Mercury reporters went along on Saturday and spotted local brewers, local punters and local performers.

The venue itself, Maitland Gaol, even took advantage of one of the most iconic pieces of local history.

A scuffle on Saturday afternoon and strong winds over the weekend were minor inconveniences in an event Maitland City Council should give themselves a pat on the back for.

In contrast to other recent Hunter Valley events such as Jazz in the Vines and Lovedale Long Lunch, immediate feedback from both attendees and stall holders indicated a well-run program.

“Fantastic day thanks heaps for putting this event on was a pearla [sic] of a day,” one said on the Bitter & Twisted Facebook page.

“Was definetely [sic] a good time!!” another said.

Most regular festival-goers understand that the facilities at popular events are not always the greatest, however even the feedback in this area was positive.

“Gotta say....the toilets this year are top notch. Always cleaned, heaps of toilet paper and short lines. Nice work guys,” one person posted on social media.

FogHorn Brewhouse co-founder Shawn Sherlock has been a part of beer festivals for many years, initially as head brewer of Murray's Craft Brewing Co and now with FogHorn.

He said what made Bitter and Twisted different to other beer festivals was the organisation of the event.

Despite being a sell-out on Saturday, queues for drinks were relatively short as punters had a choice of almost 20 different beer stalls.

The event also managed to tap into a market that was niche when the festival was created 10 years ago, but has since become a popular interest.

Mr Sherlock said back in 2005 (a year before Bitter and Twisted started) there were about 140 craft beer breweries in Australia.

Today there are almost 500.

He said back then, he couldn’t sell Indian Pale Ale (IPA) because it was too “hoppy and bitter”.

At the weekend, people were coming up to his stall and not only trying it, but requesting it.

All in all, it must be said that everyone who was a part of the event did a great job.