In April, the first ever Slow Fest was held in Boston, MA. Put on by Dig Publishing (the folks who publish Beer Advocate Magazine), Slow Fest was a celebration of low alcohol beers (under 5% alcohol by volume or ABV). As a big “session beer” fan (a term used to describe lower alcohol beers) I was excited to get a chance to attend this event.
The Slow Fest included over 30 breweries, including some that would surprise you to know brew quite a few low alcohol beers, like Stone and Victory. In addition, the Slow Fest incorporated an element of slow food to accompany the “slow” beer.
Slow Food is a movement that is centered around getting people to be more aware of where their food comes from and taking the time to enjoy meals. It’s essentially the complete opposite of “Fast Food”. A perfect pairing for craft beer, which despite a debate on the definition of the term, really is the opposite of mass produced beer.
The event was a great chance to try a lot of flavorfull beers, perfect as the temperatures rise and session beers become more of what I crave.
Hopefully they will do this event again next year. If they do I will certainly be there, and as always, I”’ be here for the beer.
Great to also see the lower and mid strength ABV beer getting a plug and place on the table… especially now that the mega ABV beers by UK and German beer makers are getting a lot of hype. There truly is a beer for every occasion.