I know it's a small operation (the brewing company) and they can only devote so many resources to selling this one beer on one
day, but... yeah, I just think something has to change. The product is clearly under-priced -- and it's not like they don't charge upwards of $20 for some of their other beer (I think Behemoth retails for nearly $20). Line-cutting was pretty widespread from what I heard -- it didn't help that one set of lines for the porta-johns ran perpendicular to the DL line. All someone had to do was get in line for the bathroom and at the right moment, make a neat 90 degree turn and poof! - now it's the DL line.
Signs would be nice. The line for the brewpub seemed to run south of the brewery -- but I doubt most people realized that at first. I didn't realize I was in the line for the guest draft tent (which was super slow) -- the FFF beer tables had little/no waiting across the board (and they were pouring some really good beers like Samurai Gazebo, Marketing Ploy and Topless Wych).
At 6pm, non-ticket holders were able to buy DL. The line at this point was maybe 20 minutes. By 7pm, it was 5. Friends of mine went back one last time around then and it looked like they were pretty much out.
If there was one thing that really annoyed me, it was the food. There was one dude cooking everything to order. Sure, the brisket and pulled pork can sit for a bit, but they were otherwise grilling sausages 2-3 at a time. And they weren't really that good for $8 (which also came with a piece of dry bread and a dollop of mustard -- and yes, complaining about beer/food prices at any sort of festival is a losing proposition, but still). Last year, I think it was just pork, brisket and sausages -- they were able to keep their grill full the whole time and the line moved much more quickly. Next year, it's a mini grill and a stop at Paulina Meat Market the
day before for me!
I was pretty dismayed, too, at all the trash people just left behind. It's all well and good to show off whatever fancy-schmancy beer you brought to drink in rows upon rows of empties, but pick them up when you're done! It's all about the campsite rule, folks. FFF could have helped things by getting more trash cans/dumpsters set up along the street.
best,
dan