Aporkalypse Now

I love love loved it. I cannot wait for Martin and the team to put it on again. And again. Seriously, I was in a space with people who were all interested in what I like — beer and pork.
So I agree, it got very crowded. And as happens when there are too many people, it’s hard to get through. I made the rookie mistake of not eating before going (though I did run). And while I fought for some tastes, it wasn’t enough to cover even half of what I burned on my run.
Clearly I turned my attention to the beer. Which I love. Great selection of hoppy beers (IPA’s) if that’s what you like. I prefer a robust brown or stout though and was able to find a good number. There were only a handful of brews I did not enjoy. And I loved the home brews that were there.
Around 2:30 (I went for the afternoon session), I feel like it thinned out big time. And I was able to try Rye House’s great pork nacho and L’Artusi’s tastes. Desperately trying to reverse the effects of lots of beer on an empty stomach.
By the time it was over, my friends and me were sufficiently full of beer. And happy. So happy we continued the party at a local (super sketchy) bar until folks could barely stand close to midnight.
And the cherry — not only did I meet some cool people but I also met an even cooler one who I saw post-​aporkalypse multiple times…

More like 2.5 stars.
I was lucky to score my VIP tickets for a cheaper price thanks to a human error but i think i still overpaid for this event.
I have been to my share of beer events and while I am the first one to hit the panic button admist hoards of beer guzzling people, i was surprisingly calm.
I was the first to arrive but waited for the rest of my party before attempting to go in. People were pushing and shoving trying to be first in and when i walked in front of someone they gave me lip but seriously, did he not see me standing there when he walked in? HIPSTERS!
I went straight for hte beers and got a nice buzz going. My drinking buddy and I were taking our time and going with the flow. I am really surprised i didnt have a panic attack.
I have back issues and standing in such tight spaces for the longest 2 hrs ever, really took its toll. It would have been amazing if they could acquire a bigger space. The event was indeed, overcrowded.
I enjoyed the food and am surprised at the number of stouts and ports that I loved. however, it wasnt enough for me to want to do it all over again.
Next time, can the VIP ticket actually FEEL like a VIP ticket?

Yes, a vegetarian went to the Pork Fest so deal with it. I haven’t had pork since 1987 but I can appreciate chefs who execute their craft well even if I don’t consume their food creations. It was lucky that I did go because I became the official drink holder so my boyfriend and friends could eat their food. Dear event organizers: where were the tables so people could sit/​stand comfortably while eating and drinking? Also, as Judy and Phil already stated, the event was waaaay too crowded, the floor was slippery and, well, if one more snotty, hipster-​foodie douchebag bumped into me I was going to go postal. I mean, if one is going to shell out $ 50 for a VIP pass, one would expect a bit more in accommodations, right? The event staff and reps from the beer companies and restaurants were very friendly and chatty, so that was cool.
Standout beers: BluePoint Cherry Imperial Stout, Souther Tier Chocolate, Smuttynose Baltic Porter, Oskar Blues Defiant, Greenpoint Black Duck, and Bronx Pale Ale.
So the event wasn’t too great, but the saving grace was I got to spend the evening with people I care about and I got a nice buzz out of it too.

Phil H hit this right on the button.
The organizers over sold the night session and it was annoying as hell. Besides wanting to beat the crap out of this one rude man, who kept bumping to me all the time and people not knowing how to say excuse me… I had such a horrible time… I found myself occupying the round sofa on the first level to get always from the many douche bags I had encountered the whole time I was there.
The pork tasting was good, but more variety would have been nice, I love me some pulled pork, but expected the chefs to be a bit more creative. Plus you saw that the vendors were running out of food pretty quickly because of the amount of people.
I’m not the biggest beer drinker, so I tend to stick to the pale ales, but found that very limited amount of them… Plus they said they were having some wine tasting as well… at the last moment, I found the wine… didn’t taste very good… o well.
I’ve been to various get real ny events and I was very disappointed by this one. Next time either limit the amount of tickets sold per session, or find a venue that can fit everyone comfortable.
The concept of the event was great, but I was disappointed and so annoyed the whole night.
O yeah… did I mention how disappointed I was.
I must say the chef, and servers were very nice and I hope this event brings them more customers… I found a couple of ones that I surely want to go to their restaurants.

