The MASHING EDMONTON – Spirits, Cider, Beer & Great Stories

If you ever want to start a great conversation, ask someone about their favorite travel story. Whether they’re intrepid explorers, or someone whose farthest of farthest journeys is an hour down the road, almost everybody has a story to share. My personal favorites involve me eating a termite in the Congo with some pygmees or almost driving into a missle truck in the middle of the night in Syria, but I’ve heard stories way better than my own. I once met a guy who’d been left behind on a night dive in Indonesia and wasn’t picked up for two days. Another time I got to see GoPro footage of a guy’s shoe flying off while he was skydiving, only to watch him then catch it and put it back on his foot. People love to tell these stories as a way to relive these amazing moments – and the funny thing is, other people actually want to hear them (unlike your friend’s story about how the barista thought you said mochachino when you really said frappuccino – crazy times).

That feeling you get when you travel and experience something completely different is what Alberta Beer Festivals set out to do with their new fall event called ‘THE MASHING’. There’s a saying that, ‘Great things never come from comfort zones’, which is why the Alberta Beer Festivals team spent the last 6 months reinventing what a sampling event could be.

Alberta Beer Festivals (ABF) has evolved the concept of the ‘Sampling Event’ so you can live deeper and satisfy your cravings for all things new! THE MASHING (the common process used in brewing, distilling, and cider making) celebrates community by bringing together the best craft distilleries, breweries, restaurants and entertainment in a unique outdoor space for a tasting event unlike any other in the world!

As you enter ‘THE MASHING’ Edmonton, you’ll feel the same energy and excitement you get when you travel somewhere amazing for the first time. Around every corner, tantalizing sensations that allow you to:

• Sip and savour craft spirits, craft beer, craft cider and delicious food from amazing breweries, distilleries, cideries and eateries!
• Hear the incredible sounds of David Bradford on the Bassbus main stage and then listen to DJ Mike Tomas!
• Watch Cirque de la Nuit perform an amazing 7 min Gatsby inspired duo Cirque content piece called Femme Fatale, which features theatrics and storyline, dance, acrobatics, multi LED hoop spinning and acrobatic pole aerials!
• Enjoy movies on a giant screen from Fresh Air Cinema!
• Tap in to our Cask stage featuring one of a kind beers you won’t find anywhere else on earth!
• Connect with this amazing community as we all come together over incredible food and beverage to celebrate all the things we believe in!
• Support two amazing charities – Edmonton’s Food Bank and Kids Up Front!
• Become a star or take that amazing shot and share it on the photo wall hosted by the Camera Store!
• Experience a sampling event like no other in the world – and feel the excitement of travel right here in your own city!

One other sad but sweet travel story I heard involved a Kenyan woman, Sevelyn Gat, who, because she couldn’t afford to travel, photoshopped herself into other people’s travel photos and then posted those photos on social media. Though the photos were obviously not real, she received thousands of likes – and even better, others started cropping her into their own travel photos with the hashtag #WhereIsSeveGatsNow. The best part was when businessman Sam Gichuru was able to raise enough money to send Sevelyn travelling and experience what it was like for herself.

That’s what ABF wants to do for you in a small way with THE MASHING. We want you to experience the sensation of immersing yourself in something new and different – to make you feel as if you have traveled somewhere incredible, so that you can live deeper and tell better stories.

Tickets and information: The MASHING – EDMONTON – September 14 & 15, 2018 @ Re/Max Field

Get tickets now at: www.showpass.com/2018-the-mashing-edmonton-2

Keep up to date with everything happening in the Alberta beer community by following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @ABBeerfestivals and use #mashingyeg