I've just about given up on beer festivals. Usually held outside, you're at the mercy of the weather gods, and they don't appear to be beer drinkers. The recent St. Louis Heritage Fest was a quagmire, as was last year's, and with 2 hip replacements, I knew I'd be hurting the next day, and I don't mean a hangover. The VIP dinner that kicked-off the fest was excellent. Heated tent, fine food and beer and servers who did all the work. My last visit to the "Taste" in Madison, WI was during a hot spell, and in the middle of a field, there's not much shade. Getting hammered comes much too quickly when it's in the high 90s. There's also the typical ditzies who stand in line for 10 minutes, waiting for a 3 ounce pour, and once they get their beers, go into their own world and stop dead in their tracks while they blab about everything except the beer---and hold up the line for everybody else. I've seen this at both beer and wine fests, and when you politely suggest they get the hell out of the way (I'm kidding...really, in a polite way), they give you a look like you've crashed their exclusive party. Honestly, I'd rather throw a couple of twenties up on the bar of the Map Room in Chicago or a raggedy sofa at Quenchers, sit on my ass and go through a terrific beer selection while having someone bring me all the beers I want---and not have to contend with porta-potties, rain, snow, or heat...or now, courtesy of the Nanny State of Illinois, cigarette smoke. My attitude is either a sign of getting older or I'm simply getting tired of having to fight for a beer. Either way, the bloom is off the rose.