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As many Bostonians may recall, Memorial Day weekend was cold, rainy – and the setting for the city’s first proper rock festival, Boston Calling. Two days of live bands, good eats, and huddling in unseasonably chilly weather brought a lot of music fans together.
After The National finished their set that Sunday night, the announcement that there’d be a part two in September was met with huge buzz. The headliners were going to be stellar: Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, and Local Natives. But personally, I was wondering about the brews. The good folks at Beer Summit had been pouring local favorites Harpoon, Danish giant Carlsberg, and Woodchuck cider for the masses, and I was curious to find out what their next move would be.
As the months passed, I bided my time. In late August, the e-mail I was waiting for arrived: the curated list would include West Coasters Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, and Crispin; New York-based Ommegang, and comeback kid Carlsberg. The crowd goes wild!
Boston Calling II kicked off on a breezy Saturday afternoon with nary a cloud in sight. Tasty Burger made a kickass lunch, and I instantly fell in love with The Airborne Toxic Event. The sun set, Vampire Weekend played “Hannah Hunt,” and I headed home with a huge smile on my face. On Sunday morning, I got back in touch with my pals from Beer Summit – Mike Munnelly, Conor Brennan, and Shawn Rich – for a chat about their sophomore experience.
According to Shawn, the logistics were easier the second time around, especially with increased staffing. Conor added that blue-shirted Beer Summit volunteers were out in force, which presented a teaching moment: “We have little sheets on the bars that describe each style; the Belgian witte, the IPA, the pale, the cider, and the lager. When we’re not crazy busy, we give people samples.”
When I asked about this September’s featured beers and festival attendee feedback, all three agreed that beer garden patrons seemed pleased with the range and local availability: “The concert promoter, Crash Line, wanted a very diverse portfolio of great brands, and they all complement each other. We’re really hitting every category, and there’s nothing here that you can’t get.” Later in the afternoon, I had the opportunity to participate in an impromptu beer tasting with Radio BDC, and I can vouch for both the drinkability of the offerings and their appeal to craft fans.
As Saturday night’s festivities ended, rumor had it there would in fact be a third Boston Calling; on Sunday, Mike confirmed that a May 2014 weekend was in the books. Of course, I had to inquire about what beers he had in mind, but I got the runaround: “For us, it’s really about getting a variety, and getting good brands that want to work with Beer Summit. Now we have nine months; we’ve got a lot of time.”
Guess it’s back to the waiting game.
