On Saturday 6/5/10, I got the chance to take a mini vacation around the world and taste beers from all over the globe in one building.  The International Great Beer Expo was held at the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at the Navy Yard this past weekend and the event had a nice display of beer on hand.  Around 50 International Brewers and 100+ Beers on tap and in bottle were available and this was an event not to miss.  The venue was pretty crowded with a sea of people coming to experience the even. They had enough beer and enough room to handle the crazy Philly crowd.  They had a nice selection of Belgian Style beers along with the United States showing off it’s craft beer scene.  I know it was an International Event, but when you start getting into the Japanese, Jamaican, Mexican, and South and Central American areas, they all tend to be on the light side. I am  definitely not knocking any of those countries , it was just not my style of beer, however,  I did end up trying all of them.

One thing that was lacking was organization.  For example, the Belgian Beers were all over the place.  A few were located between Ballast Point and Coronado Brewery and then go down further in the line and you had more Belgian Beers mixed in between other countries. Piraat was on the list and unfortunately I could not find them anywhere.  I think the countries could have been a little more organized so  you didn’t have to spend your time searching for the beers you were looking for rather than having a chance to try them all.

Overall the event was good, and I would definitely attend then next one if held in the Philadelphia Area.  I got the chance to try a few different beers that I would not of even looked at and a few changed my mind on Dark Belgian Beers and Imperial Stouts.