IN WHICH I GET PAID TO DRINK BEER AND TAKE PHOTOS OF CUTE BREWER GUYS: WASHINGTON BREWERS FESTIVAL

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Do I not just have the best life sometimes? Well, OK, maybe I am stretching the truth just a wee bit with my title here. My assignment, as I chose to accept it, was to take a few nice photos at the Washington Brewers Festival this Sunday in Kenmore, just a few miles north of where I live, for Seattle Weekly. The fest was held at St. Edward Park, a gorgeous heavily-treed oasis, formerly a Catholic seminary, known for its wonderful fairytale playground and hiking trails. As it just so happened, I was kindly comped a beer tasting glass and several tokens upon arrival. "Why, thank you very much," I said, for I do enjoy a really good beer every so often. Being the pro I am, I declined to drink anything until I had finished my shoot...well, OK, almost finished my shoot. And also, as it just so happened, it turns out there's some pretty good looking people brewing beer in my state. Who knew?!!

I had such fun. The big crowd was family-friendly, remarkably mellow, and the brewers more than happy to chat with folks about their offerings -- over 200 craft beers! While I was there I got to eat roasted corn and a bratwurst, listened to a good band (Fortune 500), and enjoyed the immensely-entertaining Brewers Keg Toss Championship. This consisted of muscular dudes heaving empty beer kegs into the air, attempting to land the keg into a series of three baby pools filled with water, with extra points for distance and throwing flair. I got to shoot right on the field, and was in no danger of being clocked by a keg, as there were nice "keg wranglers" to grab any wayward throws.

Here's my four-question interview with MissEight, who went with me:


Me: What did you think of the Washington Brewers Festival? It was your first time going there.

MissEight: I thought it was very cool when they threw the kegs into the pools. No one made it to the last one which was 6 points, I think. They had very good food there. I had corn on the cob, a rootbeer, and cheese pizza. I saw a kidzone with bouncy houses and stuff but I didn’t go to it.

Me: Tell me about some of the people there.

M8: There was this one girl with red hair that had a backpack that looked like Yoda hanging on to her shoulders. I also saw a guy with a beer hat. Two guys were in kilts. I liked that one girl's multi-colored hair. I want my hair like that.

Me: Tell me about being my photo assistant for the day.

MissEight: I got my journal and a pen and asked people to write their names in it when you took their pictures. I also looked for interesting people in the crowd.

Me: What kind of people do you think would enjoy the Festival?

M8: People that like beer!


Indeed, my dear girl.


You can see the 15 photos that made it onto the online slideshow (I took, like, a billion) if you click right here. I'll be sure to go back next year, and many thanks to the very entertaining and accommodating Eric Radovich of the Washington Beer Commission, and of course to Seattle Weekly!