Beer in the city of brotherly love

„Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.“ – Benjamin Franklin

And pretty much the first thing I learned when I came to Philadelphia this week was that Benjamin Franklin was a great man that spoke wisely. And while that one quote (which he might have said or not) is not excactly the only reason for Franklin statues all over the city, it sure does make him sound like a likeable guy.

And considering Philadelphia’s historic bond with Franklin, it also offers the perfect background to this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in the Pennsylvania Convention Centre.

After last year’s show in Portland this year’s CBC is an even bigger event: With more than 800 vendors at Brew Expo there is hardly anything related to craft beer that you can’t find here.

First thing you notice when you enter the hall? It smells of hops – everywhere. What you might notice next is the noise of hundrets of people chatting. Because that is what most people I met came here for: meeting old friends, making new connections and finding ideas and new equipment. Which is why the whole event seems a bit like a trip with your classmates. Everyone seems to know each other; you have a beer, you chat, you discuss what’s new. And all that evolves around only one topic: It’s the love for good beer that unites not only visitors, but also exhibitors.

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