I have been to the Brews and Blues at Palladio, Tap Folsom, and The powerhouse Beer event (multiple times for each). I have also been to assorted others. EVERY one of those events, I have seen the beer vendors run out of beer While I appreciate the difficulties in putting on these kinds of events, I find it hard to justify spending 35-45 dollars to go to an event that runs out of beer WAAAY before the scheduled end. You would think the vendors would take "extra".
This particular event, I was on the fence this year. Remembering the crowds from years past is what finally decided it for me. The beer is good, the food trucks are good, and the music is good. If you don't mind the crowds and the expense, I can definitely recommend the rest (even if several booths ran out of beer before I could make a "lap" of tasting last time).
I've been to many of those, and involved in the planning/volunteering for some.
I think they can run out of beer for a couple or reasons. It's not necessarily because they failed to plan. They are generally told how much to bring. Over-selling the event, and over-pouring by vendors are big issues.
You gotta have the right glass. Blues and Brews, for example, used to give souvenir full pint glasses, with vendors and volunteers told to pour only to a designated line on the glass. Some people seemed to want to be extra nice and pour more, and others seemed to realize that if they poured more, they'd run out sooner and could run out sooner!
So, by supplying glasses that hold only 4 or 5 ounces, the vendors and their beer stick around longer.
I think they've reduced the number of tickets available this year, so it should be a little less crowded.