Hunahpu’s Day

I let myself age in a whiskey barrel for a few days before I sat down to write this review. So many different thoughts going through my head about this event.
If I would have written it on the fly that day from my phone (which I have been known to do on rare occasion, it would have been a pretty harsh review. If I would have written it when I got back to my room that night or the next day before heading home, it would have been a somewhat nicer review but with some definite pain points highlighted. Close to a week later, my opinion of what went down for Huna 2014 has finally gelled and I think I am prepared to present a fair, yet honest recap of what happened.
I was excited for this event. As excited as a kid going to Disney World. I’ve been a fan of Cigar City and my love for them grows with every new beer I try. Fellow festival-​goers had warned against arriving early. It may had been my first time at this shindig, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. If it meant I sat in my car for an hour before they opened the gates, I was prepared for that. It wasn’t supposed to start until 11, but when we arrived shortly after 10 the overflow lot was already full and we were being directed around the corner. After a brief wait outside the gates, we had our wristbands and we were in.
We staked out the place trying to figure out where bottles would be up for grabs when the magical hour arrived. After circling the lot a couple of times, we finally noticed the signs and got in line at the doors. We could have set up camp as others had started to do, but no one else in our caravan was there yet, so we decided to wait it out. We happened to bring chairs with yellow sun awnings overhead. Not only were we easy to find for our own group, but I believe many imbibers were using us as a point of reference throughout the day.
So many options of different adult beverages to try. Where was one to start. I had a small hit list of must haves, but after that it was a free for all. Speaking of free for alls, the event seemed to go that way after a while. There were many frustrated fans who didn’t get the beer they came for and wondered where things took a turn for the worse. I don’t know if we’ll ever really know what really went wrong. Duplicate tickets are to blame, but I personally don’t know how as I only had one ticket.
In the wake of the craziness that ensued, CCB did step up and say they would make it right for all their fans. But they also broke the heart-​wrenching news that this would be the last Huna release party. And to hear that on the 5^th anniversary makes the punch in the gut hurt that much more. I hope they heed all their fans advice and really take to heart the idea of hiring an event planner. We understand that they’re not in the marketing/​event throwing business. What they do — brew beer — they do REALLY well. While the idea of distribution of a hard to find beer can be music to one’s ears, I am saddened that the behavior of a few (well, several) scoundrels ruined a really good thing.