Next weekend is World Beer Festival here in Durham. I'm still undecided on whether to go. I went back in 2003 and it was a good time. It's an interesting crowd -- some beer geek types and also lotsa average citizens with a smattering of fratboys looking to get hammered. The downside was that I was planning to meet some friends there and they all crapped out. So except for chatting with random strangers while waiting in line at this or that tap, I was mostly wandering around by myself the whole time I was there. Which isn't really max.potential for an event like WBF which is all about comparing and contrasting and arguing about whether IPAs are better than Imperial Stouts (or whatever).