The Photography Show runs from March 21-24 at the Birmingham NEC and this year's visitor numbers are at an all-time high.
TechRadar's been presenting a full program of talks on its Mobileography stand, introducing photographers to the power and potential of the latest smartphones and showing the work of top mobile photographers and artists.
And our action cam specialist Ali Jennings brought along a backpack full of cameras, mounts and accessories to show some of the amazing things they can do.
In between, we've been round the show to discover a whole host of weird and wonderful accessories.
All the key camera and lens makers have stands, including Olympus, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Panasonic and more, and while there are no major launches at the show that we didn't know about already, there are a lot of smaller accessories and gadgets that we don't normally get to see.
Look out for a full-scale show report when the doors have finally closed and we can get our breath back, but in the meantime, here are a few of our favourite sights from the show so far.
Fans of Surly and/or Doomtree take note: Surly Doomtree cans will be available for the first time in Minnesota later The Depot Tavern as part of Doomtree’s First Avenue pre-party event. If you were fortunate enough to get your hands on tickets to tonight’s sold-out show, you’ll also be able to drack open a can of Doomtree at the show.
Bring Me the News reports that Granite City is up for sale or merger. Granite City is a place that is often panned by craft beer newbies. Short of former brewery operations wizard Bob MacKenzie’s Batch 1000, you won’t fine a ton of hops in any of their beers or offbeat seasonal offerings. Regardless, it’s sad to see an early craft beer operation falter. I still remember rolling out to their first location in St. Cloud in 1999 and being wowed by great food, huge portions and a rotating variety of beers. St. Cloud had (has?) its own small scale brewery and at the time, it felt pretty special. We wish them the best. We also wish they’d bring back their Belgian strong golden ale recipe from a few years ago.
Here’s a thumb to the nose for Budweiser’s silly ad that picks on craft beer.
As of last night, tickets were still available for the Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival. And though the ticket price is decidedly steep, this is a festival that should make every beer nerd get a little giddy. For the uninitiated, this festival features rare, vintage and special one-off beers from 30 select craft breweries from across the country, including 10 form Minnesota. Suffice to say that this event includes food, entertainment and more.
Last night Fulton’s rye saison, The Expat made its triumphant return with a kick-off party at Smack Shack in Minneapolis. If you missed it, fear not. You’ll find this beer on tap at other fine establishments and, for the first time, in bottles.
Wabasha Brewing Company momentarily took the seat designated as “Minnesota’s newest brewery” yesterday, pouring pints for thirsty craft beer fans in St. Paul. Starting as an idea “eight beers in” (or thereabouts), the guys from Wabasha are offering up four beers (cream ale, porter, IPA, IIPA) in pints and growlers for your imbibing pleasures.
Better Beer Society University starts Wednesday! There are still some open spots, so grab your no. 2 pencils (or perhaps your keyboard) and sign up today! Classes meet Wednesdays from March 4th through May 20th at either 6pm or 7:30pm at Republic Seven Corners.
The 9th beer in Schell’s Stag Series, is a nod to the 155 year old company’s 19th century brewing traditions. The limited edition offering is a dark lager aged in American whiskey barrels and stored in the brewery’s original lagering caves below the brewery. The lagering caves date back to the 1860s, an era that predated electrical refrigeration.
