vancouver craft beer week

here we are, several days into the inaugural Vancouver Craft Beer Week and i have yet to attend an official event.

why, you might ask, why?

tight pursestrings would be the easy answer.  there are so many fabulous sounding events, but each one comes with a price tag that until i win the lottery, i just can't justify paying.

i would have been willing to part with cashola (or more realistically, creditcardola) for more events, but for my great fear of showing up at a beer and food pairing event that tries to feed me only meat.  you see, i'm a lacto-ovo-pescatarian (and no, i don't need medication for that) which as far as vegetarianism goes leaves me on the more flexible side of food restrictions (eggs, dairy, fish and seafood are all on my "eat it" list), which is good.... but not good enough to take the risk that some of the food on offer will fall into the above categories.

so what? you may be asking, so what?  well, the menus for the craft beer and food pairing events aren't listed on the website (except for the Homegrown Heroes Cask Dinner at The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe).  being the proactive sort, i phoned two of the restaurants of events not yet sold out to ask if they could tell me what the menus would be.  granted i called them both during evening hours when they likely had more pressing things to do than answer their phones, but both had answering machines which invited me to leave a message that they would promptly respond to.  i left detailed messages of what i wanted to know, and why, and my contact information.

that was last week.  never did hear back from either of them and both events are now sold out.  shall i name names?  yes, i think i shall.  it was the alibi room and hapa izakaya.  i'm very disappointed that they didn't take the time to return my calls - even if it was just to tell me that they didn't yet have menu details.  boo, i say, boo!

so, it looks like my first vancouver craft beer week event will be the four beers and a funeral on saturday, bravely followed by the craft beer tasting at the edgewater casino later that evening (note to self: pace yourself).  six whole days after the festivities began.  i am bereft.  i wanted to be a part of the hoopla of a whole week devoted to craft beer.  surrounded by others who love beer like i love beer, or possibly even more.

sure, i could be attending non-ticketed events, of which there are several.  but i'm feeling petulant.  and, frankly the emphasis on beerbrats at the main and broadway hot spots is kind of a turn-off.  i'd rather whine.

i do plan to stop in at st. augustine's tonight for a pick me up after i view the girl with the dragon tattoo at the van east cinema, in an effort to feel craft beery.  i might even hit waazubee tomorrow night for good and evil if there are still tickets, cuz they are offering beer and appys for $30.  appys tend to be a safely mixed lot including things i can eat... and if not, its only $30 as opposed to the $70 some dinners were listed at.  i believe sunday brunch at the whip is the way i am going to bid adieu to this week.  so i'm not totally going to cut off my nose to spite my face.  but i'm still gonna whine and possibly stamp my feet once or twice.

next year i need to be more in the know about this event so i can be a bigger part of it all, perhaps even volunteer myself to be involved and work to get some veggie-friendly options included.  until then i shall down my sorrows in delicious craft beers.  that'll show them!