Pete
Going so long between posting beer fests wasn't an oversight, I just didn't go to any in between February and November. Hopefully I will do better next year. Anyways, here's what I thought about this event.

The Event: Hosted by DrinkCraftBeer, this fest has been around for a few years. It's only the 2nd time I've gone, but it's been around longer. It's at the Cyclorama in Boston, and there are 25 local breweries and cideries, as well as 7 BBQ joints. You can find something for everyone, though it's definitely a beer-drinker's event. The vast majority of beers are NEIPA's, which makes sense given that it's local stuff from New England. You also get samples from all 7 BBQ joints. They're relatively small, so don't plan on this being dinner, but also don't come full. If you do plan on having dinner here, definitely plan to buy something (fortunately all the BBQ places have stuff for sale). There was also a pickle shop giving out samples, which were awesome. One of the BBQ shops ran out of food very early for some reason. I'm not sure how that was possible, but whatever.

My Experience: I went to the 3rd session, Saturday evening. It was my 2nd year at this fest, and I learned some things from the previous year. The beer list is available in advance, so I looked that up and picked 15-20 that I REALLY wanted, and another 30 or so that I also wanted. I went full nerd, printed out the map and color-coded it so I knew where to go. I managed to try 38 different samples, which is definitely high for me for one of these. I didn't get to all that I REALLY wanted because some of the lines were long, and I prioritized trying more things to waiting in line.

The Beers: The best one I had was a version of Channel Marker Siren, which was the 2nd beer I had (my judgment unaffected by alcohol consumption). It's a sour with a decent balance of fruitiness. Other beers that were notably good: Vitamin Sea AU Jus (NEIPA), SingleCut Diamond Star Halo (NEIPA), and  Trillium Plum Fated Farmer (wild ale) and Dialed-Up (NEIPA). There were plenty of other good ones, including some dark beers, but those were the best of the best.

Recommendations: This festival is pretty manageable due to the small number of breweries. They will publish a beer list in the week or so leading up to it, but don't expect it to be entirely correct. Still, look at it and decide if there's anything you really need to get. A few of the beers (and food) will run out towards the end. Don't expect any of the lines to be too long at this fest. Some of the food lines can look long, but I even waited in a line (for food) that went across the entire venue and it only took 10 minutes.

Everything you really want to get (both food and beer), get in the first 2 hours, then explore. ​If you are focused on beer, just skip the cideries, there will be plenty of different beers to get you through the fest. If you like everything, just wander around trying stuff. Ask the brewers which ones are the most popular and start with those - they're popular for a reason.

This is the first of these that I'm posting, and I hope to do many more posts about beer fests I attend. I've attended 25+ of various fests over the years, so I know what I'm doing at this point.

The Event: Hosted by Beeradvocate and Dogfish Head, this fest has been going strong for 16 years. It's at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, and there are 120+ breweries who join to celebrate "pushing the limits of brewing". 400+ beers, and these breweries are bringing their A game. This year, they also had cider and mead options. You can find something for everyone. It's hard to find a bad drink here, though some of the more extreme ones might be...let's just say 'interesting'. Tons of stouts, IPA's, sours, and everything in between, above, below, and around the side. Another big draw for me is that there's a bunch of breweries that you can't typically get in Boston.

My Experience: I went to the 3rd session, Saturday evening. It was my 2nd year at this fest, and I learned some things from the previous year. The beer list is available in advance, so I looked that up and picked 15-20 that I REALLY wanted, and another 30 or so that I also wanted. I went full nerd, printed out the map and color-coded it so I knew where to go. I managed to try 38 different samples, which is definitely high for me for one of these. I didn't get to all that I REALLY wanted because some of the lines were long, and I prioritized trying more things to waiting in line.

The Beers: The best one I had was Aslin Genius Kitchen (stout), which was about as good as a beer can get. Other beers that were notably good: Benchtop Why The Gong Face (NEIPA), Springdale Elder Mother (sour), Dewey Secret Machine, MadTree Red Eye Chai (tastes like a dirty chai latte), New Holland Raspberry Lemon Kombucha, Throwback BBQ Porter (tastes like BBQ potato chips), Finback BQE Salty Caramel (stout), Weldworks Mexican Medianoche (stout), and Highland Park DDH Losing Control (NEIPA). 

Recommendations: You could go a lot of ways with this festival. Some of the most popular stuff runs out in the first 60-90 minutes, but there are so many good options. Definitely make sure to have a water every couple of beers (they do a good job of making water widely available). Also, the inside bathrooms tend to get long lines, but the outdoor ones don't, so don't waste time inside in line. I think one of these 3 methods would be best for beer consumption:

1) Do something similar to me. Make a list of 50-60 beers (more than I did). You can prioritize if you want. Just walk around to different sections of the fest and go to the ones on your list that have manageable lines, and skip the others (unless you need a break).  
2) If your priority is specific things, own it, just don't expect to get a ton of them. Wait in the lines right from the start (grab one from a short line first for while you wait), and once all the stuff you want is gone (or you tried it all), explore.
3) Wing it. You will enjoy yourself still and have plenty of good beers. 2 of the ones on my list above weren't even on my initial list.

Expect the last 30-60 minutes to be a giant free-for-all. It's likely half the beers will be gone, so be willing to mix it up. 

Finally, this is one of the few fests where it would be totally reasonable to go both Friday and Saturday and not need to try anything twice. If you do that, I'd say commit to getting a few particular beers you want with long lines each day. After Friday, you'll know which ones you missed, so get to those early Saturday.