6/29/13:
Stars: 1.9 out of 5
Pros: Beer, Sausage Craft
Cons: Attendance, Set-up, Sausage Vendors
We had heard the
commercial on the radio and couldn't believe our luck. A sausage and beer fest
at Legends Brewery and I didn't have to work? BN and I made plans to be there
for 11:50 as it opened at 12. And our past Richmond festival experience has
taught us get there early. We were both pretty excited for it, because hell…
it’s beers and meat. When the day finally arrived we drove to Legends with empty
stomachs and high hopes.
We got there at
11:50 and found excellent parking. We walked up to the front entrance where
they were doing tickets. Unfortunately, they were only doing cash and I didn't
have any. The guys pointed us to the nearest ATM which was within walking
distance. We walked over, got me some dough and made the trek back arriving
about 20 minutes later. So, it’s now 12:10 when we finally got our tickets. BN
got an extra beer ticket (which I regret not doing). We walked in and headed
right over to the beer tent.
I was glad to see
all of the local breweries there. I appreciate very much how they all support
each other instead of trying to destroy each other. When I approached the taps
I was instantly torn with indecision. So many good local choices and only one
beer ticket, mans worst nightmare. I finally decided on a Center Of The
Universe PocaHOPtas as it’s a personal favorite. BN got his beer (I wasn't
paying attention to his selection) and we went and sat at a table.
By this time it
was 12:20ish, well into the start in my opinion. Aside from us and the people
eating at Legends on their deck, there were 4 other people there. This is a sad
turn out. And while we sat there drinking and eating we only saw about 10 other
people show up. Not a good sign. I’m really hoping the crowds poured in later,
but I have a lot of doubt.
While we sat
there drinking our beer I couldn't help but notice that they were still setting
things up as well. They were still getting the band area wired and set. They
were still cooking the first batches of sausages. The front gate was still
working out some things. It just felt super unorganized. They had all morning
to get ready for a noon event, yet they were still setting up 20 minutes into
it. I’m hoping there were circumstances I am not aware of that caused such a
delay. Otherwise, that’s just poor planning and execution. That being said, the
layout was nice and open. There was plenty of room for lines to form without
crowding. I appreciate that as that is one of the worst parts of a festival.
After sitting,
chatting and sipping brews for a bit we decided to try some sausage. Our three
vendors to choose from were Whole Foods, Sausage Craft and Hillshire Farms. I
was a little disappointed that there weren't more vendors. Where was Belmont
Butchery? Just saying… I did a walk by of all there vendors before deciding on
the only logical course of action, Sausage Craft. Fresh, local homemade
sausages are always going to win out for me. They were offering tastes of their
Saturday Night Sausage (pork sausage with chili powder and beer), Cerdito (pork
sausage with orange zest & garlic) and AmeriKrainer (pork sausage with
cheese and cherry peppers). The guy who was giving our samples was very nice.
He seemed very knowledgeable as well. As a bonus, for every ticket you gave him
he gave you 3 pieces of sausage (one of each) instead of the 1 piece he was
supposed to give you. BN and I gave him most of our tickets as we know a good
deal when we spot one. Then one of the event people told him how he was
supposed to be doing it. C’est la vie. All of Sausage Crafts sausages are
fantastic. The Cerdito was my favorite. The orange zest was a nice compliment
to the garlic and other spices. I will be getting a package of these as soon as
I get a chance.
After our beer
tickets and 4 sausage tickets were gone, we decided it wasn't worth hanging
around. We both were incredibly disappointed in this event. We had hoped for so
much more. Another Richmond classic. And maybe that was the issue. Maybe we set
our hoped too high. Either way, I don’t think either one of us will be in a
rush to attend next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment