Hoptomic Bitter Beer Festival Review

Hoptomic will be a new Tampa institution, and I mean that in the “tradition” sense.

After attending the inaugural beer festival, I’m confident enough to make that statement.

The organizers pretty much did everything right. The festival poured a wide range of hops-forward beers, many of them hard to find in local stores. A variety of local restaurants and brewpubs were on hand with generous food samples. The venue was fantastic. There were enough sampling tables that line were nearly nonexistent.

Held Saturday, June 18, 2011, at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa, the Hoptomic Bitter Beer and Food Festival provided a great time for beer lovers from across the state on the day before Father’s Day.

Among the highlights of my own tastings: Bell’s Hopslam, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (2009), Sierra Nevada Beer Camp DIPA, Cigar City Smokabaga, Saint Somewhere Serge, Peg’s Cantina Dancing Cody IPA and Brooklyn Blast. I tasted many more great brews besides those. Because there were so many there and the festival lasted only four hours, even more went untasted.

What really impressed me were the small things.

Major sponsor Sierra Nevada set up at the entrance and handed out branded nylon bags so attendees could have something to carry around brochures, stickers and other swag. A festival brochure and checklist were passed out to patrons. The sampling glass was real glass, not plastic. Bottled water and soda was available for designated drivers and for rehydrating. The event took place inside and out, with a beautiful riverside view. Special rates were available at a hotel that was about a minute’s walk away, for those who didn’t want to limit their tasting because they had to drive afterward. And many of the brewers were there to pour their own beer.

The Tampa Bay area has several great festivals through the year, but it has been lacking in having one that would be a destination for those from other places. Matt Abdoney, who works in the craft and specialty beer division of distributor JJ Taylor, headed the organization of the festival and said there will be another next year. Incidentally, though JJ Taylor is the local Miller distributor, there were no macrobrews to be found at Hoptomic. Kudos to Matt and his crew for knowing their target market.

Now for the critiques, and they are minor.

• It was great to have live local bands provide music, but the stage’s placement in the middle of the festival area made it difficult to hold a conversation below a shouting volume while indoors. Perhaps the stage could be moved to the side or even outdoors (though the heat may make that impractical).
• Speaking of the heat, there were a lot of fine brews at the outside tasting tables, but it was difficult to stay out there too long. Maybe some portable misters would be helpful.
• I don’t think a lot of people were aware of the hotel discount (which was quite reasonable). Organizers should mention that more prominently on the website.
• Several people I talked to thought the ticket prices were too high at $58.50, though there were discounts offered. The organizers said on the Hoptomic Facebook page that the price may be lower next year. I have mixed feelings about this. Lowering the ticket price too much will make it easier for the “frat boy” crowd to attend for the sole purpose of getting hammered. Keeping it higher restricts access to all levels of craft beer fans. It’s a tough call.
• It would be nice to have some seminars and/or presentations from local brewers and other beer experts, and down the road. I can see this festival growing into a multi-day, multi-session event, once the word gets out and it does indeed become a destination. Though there’s nothing wrong with great beer and food, having such presentations would be helpful in drawing more folks from out of town.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Hoptomic. Here are some more photos from the festival.

Disclosure: Hoptomic organizers provided me with a complimentary admission ticket, but all opinions are my own.

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