The Great Twin Ports Taste Together Brewfest & Winetasting

I wasn't sure what to expect for the Twin Ports Taste Together. Unlimited beer tasting+banquet hall at a casino didn't seem like a recipe for success but it worked better than I expected it would. This may be because it is an older casino but Black Bear doesn't seem to have a sophisticated ventilation system, the smoke upon entering was overwhelming. Thankfully this didn't continue into the area where the festival was held. There were a wide range of beers and the Northern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Breweries were well represented. At other beer festivals I've been to people just pour out their drinks on the ground but thankfully people utilized the many Home Depot buckets designated for this purpose so the carpet wasn't a disgusting soppy mess by the end of the night. I'm not a beer drinker so my personal motivation for going was the inevitably awesome people watching and the Trampled by Turtles show at the end of the night. A few hours into the show I staked out a front row spot and sent my husband back into the beer portion of the festival to continue getting his tasting on. The show itself was incredible but the crowd was downright terrifying. I'm guessing it was the excitement of the hometown boys made good and four hours of unlimited beer but the crowd was out of control. The pressure from the massive push of bodies knocked the wind out of me several times and it was so crowded there was no way I could have escaped. Luckily I had the stage to brace myself against, I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for those in the middle of the crowd. I don't know if there's anything that could have been done to avoid this other than people remembering to be kind to those around them. That being said, it was a good time and we would likely go back next year if Trampled by Turtles plays again but other than that I would be unlikely to return.