I have high hopes that this event will be 5 stars next year but as I experienced it last weekend it is a solid 3.
The event donates the proceeds to charity so you are drinking for a cause and when we purchased tickets I figured I could drink the $35 admission price in craft beer easily. Expecting a crowd we arrived about half an hour early to a huge line. However the line was efficiently processed so by the time the gates opened at 2:00pm we didn't have a wait.
At first the festival was great! The lines were only a couple people per vendor. I had several samples and discovered the Tito's tent which had open pour vodka and lemonade. Many of the vendors had free swag like chapstick and sunglasses. However the later it got the longer it took to get a beer sample and standing in the sun the whole time made the experience unpleasant. We got hungry around 3:30 but without a reasonable food line (they were all at least 30 people deep with no sign of movement) we left.
Other than the crowds my disappointment with the event was the inconsistencies. It was posted on the event chairs were not allowed, then only small chairs but there were people at the event with full sized chairs. Some vendors would not pour two samples for someone with two glasses yet another vendor let a VIP girl cut the 20 person line to fill four glasses. Some pours were the whole glass and others barely gave a ΒΌ glass sample.
Next year I think we would only go during the VIP slot and I would love to see the option to bring chairs or the event provide tables or even just a few extra pop up tents to provide shade.