I had been looking forward to this event for weeks. One thing that I really miss about Hong Kong is that there is no policy towards open alcohol. I can drink a beer where I want, when I want.
Maybe I just wanted to take a stroll in the park and have a nice cold one, I can't do that here. Which is kinda sad, because there is just something about nature and beer, it's like eggs and soy sauce (they go so well together).
Continuing with my story, I left my apartment at 6pm thinking that 3 hours at the beer festival would be enough.
In retrospect, it was not.
While I hummed to The Fray I arrived at Bathurst station and got on the 511 street car. A lot of people were on that street car. All different types of people; hipsters, talking about how they were going to try all the independent craft beers. Frat boys, recalling last night's football match, arguing why one player was better than the other. A old couple, probably reminiscing the first time they attended the beer festival as young star crossed lovers.
I was the only Asian.
I chuckled to myself quietly as I pondered what all my other Asian brethren were up to on this glorious day. Then, I went back to my book.
After a long hassle of trying to get to the festival (I never have a smooth run with security) my friends and I entered the holy grounds. My first impression of the place was a huge outdoor college party and that party had been going on for some time (a man was being dragged out as we entered).
We proceed to a tent offering many strange sounding beers, this is where I purchased my first drink of the evening: The Blonde Jagerbomb. This was also when we found out where to buy more drink tickets and were delighted by that discovery. We all finished our first round of beers while being mildly entertained by the two girls in swimsuits dancing on top of a truck.
Left: Clean, crisp, but nothing special
Right: Mildly entertaining
By this time, more people had started to arrive and it was starting to get a little crowded, however, everyone's spirits were high. People were friendly, easy to talk to and becoming more attractive with each sip. I purchased my second beer: The Black Forest.
Left: Happy, attractive people
Right: Dark, nutty, great cherry aroma, delicious
Other than drinking beer, there were a lot of activities to do. I feel like the organizers of the event were secretly laughing, because the activities available should not be attempted while drunk. There were drunk people playing basketball, twister, arcade games, ring toss...Even Jenga. Below is a video of 'Purple Shirt Guy' who epically lost the game.
As the night progressed things started to get more interesting. A lot of people with 'Steamwhistle hats' started to appear. They came in all different shapes and sizes and were quite a spectacle to behold. My friends and I also started to discover stranger brews, such as the beer made from hemp.
Left: Awesome guy with the beer clock
Right: Light, tangy flavor, strong herb flavor, went down smooth
As the night progressed, everyone became louder and more obnoxious. Which was great, because the band performing that night had kicked into high gear. The majority of attendees had conjugated at the amphitheater and it had turned in to a massive dance party. This was also when I shared a beer that tasted like soy sauce with my Asian friends.
Left: Good times
Right: Not drinking soy sauce
Sadly, the event ended at 10pm (way too early in my opinion) and there was a huge rush to finish the extra drink tickets. In the last 10 minutes everyone basically became a frat boy at a kegger, cheers of "chug, chug, chug!" echoed throughout the night.
And then Carlos passed out on the couch.
Weak
carlos = weak.
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