It has been years since I have been to one of these Beer Festival events. I must say, I had a good time. Thank you Phil H. for posting this event.
These events seem to attract rookies who want to get wasted or the frat boy mentality of «drink till you drop». I was very surprise with the crowd, it was totally opposite. It was a very diverse crowd from post college grads to professionals to regular Joe’s or Jane’s. Everyone seem to be responsible drinker’s and adults. The crowd was here to enjoy good beer and pork. What a great way to spend afternoon.
Aporkalypse Now was not a perfect event. It had some hiccups along the way, but like any event, the staff, volunteers and guests made it work.
My wife and I arrived around noon expecting to wait till 1 PM to be allowed in. We had general admissions tickets and we were pleasantly surprise to be allowed in with the VIP guests. Score.
As I walk in, I was a kid in a candy store surrounded by two of my favorite things, Beer and Pork. My first destination the Capt Lawrence booth. My goal was to try all the IPA’s in house. I think I did. I hope I did. Do I remember. Yeah I did. The Reserve from Capt Lawrence was delicious. It had a full body, with lots of flavor. This was my favorite.
After about an hour or so I finish trying all the IPA’s with some good Pork dishes. Since I was now familiar with the venue setup I was ready for round two everything else. Yummy.
I was able to move fairly easy without much hassle with the crowd, but around 2 PM it just stopped. It reached max capacity. As soon as I notice it was packed you were able to move again. It lasted about 30 minutes or so. I made the best of this and just chilled next to some great Brew dudes
I must admit some chairs and tables would have been nice, but I understand that this would not circulate the crowd. I knew going in I would be standing for 4 hours. No biggie standing. Next thing I know someone is calling last call. Noooooooo.
The staff did a great job keeping the place clean and tidy. Plenty of garbage cans and clean up crew. Bathrooms clean. Security circulating the crowd off the stairs. Mop up crew with floors, very good.
In addition to the IPA’s I had about a dozen other beers. They were all delicious with different taste profiles, but I was very impressive with a couple of stouts and brown ale’s with chocolate overtones. This was a wow for me. Great beer to finish a meal and relax.
The chefs and their staffs did a great job. Lots of tasty treats and I really enjoyed items I would not normally have or order in a restaurant. Fun. Fun. Fun. I must admit my favorite was a simple dish: Popcorn. I think it was coated with caramel or maple and crispy pork. This was very tasty. A simple dish executed well.
Aporkalypse Now had two sides. A very nice afternoon session and the sinking of the Titanic evening session. The afternoon session had plenty of beer and pork dishes in a clean and safe venue. I wouldn’t be surprise that some of the overcrowding may have been due to gate crashers. I saw some of this towards the last half hour of my session.
Tasty pork with cold beer what more can I say, more please,

Wow — was this a total letdown. Sorry to say, it seemed to me that those who run this show got a little too piggy with their greediness.
Not saying this was a total disaster, but when a venue space is over-​packed to the point where everyone is up your ass it makes for a tough time to enjoy yourself. Just check out my pics and you will see what I am talking about. The 404 event space itself seems like a cool multi-​level spot to plan an event, but it also made for a very awkward situation given the amount of people there. We were practically squished in like sardines the whole time we were there, and it got so bad we actually left after a few hours. Now, I have done plenty of beer festivals and have never left early, so this was a first and unheard of in my drinking life. We heard many people complaining that they just sold too many tickets for this event, and they were right.
What also made it more awkward was the fact that there was no seating or tables anywhere. So you basically had to stand and balance your beer glass and plate of food while trying to eat it and having people constantly bump into and maneuver around you. It was a joke. Walking up and down the stairs to each level was also an experience as they became very slippery in spots where beer and food had spilled. The third level of the place where the DJ was just became overbearingly crowded that I only went up there once to try out a few beers and some pork offerings. Also, did they really need a bathroom attendant there handing you paper towels and candy like at a swanky nightclub?
Honestly guys, if you are going to sell that many tickets then get a bigger venue, include areas with tables and chairs, or at least cut back on the amount of tickets sold. The night session we were at, 6−10PM, was way too crowded for the size of this place and ruined what would have been a nice experience.
Still, the Aporkalypse Now event did feature a terrific selection of craft and cask brews. Over 50 craft beers and 15 cask ales brewed by over 25 breweries, and ten hogs cooked and braised by some of the city’s top chefs. All with unlimited tastings of beer and swine. Some of my favorites were the pulled pork sandwiches, chocolate dipped bacon, pasta with pulled pork, maple bacon popcorn, Bluepoint sour cherry stout, and a few others that I can’t remember. The DJ was actually pretty good and spun a great mix of rock.
Wish I could have stayed longer and enjoyed it more, but I had to get the hell out of there before I killed someone as the next person who bumped into me or stepped on my foot was gonna catch a beating!