Just 3 More Days to the NHC...

My beer brewing buddy Andy and I are headed to the National Homebrewer's Conference in Oakland , CA midweek. We'll be "Sippin' on the Dock of the Bay" for three days, baby! It's a really big deal for me - I get to drink unlimited homebrew and hang out with fellow homebrewers from around the country for 3 days, I get to hang with my best buddy Andy, and when it's over on Saturday I get to spend time with my youngest for the weekend.

Our agenda goes something like this:
Wednesday Am - travel
Wednesday PM - hang out with EP and friends
Thursday AM - kick Andy's butt at golf at Monarch Bay
Thursday PM - let the NHC games begin - homebrew!
Friday and Saturday - beer, seminars, more beer, talks, more beer, and beer
Saturday PM - to Petaluma with EP; home of Lagunitas Brewing...
Sunday - more time and touring with EP. Maybe we can hit some breweries...
Monday - travel home to dry out

Some conference highlights:

• Our keynote speaker is Ken Grossman - co-founder and president of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
• Thursday is Pro-Brewer's night. At last count there were 52 professional brewers from craft breweries across the nation registered to show off their wares and provide samples for all of us until sometime Friday morning. See the unbelievable list of breweries represented here.
• Friday is Club Night. This is the biggest homebrew party in the world! We'll be "Partying on the Dock of the Bay"! Homebrew clubs from across this great beer brewing country of ours will be setting up booths and letting us sample their wares until sometime Saturday morning. At last count there were over 30 clubs registered. Just think - the kegs of beer are heading towards Oakland even as we read this post! They even have a free agent booth for guys like me without a club! Yeah baby!
• Over 31 seminars are available for my educational endeavors, from yeast propagation to proper beer color to the latest in equipment.

My son-in-law is also collecting craft beers in his fridge drawer at his home in in case we get thirsty after the event ends on Saturday. He's a good lad...

Stay tuned for details as the week unfolds. Andy and I are on our way...