Ryan McCartney, right, won a pair of tickets to the Cleveland International Beer Festival from Road Trips for Beer.

The first session of the Cleveland International Beer Fest seemed to go off without a hitch. Well, there may have been a few hitches, but it would’ve been hard to see them in the cavernous I-X Center.

The beer selection was fantastic. My first stop was the Pizza Port booth, winner of a gazillion medals at last year’s Great American Beer Festival. Then .. well .. international is right. I tasted not only U.S. craft beers, but also brews from countries I had trouble pronouncing.

There was some concern within the Cleveland craft beer community that a last-minute change to limiting tastes to 30 or 40 (depending on the price level of ticket purchased) would hamper the tasting experience. No worries on that part. In fact, I had a dozen or so leftover.

I’m staying at the very  nice Cleveland Airport Marriot, about 10 minutes from the I-X center that abuts the airport, and home to Amp 150, apparently one of the finest hotel beer bars/restaurants in the country (more than 150 crafts in bottles and on tap). It was also the place for an afterparty Friday night, where many brewers and craft beer people from the Cleveland area and around the country gathered until the wee hours. Which brings us to room service.

A delicious “Amish Breakfast” with fresh ingredients supplied by local farms. Now that’s it been eaten, the coffee  consumed, and a shower taken, it’s time to catch the shuttle to the first session of Saturday.

If you’re in the Cleveland area and debating on whether to attend, do it. You’ll find it well worth your time and money.