Lancaster Craft Beerfest

Last year, shortly after Robert and I started dating, he bought us (& a few friends) tickets to the Lancaster Craft Beerfest, obviously located in Lancaster, PA. Since I'm not typically a huge fan of beer (I prefer wine or cider, predominantly), I agreed to be the designated driver. And despite the fact that being one of the few people not drinking in a sea of thousands can be, well, a little less fun than the alternative, it was a really great time. There were tons of beer options for non-designated drivers to try, a nice selection of food trucks to choose from & tons of people to socialize with (not to mention, some delicious root beer for yours truly). We vowed to return again, & this year, we got smart and booked a hotel room not far from the venue so that we could all enjoy the beverages. With an expanded venue & a few new food trucks to try, it's safe to say that this trip might become an annual tradition. Below are a new photographs, if you'd like to see!

[Every time I went to take a picture a somewhere-on-the-scale-from-tipsy-to-drunk person jumped in front of my camera.  In this particular case, I think the photo was made more interesting!]

[sprawling Lancaster metropolis -- aka, the view from our hotel]

[We started the day off in our hotel bar because it was raining cats and dogs. Luckily, after a beer (or two, depending on your name;) and an appetizer, the skies cleared and miraculously stayed that way, despite a pretty shaky forecast.]

[I started off with Amstel Light, my favorite beer by a long shot. Funny fact: I started drinking this after college because I read in a magazine that you appeared "cool and laid back" to guys if you ordered it. I'm not sure if that was ever the truth, but I'm still indulging!]

[kettle chips with goat cheese and jam appetizer]

[Robert likes bacon an awful lot, so when we saw this thick cut bacon on the appetizer menu, we knew it going to happen. And let me tell you, guys, it was so delicious. I think the first bite was the happiest look I saw on Rob's face all weekend.]

[beer selfie]

[Inside the festival, you get your own little mug to fill and re-fill. There were a lot of seasonal varieties to try (pumpkin beer, anyone?) and a few ciders, too! They made me the happiest.]

[I was in gooooood company.]

[Me and my future hubs;). We got him mid-sentence, but I still think he looks awfully cute.]

[self-explanatory]

[the crowd]

[Okay, so it would be true to say that I was as excited for foodtrucks as I was for beer. This delicious pork bun was from Baron von Schwein and was absolutely worth the wait.]

[Robert went with cheese curds from The Cow & the Curd, and I am honestly kicking myself for not having more than one bite of these. They were obscenely good.]

[Iron Hill Brewery had good beer & a short line. Pretty good stats, in our opinion!]

[My favorite cider of the day.]

After the festival, we hit a couple of familiar places downtown before tucking in for the night. I was feeling pretty good the following morning, but a pecan waffle and bottom-less coffee from Waffle house still sounded like the best plan, and let me tell you, it was.

Until next year, Lancaster!