Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Ban The Southern Craft Beer Conference

So if you haven't been paying much attention let me fill you in. Apparently some Texans decided to hold a Southern Craft Beer Conference and the debut will be here in New Orleans. Today is the first I have heard of it. Today is the first everyone involved in the craft beer community in New Orleans has heard of it. I just received word that NOLA Brewing hasn't heard of this event. Not off to a great start.

Want to know how I found out? Eater New Orleans did a wonderful piece called The Guy Behind Disastrous Houston Beer Fest to Hold 'Beer Conference' in New Orleans. Yes, you are reading that title correctly.

The people that can't run a beer fest properly in Houston or Austin want to hold a beer event here in New Orleans. Folks, I can't let that happen. People have worked really hard here in New Orleans to establish our beer scene and I refuse to allow some Texans who have been run out of their own state to come into ours and use it to make some money. Not gonna happen.

I am calling for a ban of this event. These guys are just attempting to cash in on the growing craft beer experience and since they can't do it in Houston or Austin they want to use New Orleans. We need to stand up and say no. That means breweries, distributors, bars, retail stores, bloggers and anyone else who enjoys craft beer. We need to unite and make sure this Southern Craft Beer Conference does NOT happen.

Below is some more reading of the colossal fuck up that was Austin Beer Fest. The Yelp page is quite a fun read.

Austin Beer Fest Yelp review

Austin Eater Austin Beer Fest

Just say no to SCBC!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

8 comments:

Nora said...

Don't forget the Houston event feedback!http://houston.eater.com/archives/2011/08/02/disastrous-houston-beer-fest-adds-festivities-in-austin.php

Anonymous said...

I'm not saying that it will be kick-ass, but it does say 2013, not 2012. So they are taking 15 months to plan it. It better be the 2nd coming of beer 'conferences' (whatever that is!) to take that long to plan, right?!?!

If they left Texas to plan an event here, its not gonna take long for locals to see they ain't got it. I'm intrigued. They also commented on FB that they might not have music. Hmmm...

Anonymous said...

I'm not saying that it will be kick-ass, but it does say 2013, not 2012. So they are taking 15 months to plan it. It better be the 2nd coming of beer 'conferences' (whatever that is!) to take that long to plan, right?!?!

If they left Texas to plan an event here, its not gonna take long for locals to see they ain't got it. I'm intrigued. They also commented on FB that they might not have music. Hmmm...

Unknown said...

Couldn't agree more, Jeremy. Both the Houston and Austin festivals were disastrous. I can't imagine this being run any better.

Ernest Monceaux said...

Man those Yelp reviews are brutal!

I'm with you, they need to not come here.

Ernest Monceaux said...

Man those Yelp reviews are brutal!

I'm with you, they need to not come here.

Anonymous said...

This was a comment left on the Press' "Eating Our Words" blog. I'm still shocked that this actually happened.

"The extreme lack of professionalism and bad attitudes lingered long after the festival ended for us.
As a vendor, we tried to offer them some polite constructive criticism. What we got were hostile emails telling us we would not be welcome as a vendor at their Wine Festival, that we should essentially shut up because we "made money just like everyone else," that they "never claimed to support craft beer at all" and that we should understand that they "already feel like shit."If I had organized this event, I would have wanted my vendors to offer honest feedback on their experience and certainly would not attack them for it. In fact, I would have apologized for the issues PRIOR to the end of the festival, ideally in person by checking on the vendors but if not, at least via email. We signed up to participate in a beer festival that ceased to be a beer festival when it ran out of beer. We signed up to be vendors of our specialty food product - not to feel obligated to supply water, toilet paper and cups to an angry crowd when all those things ran out.

As vendors at the TXBF last month, we are wall aware of how this event SHOULD have gone and hope that everyone learns that EW Media (the organizing team) events should not be attended.

Furthermore, with the illegal ticket sales, false charity information and downright slander of their local craft beer community members, I would hope that the TABC does not continue to allow this organization the licenses required to organize another festival."

Anonymous said...

One of my good friends went to the Austin Beer Fest and shared his extreme disappointment with it. To think I was super jealous being hours away from such an event, seems I was the lucky one.