The first festival has come to an end. The festival was put together by Food & Vine Time productions. The same folks who bring us some of the best food, wine, and beer events Houston has to offer. This was set up, not to be your average weekend festival, but to be a destination festival. While it has some room for improvements, this was a successful first run. This festival has the potential to be amongst the premier beer events in the entire country.

The Great Match event on Thursday was the event that showcased some exciting food and beer pairings. The event was fantastic. Randy Evans (Southern Son Catering) was spinning out delicious street style lamb tacos that paired pleasantly with Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA.

The pairing of Southern Star’s Wallon Grissette and Eric Laird’s (Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar) Salmon topped deviled eggs would be a hit at any party.

Then there was Robert DelGrande (RDG Bar Annie/ The Grove at Discovery Green) and his crew had my favorite pairing of the night. A BBQ redfish pate with bits of bacon and topped with pickled onion and smoked chile salsa. The smokiness on this redfish paired very nicely with the rich maltiness of the Alaskan Amber they had with it.

The chef’s really stepped up to the plate on this event and to think that they didn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to great local cuisine. The only thing this event left me wanting more of was time.

Texas Brewed event on Friday was a chance for the Local Breweries to shine, and that they did. There were lines of at least people deep everywhere I looked. As I walked around I kept hearing the same question over and over again, “What is the hidden gem?”. So, that too became my quest, like children rushing about to uncover Wonka’s Golden Ticket. I kept my eyes and ears open, and soon learned that Fort Bend had jumped out with the early buzz in the crowd with their Barista Dolce, or as it was being called “liquid chocolate”. Then, as I am talking with Jesse Soto of local favorite Brewheart Apparel, a couple guys from different breweries tell us that Texas Beer Refinery has just tapped their Catalyst Imperial IPA. Anyone who reads my beer reviews knows that I am a fan of the beer, so I make my way and find a spot in line to get my sample. It was for the rest of the evening that I am hearing whispers about this beer and all the delicious things it has going for it. The rumblings were not simply between attendees, no no, I was listening to brewers talking to other brewers in admiration of this beer. My work here had been done for the evening. It was now time for me to see who I could talk into riding the mechanical bull. I found a couple, and evening complete.

Big Brew Grand Tasting event was held Saturday afternoon. I was a little sluggish to start my day, but realized I was far from the only one. So many of these brewery reps had gone to GABF in Denver, then another smaller festival locally that had been postponed and now this event. Everyone (myself included) took a bit to get up to speed but by the time the VIP early hour was over and the general admission attendees started rolling in, the show was on! So many breweries, and so little time. This is the type of event where you need to make up a game plan before you go. See who is coming, what beers are being served, get a map and start drawing. If you don’t, you will almost assuredly get swept up in action and next thing you know your Uber driver is waiting for you outside and you wake up the next day only to realize you missed your two favorite breweries. My plan is simple, I hit the places that I do not get to experience regularly, and newer or unheard of breweries. That is how I came across the 5 Stones Brewing’s Aloha Pina. I make my first lap and head to the VIP area. Let me just say, the extra money for VIP is nice if you can swing the difference. The tables and chairs are worth it alone, but then you add on the free food, and the selection of rare beers that are not offered outside the VIP are what would sell it for any doubters. the beers available included but were not limited to Avery Rumpkin, Uinta Oaked Jacked Pumpkin, multiple years of Brooklyn Black Ops and multiple years of Dogfish 120. Then I head back for my second lap. This time I am looking for a refresher on things I have not tried in a while and see what other things I can find.

The event came to a close, but there was so much more to take from this event than a hangover. Besides the tastes of good beer, the cool swag offered up by the breweries, and maybe some new friends. This event is a good reflection of what the Craft Beer Market in Houston is, and that is there is way more good than bad and there is room for exponential growth. It makes me proud to be a Texan and happy I live in Houston.