Today's beer tasting was a lot different from the Brattleboro Brewer's Festival. For one thing, there weren't nearly as many beer options. Also, it was held inside instead of outside. The beer samples were also a lot smaller. Like maybe 1.5 to 2 ounces instead of 4 at a time. Finally, and probably most importantly, this one was free. They accepted donations, which I did because anyone who didn't probably was viewed as a total scumbag, but if you were a jerk, you could have just gone in for free.
They also had hamburgers, but they were nothing to brag about. Actually, the less I say about them the better. Except I will talk about them, and at length.
The policy was that you got a bracelet with 10 tear-off tabs on them, and every time you tried a beer, the vendors took a tab. Except that not every vendor remembered to take a tab, an event that the 5 of us referred to as "gettin' freebies." Tony also stole several tabs, and random people would come up to us and give us their bracelets. Obviously we looked like a group of serious drinkers. This will hopefully explain why there are a lot more than 10 reviews here.
On to the beers!
I started off with Sierra Nevada Summerfest which was a terrible decision. It tasted like a pretty bad pale ale, and I just didn't like it at all. I did help myself to one of their coasters, so it wasn't a total loss.
Ok, so we had a bit of a false start, but nothing to worry about. I moved on to Dirty Penny Ale from Olde Burnside Brewing Company. Probably not the best name for a beer, but who knows; people will drink pretty much anything. I could brew a beer, call it Sweaty Ball Lager, and still sell several barrels a week. Actually, I might do that if Burger Bros becomes Burger Bros Restaurant and Brewery. Keep an eye out for Sweaty Ball Lager. Back on track, the DPA is good stuff. It tastes kind of like a porter, which is weird considering that it is called a lager, but I am not a beer expert. Yet. It was also nice and smooth, which made it awesome. I will have to buy some next time I'm over at Table & Vine.
I followed that up with some fruity beers. Not like fruity in the Will & Grace sense, but fruity like actual fruit. The first one was Woodstock Inn Raspberry Weasel Wheat. It's made with bits of real weasel, so you know it's good! (I actually said that to someone at the tasting, then Matt and I laughed hysterically. Thanks, Ron Burgundy!) I ended up drinking a few more samples of this later, so that is a pretty strong endorsement. The raspberry flavor was really strong, almost to the point where it didn't taste like a beer. It was also very sweet, so I could see it not being for everyone. It's definitely good enough for me though!
Next I had a Hooker Watermelon Ale. Heh heh, Hooker. I liked it a lot more than the last watermelon beer I had, which was from Opa Opa. I don't know if I could manage an entire bottle though. I would let Kathryn order it, then drink some of it when she wasn't looking.
I tried a little of Bill's Shipyard Summer. It sucked. We both agreed that it sucked, so just skip it and drink Sam Summer instead.
At this point, I went outside and ate the lame burger. It was not great.
When I got back inside, I tried the Goose Island IPA. It tasted super hoppy and a little bitter, but I think that is what you expect from an IPA. I would drink this again.
Hoping to redeem the Shipyard Brewing Company, I decided to give their Wheat Ale a try. I did not care for it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It just was. I don't think I would drink it too often, especially considering that I know they have some good beers from this particular brewer. Come on, Shipyard, step it up.
Alright, I had been putting this off for a while, but I finally had to try Red Stripe Light just because I really like Red Stripe and hoped that their light beer wasn't going to disappoint me. Luckily, I ended up satisfied. It doesn't taste too light, sort of the way that Sam Adams Light is not a bottle of crap like most light beers are. Hooray light beer!
Next up was the Smuttynose Summer Weizen. This beer was ok. There was nothing very memorable about the taste of this beer, so I would probably avoid it in the future. Also, it smelled weird. I don't make a point of drinking weird smelling beers.
After that, I sort of tried the Anchor Steam Beer. I say sort of because I am pretty sure I have had this beer before. It tasted familiar, and it tasted like a beer that wasn't very good. This beer fell into the aforementioned freebie category, so I wasn't too upset about trying a not-so-great beer. I could see myself being upset if I had bought a 6-pack of these things. I don't think I'll be drinking these in the future.
At this point, I was down to presumably my 3 final tabs, so I decided to spend them on beers I already knew I liked. I settled on a Magic Hat Wacko, a Sea Dog Blue Paw and a Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat. These are 3 great beers that I have had more of than I can remember, since I only count the Summer Ales in the Summer Ale Challenge (going strong in year 3).
At this point, I got a few more tabs from some random lady, so I tried to find more new beers. Unfortunately, nothing really enticed me, so I ended up getting a Hooker Blonde Ale and some more Weasels. The Hooker was pretty good, so I was pleased with that choice. All in all, it was a good time, and I think that beer-tastings and brewers festivals are going to have to make a more frequent appearance in my plans.
I tried 2 more beers at home later, so they can join in on this thing. Shipyard Blue Fin Stout and Saranac Pomegranate Wheat were also consumed, and they get included because they were purchased from Table & Vine and also because I am the one writing this thing so I make all the rules. The Blue Fin was good stuff, but that is because I am becoming more and more of a stout fan. The Pomegranate Wheat wasn't that great, but there was a picture of a bear juggling on the bottle, so it at least gets points for that. Bears are just cool animals.
I've got 2 different variety packs in the fridge right now, so there may be another Beer-hemoth prior to the previously declared Beer-hemoth 3. However, I wouldn't count on it, because I would end up drinking full bottles of each beer and probably forgetting to write down the half-assed notes I usually take, which would reduce the quality of my post. And no one wants that.
-Jon
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