Sorry Kumar: Hopfest is going Xtreme!

We've seen Hopfest evolve over the years, from the first two in what was then the Al's NYPD Pizza parking lot (think about the size of that spot, and imagine trying to have a fest there now), to O'Niell's parking lot and the overbearing eye of some of the "pour police" (where a rep from Coronado got thrown out of the fest for sampling beer from another booth), to its rightful home, Hard Rock Isleta Casino Hotel and Resort. This year's takes place on Saturday, August 29 from 2-6. Isleta is a great venue for a fest, where you get to sample beers from over 70 breweries situated both indoors and out. The indoors part is important, meaning there are actual restroom facilities with running water and soap and the guy with the blue jar of combs and the mints and so on. It also means you can enjoy a beer in the NM sunshine, then realize after five minutes that beer and direct sunlight makes for an early nap, so you can head back in for some air conditioning, maybe a couple of hands of 21, then back to sampling from over 200 beers. 22 of the 70 breweries serving at the fest are local, so you can grab samples of familiar favorites as well as exploring national offerings. Cider and spirits makers will be serving as well. Psst: the pours are more generous when fests are held at places like Sandia or Isleta. If you feel the need for a break, take in one or more of the 7 bands performing throughout the day on 3 stages. New for this year is the BMX Xtreme stage, where performers from Stuntmasters Action Sports will perform at 2:50, 4:00, and 5:30. My BMX freestyle repertoire consists of a shaky endo at best, but I do still have a 'Goose that can bunnyhop the curb. Tickets are still available for Hopfest by clicking here. Hope to see you all there!