Microfestivus ’12: A Day Fitting of the Festival’s Fifteenth Anniversary.
Moderate temperatures, plenty of sunshine, and a lot of great beer – the fifteenth edition of Roanoke’s Microfestivus craft beer festival flew by in what seemed like just a couple hours. From the size of the crowd by mid afternoon, the news from festival organizers that ticket sales had been booming were verified. The move from grassy bowl of Elmwood Park out onto Jefferson Street seemed nothing short of brilliant, as it looked like folks had more room than ever before to move about, enjoy their beer, and socialize along the street itself and onto the lawn in front of the downtown library.
Among the more specific beer related memories from yesterday were the various cask ales, or firkins, which were available at the festival. All of them were created at Heavy Seas’ brewery in Baltimore by either Microfestivus organizer Jenny Roberts or by Blue 5 staff member Chaz Blevins. Unofficially, Southern Tier’s (New York) was, for the second year in a row, one of the first tents to run out of beer, driven by the popularity of their Creme Brulee stout and their Pumking Pumpkin Ale. Breweries from Virginia, including Legend, Devils Backbone, and Starr Hill were lined up near the library, showcasing ales and lagers alike, including a newer beer from Legend, their Double IPA. Plenty of new breweries to the event, including Lagunitas and Founders, also were in attendance.
With any luck at all, a few craft beer curious folks who came out walked away with one or two new favorites. At the least, I would like to think that many came away with a bunch of great memories from Microfestivus’ 15th anniversary.
Below, a few snapshots from yesterday. Here’s hoping you did find a new favorite beer, and had a blast. Cheers!
The Beer Road 