Soundoff: World Beer Festival

Roth Brewing operates a booth at the 16th annual World Beer Fest, held Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. More than 100 breweries from around the world participated.
Roth Brewing operates a booth at the 16th annual World Beer Fest, held Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. More than 100 breweries from around the world participated.

Locals and visitors flocked to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park this Saturday for the 16th annual World Beer Festival, hosted by “All About Beer Magazine.” There, attendees had the chance to try hundreds of beers from breweries varying from Fullsteam to Anheuser-Busch. A number of Duke students, including members of the Fuqua Beer Club and other graduate students, arrived in groups for the event held on a warm October day. The Chronicle’s Taylor Doherty and Lindsey Rupp spoke to a number of the attendees about what drew them to the event.

“It’s pretty cool because before I moved out here I didn’t know Durham was a big cultural center for these types of events. Having the World Beer Festival here, you get to come out, and there’s beers from all over the world.”

—Bumki Kim, Ph.D. candidate in the department of chemistry

“A lot of people like to come to the day session instead of the night session because they’re worried about them running out of some of those select beers. Some of the really good ones that you wouldn’t get to try any other way are not available come night time. There was one—Siberian Night—that they were only giving teeny-tiny pours because it was expensive and they didn’t bring very much of it.”

—Felicia Hawthorne, Ph.D. candidate in the Program in Genetics and Genomics and president of the Graduate and Professional School Council

“We also live a 10-minute walk away, so it makes it a lot easier. You just stroll down, get to hang out in the Bulls’ park and try hundreds of different beers—it’s great.”

—Joshua Mahlios, Ph.D. candidate in the School of Medicine’s department of immunology

“My twin brother is in town this weekend, and also the [Fuqua] Beer Club kind of made this a signature event for them, so we got more than a dozen plus people to come down and check out the festival. We know it’s a big happening here, and we’re all passionate about beer, so we got together at Tyler’s Taproom beforehand and kind of hit the scene together.”

—Steve Nelson, first-year MBA candidate at the Fuqua School of Business

“[I look for] quality and variety. A well-made beer really turns me on.”

—Will Bartlett, Raleigh resident

“I love beer—beer is my life and passion. Beer is an art form, a universal thing.... There’s a beer out there for you.”

—Greg Hirsch, Durham resident, home-brewer, bartender at Geer Street Garden and a volunteer at the World Beer Festival

“I think it’s wicked cool. It’s awesome. We need a beer fest in Philadelphia.”

—Sarah Noel, Philadelphia resident

“I am German, Scottish and Puerto Rican. I made my own lederhosen out of women’s capris, clip on earrings and a purse.... It took about six hours. I had to test it and make sure it was strong enough.... This is my first time at the beer festival. We’ve been trying for three years, but it’s been sold out, so this year we bought tickets on the first day of the sale. I love it. I absolutely love it—plenty of variety and great weather.

—Nate Ewing, Durham resident

“I always drink Fullsteam. I like their seasonals, the summer basil and the first frost.”

—Marie Doklovic, Chapel Hill resident

“We’re in the North Carolina brewers tent because we consider ourselves to be brewers—we brew spice sauce…. It’s like family for us.”

—Page Skelton, creator of Cackalacky spicy sauce

“That’s the nice thing about being an MBA student, you can afford better beer.”

—Darlene Ritter, first-year MBA candidate at Fuqua and member of the Fuqua Beer Club

“There’s a lot more to it than just drinking. Craft brewing is a sector that’s really growing.”

—Joel Finley, second-year MBA candidate at Fuqua and member of the Fuqua Beer Club

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