After hosting this year’s beer tasting event at PorcFest, I am once again reminded of the power of bringing people together with a common interest. Standing there around a single picnic table sharing drinks and conversation with people I might not otherwise have met was a world-opening experience.
The variety of beverages at the event was impressive; there were beers in the top 250 on Beer Advocate, including Tree House Very Green and Alchemist Focal Banger, alongside homebrews, fruity liqueurs, and local NH beers from Henniker, Deciduous, and Moat Mountain. We rounded out the experience by purchasing $1 snacks, including chips and pre-cut vegetables, from the wagon of a young entrepreneur. One participant remarked, “these are the only vegetables I’ve eaten all week!”
The event was posted from 5-7, but we kept the party going as the sun began to set and many beers remained. But the camaraderie between people brought together by one event within an event is the thing that continues to live on within my mind long after the last drop was imbibed. It is a very powerful thing, and it suggests that maybe we will be able to achieve libeerty in our lifetime.
