Or Send the GFA to CANFEST 2011
The Third Annual CANFEST hits the rough and ready town of Reno, Nevada in November to celebrate just what you’d think – the best of craft beer available in the aluminum can. They’re sending one blogger to the festivities on their dime. While I don’t consider myself a beer blogger proper, they said it was open to all types of writers, so here it goes.
Besides, how could CANFEST deny true love!
I ♥ canned beer
Anyone who reads this blog or knows me in real life knows that I love canned beer. OK – maybe not as much as these g
uys.
Well, yeah. Probably as much as these guys.
These goofy friends took one for the team on our hike up Arizona’s highest peak and carried the essentials. They also represent one of the best things about beer in a can: its portability. While they toast their hike with a Mexican brew, you’re just as likely to find us porting craft beers to the backcountry. Yes, I enjoy Coors Light now and then. It’s a good sipping beer during day-long bouldering sessions or high altitude toasts. But when you’re camping, have a long approach, or 
limited on space, a craft beer in a can is like packing in filet mignon: a memorable reward for the day.
Still have doubts about my commitment to craft in a can? Look at last year’s Christmas shopping.
I ♥ beer fests
OK – maybe not as much as this guy.
Well, yeah. Probably as much as this guy.
Whether it’s the local Tour de Fat, Philly Beer Week, or an unexpected Zwickelfest, beer events are a great way to learn about a city. As a travel blogger and beer lover, I’m always interested to taste what the local breweries are making. Again, canned beers are one of the easiest ways to do this. I can find them where ever I am in the world and they’re easy to tote around and cool down quickly.
Nothing beats a beer festival for local flavor, though. I don’t always travel with a beer celebration in mind, but am always on the lookout in whatever city I’m in. Not only do you get the chance to see the scope of beers produced from a region, but also the food and personality of the community.
- Philly Beer Week mixed history with its city’s brotherly love.
- Portland’s Zwickelmania introduced me to the new sour beer wave and the Beercycling crew.
- And for Arizonans, nothing beats the Tour de Fat – an unofficial prost! to fall, bikes and cool weather.
I ♥ ??
CANFEST
popped up on my radar last year after a week-long climbing trip ended in Reno. I hadn’t been to this wild west town since my college day and it seemed to have morphed into a new gateway to the outdoors. I had some twinges of nostalgia as I walked the dusty strip in search of postcards and a lucky roulette wheel.
This year, I hope to return to Reno for CANFEST and who knows what luck has in store? Maybe I will meet my blog and beer counterpart: The Guy From Who-Knows-Where. After a weekend of CANFEST merriment, we will tie our empties of Buckbean Orange Blossom Ale to the back of his car and drive away in quickie Nevada-style wedded bliss. It’s sure to last as long as long as our CANFEST stash in the trunk.
Follow the Girl From Arizona between the blog on Facebook and the Twitter.
UPDATE: Voting is open for the CANFEST Blogger Contest from Sept. 16 – 23. Cast your vote here.