With over 50 breweries and 120 beers, I think writing anything detailed would be monumental. I did notice that a few of the attendees were taking notes, however I was not one of them.
My overall experience was a definite positive one. It was daunting at first, seeing a huge line snaking around itself thrice. But once inside, the cavernous building swallowed up the crowd. Yeah, it was a little crowded, but you never had to wait longer than 1 minute for which ever brew you were going for, although a little pushing and nudging helps.
As for the beer itself, I was not disappointed at the taste or quality of any of the many that I tried. I was a little disappointed at the amount per sample that I was sometimes given. Garrett Oliver, head-brewmaster of Brooklyn Breweries and author of The Brewmaster's Table, cries fowl over the 4 oz sample that often are associated with beer flights, tasting, and festivals. While I was given a cup that held 4 ounces of beer, it was rarely filled to the top. As Garrett says, and I agree, even 4 oz isn't near enough to truely experience the beer. One cannot get the correct aroma or taste experience out of such a small sample.
This was my second year attending this festival, with both experiences ranking about the same to me. I hope that this is a Philadelphia tradition that sticks around every year. However, from what I hear, the festival organizers are not treating the brewers well. This caused a few of my local favorites to drop out of the festival all together. While the average attendee might not notice, I certainly noticed the void caused by those who dropped out. I hope this sends a message to the festival organizers, but I fear it will not.
Anyway, I'll be back later this week to preview the upcoming beer week. Hopefully we will get 1 or 2 events organized and I know personally, I'll be attending all I can. Take care and keep drinking...
Joe