

CW 1414
Cider House of Wisconsin Black Dragon (I haven't had many ciders in the past but this one blew all others away)
GI Amara, Sofie with concord grapes, Laura
NG BB Kriek
Perennial Blueberry Flanders cask, Peach Berliner
Surly Cacao Bender
The Livery Maillot Jaune, Red Molly, Cherry Bomb, Cherry Taxman
Toppling Goliath Mornin' Delight, Assassin

One of my favorite weekends of the year. Unfortunately, I struck out on tickets (again). If anyone has or knows of extras, I am ISO 2 for my girlfriend and I.

Thanks!

There are a few pairs for sale on E-Bay (full disclosure: I'm selling one of those pairs).

Ugh...people who get these tickets just to flip them for a profit makes me sick.

If anyone needs tickets, in years past, you can go to the event on the day of, and there will be plenty of people outside selling them for face value. Last year, I think I was solicited no less than 2-3 times walking to the event.