Bockfest 2008

One month ago Randy and I went to Bockfest at the Capital Brewery, my favorite holiday of all. Last year the Chicago contingent had come up for the weekend, but this year a scheduling conflict precluded their presence. How do you schedule against Bockfest? Undeterred, Randy and I decided that even if it was just the two of us, we'd still be going to Bockfest come hell or high water. As it turns out, the weather was splendid, possibly too nice given the crowds. The above picture was taken from the stairs leading inside. You can imagine how long the line for beer was. In keeping with last year's limit in Blonde Dopplebock one was allotted, an individual was entitled to buy just one 16 oz. cup. You could buy as much of the other beers, so we stuck with Maibock. Here's Randy, enjoying the first taste of Blonde (inside the warehouse, where we gambled the line would be shorter). We had started off the morning at the always-busy Hubbard Avenue Diner, just down the road from the Brewery. We got there at the perfect time, just before a mad rush of similar-minded people. You could tell who was planning on heading for Bockfest by how many layers a person was wearing. Following a fortifying breakfast quesadilla we drove down to the Brewery and went in. The crowd was massive, by far the largest I have seen at any time at the Bier Garten. The procedure had changed from the year before, and the taps didn't open until noon. It wasn't until about quarter after that we made our way up to the counter. Randy made the best decision of the day and we got a mug of Maibock with our pint of Blonde. As everyone has mentioned about this year's Bockfest, it was difficult to make your way back to get a refill. However, Randy managed to stake out a spot near the corner of the main tap area and it only took us about 20 minutes to get a second. We stayed until the traditional fish fly, and although I didn't catch a smoked chub (thankfully) I did snag a string of beads. I had to get going shortly after this, since I had somewhat foolishly agreed to go to a charity dinner with E & C - I always manage to double-book myself for Bockfest. I'm really looking forward to next year, since the crowds will hopefully be reduced since it will no longer be a "free" event. I certainly won't mind paying for a ticket for my favorite holiday of the year!