Bloomington Craft Beer Festival, a success

The BCBF ended up a sell-out event on a beautiful Spring day with a nicely laid out brewer and exhibit area. Thirty-six Indiana brewers shared along with another fifteen out-of-state brewers. The floor plan this year seemed to help traffic flow and reduce lines. Some of the larger breweries were spread out away from each other much like anchor stores in a shopping mall are distanced to draw crowds back and forth. The fact that I.U. students are in town undoubtedly helped increase the crowds but plenty of other beer fans were evident in attendance. The crowd seemed orderly and though short lines formed there was never an impression that it was difficult to get to a particular beer.

The weather was really wonderful with high of 55 degrees and this venue allows breezes to flow and sunlight to filter through. More attendees and more breweries than last year added to much success. The beers started flowing for those with VIP passes at 3:00 and ended at 7PM.

We'll give an applause here to indianabeer.com's Nathan Compton who organized the recycling and sustainability options with recycle bins available and food waste going to compost rather than garbage. Of course it takes cooperation of the attendees and while some people may not have had the hang of proper disposal it was great that many pitched in and we trust this effort will spread to many events.

We also noted ample restrooms (well, porta potties) so the lines weren't too long. There were several food vendors. And in addition to breweries World Class Beer, wholesaler, brought some very nice high-end bombers.

Congratulations to all of the brewers who brought their brews and for the fine variety of beer this year. Thanks to the Brewers of Indiana Guild and Terry Durkin local coordinator for a super Bloomington Craft Beer week that brought many craft beers around town all week.

Our crew is busy assembling their story into one gigantic piece that will go up soon. So 'stay tuned.' And Kathleen was our designated photographer and has lots of pictures to go up. Meanwhile, check out some pics on our Facebook page here

We'll see you back here soon for a full review!