Hey everyone,
This is my first thread as OP, but I’ve come on here sporadically for beer talk in the past.
RateBeer.com, which is the largest and most complete beer and beer review database in the world, voted to hold their annual Winter Gathering (RBWG) in Jacksonville for this coming February 2013.
Jacksonville was chosen by voters mainly because (well besides habitable climate in February) it has a budding craft beer scene with a lot of promise: new breweries, bars, and undiscovered beers in close proximity. Only a few years ago there was just Bold City and Kickbacks. Now we have Intuition, Green Room, Engine 15, Pinglehead, and Aardwolf (coming soon). RateBeer enthusiasts love to try new things, and hopefully this event will provide not just business, but validation that these breweries can make some amazing beers and should be taken seriously.
For the RateBeer Summer Gatherings, these are usually held in cities with major beer scenes like Grand Rapids, MI (2010); Philadelphia (2011); and Los Angeles (2012). For the Winter Gathering, we like to pick a warm place with an emerging craft beer scene. This year the event was in Austin, TX. Last year it was held in Phoenix, AZ. In 2010, the event was held in Tampa/Orlando as Cigar City Brewing was just starting. For the Winter Gathering (and Summer Gathering to an extent), the goal is to illuminate a new beer scene for hard core beer enthusiasts while simultaneously giving well-earned exposure for unknown craft breweries and craft beer bars.
Not everyone attending these events necessarily is an active beer reviewer and beer place reviewer, but for those who are, the subsequent ratings when taken as constructive criticism should help these bars and breweries improve their product and service where needed or will simply praise those who are already doing an excellent job.
An influx of reviews can help breweries and bars see where they stand on a global metric against the best in the world. At the very least, the event should be a great opportunity for beer loving locals and beer loving travelers to converge over their favorite hobby.
I know this event will be a great success and there will be more updates as the event is formally organized.
Thanks,
GT
P.S. Admins, feel free to move this out of Nightlife if necessary.
Fantastic!!!
This is a huge deal for the Jax brew scene. To get a picture, a few dozen well informed, well respected, and well known beer raters will be guzzling down the best that Jax has to offer and then telling the rest of the world about it. In addition to the hardcore beer-nuts, people who want to get exposed to the scene can take part in this rare chance to see the best brews that the city has to offer. This is a great opportunity for Jacksonville's breweries to get the word out about their product and to talk to some people who really have a global perspective of craft brewing.
I was contacted by the RBWG crew to help with their bid and I have offered my assistance for the event itself. The schedule looks to be very intense, as the raters will be covering every brewery and some of the pubs and brew pubs in the Jacksonville area. As a fan and promoter of Jax, I can't wait to show these guys what is brewing in Jax (sorry, couldn't resist).
This is awesome, awesome news for Jacksonville and our burgeoning brewing scene.
Fantastic news.
On a related note, we're officially into pumpkin ale season!
Too cool! Please keep us informed Tarheel!
Will there be any events for the public?
Very cool. Here's a link: http://www.ratebeer.com/event/18666/ratebeer-winter-gathering-jacksonville/
Quote from: fsquid on September 19, 2012, 03:39:13 PM
Will there be any events for the public?
This is my first time being associated with one of these events, but it is my hope that there will be. The crew that is helping to put this on will be meeting a number of times before the event in February. I will ask about this and let you know the response. A large part of the event involves sharing beers that raters bring from all over the country. This would not be something the public would be involved in, but I'm sure other parts of the weekend would benefit from some local folks. I hope that Roger Bull and some of the other culture writers from around town can tag along.
Quote from: KenFSU on September 19, 2012, 03:08:51 PM
On a related note, we're officially into pumpkin ale season!
Couldn't be happier about that!
This is great news! Thank you to all the great craft brewers in town, and all of the establishments who serve their products, for building a nice scene in a such a short period of time. Congratulations as well, brewers, for the national recognition. There is some great beer being brewed in this town. Hooray!
Quote from: boldbeanzack on September 19, 2012, 08:53:55 PM
This is great news! Thank you to all the great craft brewers in town, and all of the establishments who serve their products, for building a nice scene in a such a short period of time. Congratulations as well, brewers, for the national recognition. There is some great beer being brewed in this town. Hooray!
And thank you to local coffee shops who serve local beer :)
Quote from: Tacachale on September 19, 2012, 09:09:03 PM
Quote from: boldbeanzack on September 19, 2012, 08:53:55 PM
This is great news! Thank you to all the great craft brewers in town, and all of the establishments who serve their products, for building a nice scene in a such a short period of time. Congratulations as well, brewers, for the national recognition. There is some great beer being brewed in this town. Hooray!
And thank you to local coffee shops who serve local beer :)
And Great coffee!
Quote from: fsquid on September 19, 2012, 03:39:13 PM
Will there be any events for the public?
Well, nothing that is posted as an event on RateBeer is private per se. All of the brewpub and bar hopping is clearly open to anyone who wants to join. For the bus that is taking us from place to place so their is no drunk driving, anyone can register for a spot on that bus, though if you don't have a RateBeer account, it may be confusing for the organizers. It is also meant to be a "reunion" or meeting of sorts of RateBeer people all over the country. So it may be that long time Ratebeerians get first dibs on the bus. Otherwise, there is no limitation to who wants to tag along with the group.
For the tasting that is held during the gathering on a separate day, this will probably be a closed event since it is a large bottle share for special beers people have been saving for a large tasting. If you are not a long time RateBeer member, I'm sure the organizers would let you attend if you send them a list of beers you plan on bringing. But if it is grocery store beer, I highly doubt it will be accepted.
So, quick answer, anyone can join for any part except you'll need approval for bus sign-up and grand tasting if you are not an active RateBeer member.