So we signed our distribution contract with JJ Taylor about a week ago and on Tuesday we attended a craft beer trade show put on by JJ Taylor. It was mostly for craft beer retail accounts so you had the usuals like Tony from Oldsmar Tap House, Depak from Kingdom and Pete from the Liquor Store (Colony Crossings I think?) over near Racetrack Road on Hillsborough. Though a lot of the crowd seemed to be people in the start up phases of business who seemed very dedicated to offering good beer.

We took two of our pilot batches and they went over very well. The spiced brown ale we have dubbed Sugar Plum Brown and will probably introduce it as a Christmas seasonal. It went over very well with geeks and novices alike. The second beer was the ORIBA (Oatmeal Rye India Brown Ale) and we also got a great response to it. It was a nice change dealing with consumers and presenting our beer rather than choking on concrete dust and fretting over the pace of construction. This event reinvigorated me and gave me a glimpse of the payoff for the long journey Wayne and I have been on. It's easier to stay focused when you know your prize (a functioning brewery) is coming closer to reality every day.

Wayne snapped a few pics with his fancy pants new camera:


Our corner of the trade show. We got to hang out with Tom Moench of Orange Blossom Pilsner fame, who was at the booth behind us. Tom spent most of the evening soaking unsuspecting folks with water from the pint glass cleaner at the Stella Artois booth.


Myself (left) and Wayne manning the booth.


We didn't have much to offer by way of table fluff. I guess we need to get some of those high faluttin glossy sales sheets all the swells use to pimp their beer. Bell's had freaking temporary tatoos! How do you compete with that?

Another plus to the night was that the JJ folks let us take some of the leftover beer! I walked away with several bottles of Jolly Pumpkin brands, Kapuziner Hefe and Schwarz Hefe, Monschoff Schwarz, Entire Butt Porter and Kulmbacher Pils. It's not true that the best beer is free beer. Unless said beer, is also good. Then it truly is the best!