Kate and I went to the Green River Brew Festival, held at Ryan & Casey Liquors. And we were two of the first... hundred people or something, so we each got a fancy glass when we left. Getting stuff is great! I actually took some notes this time since it wasn't raining. Hopefully this will be a more enjoyable beer-reading experience for you than the last one.
You might notice that I haven't had anything new at Mmmm, beers! lately. I've been busy wrapping up a few 6-packs that I tried before, and I did try 2 new beers, but they were only in bottles and I feel like the writeups would be sub-par. Don't worry, I will be back in beer-tasting mode very soon.
Tent 1
This tent had the most beers to try in it, and this is where we started. I kicked things off with the Mojo IPA from the Boulder Beer Company. But I ordered it with a soft "j" to mess with the guy serving it. This beer had a good aroma, but the taste was only ok. I might get it again, if it's not too expensive.
Next up was Trout Hop Black IPA from Grand Teton Brewing Company. This beer had a strange aroma, and it wasn't that great. I would probably not get this again.
Sticking with this theme, I had Rogue's Brutal IPA for my next beer. This one had a good aroma, but it was very faint. The flavor was very good though, so I would probably drink this again.
Moving on, I finally switched things up, but only slightly. My next brew was Peak Organic's Pale Ale. This beer didn't have much of an aroma, and the flavor was very mellow after those IPAs. I think it would be good to drink with a meal, as it wouldn't overpower any of the food's flavors. I might drink this again.
The next beer was the Pub Style from Gritty McDuff. Gritty McDuff sounds like it should be a character on The Simpsons. This beer was pretty much the same as the last one, so you can just reread that little paragraph.
The last beer of the first tent was Southern Tier's 2XIPA. Southern Tier has set a pretty high bar with their other beers, and this one did not disappoint. It had a pretty good aroma, but the flavor was great! I would definitely buy this beer.
Part of the price of admission includes a ticket for $2 off any food item. Kate and I both used ours to get a $2 slice of pizza from Antonio's. Net cost for lunch? $0!!
Tent 2
The second tent wasn't nearly as packed with beers as the first, and the first brewer in there was Harpoon, which only had beers that I've already had. So that cuts the beer choices down even further.
I kicked off tent #2 with Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. I remember having this beer a long time ago and not liking it, but that was before my enlightenment about the deliciousness of hops. This beer had a pretty weak aroma, but it had a good flavor. I would probably get this beer again, but it's not quite as good as their Tornado.
The next beer was Goose Island IPA. This IPA had a good aroma and a good flavor, so I would definitely get some more of it. At this point, I'm 8 for 8 in pale ales or India pale ales. It's been a pretty hoppy day.
I finally broke out of my pale ale streak by drinking a Longboard Lager from Kona Brewing Company. I might have tried this at some point, but I don't remember. This beer's aroma and flavor were both ok, but it was very easy drinking so I might give it another try some time.
I wrapped up the second tent with the Haver Ale from Haverhill Brewery. This was their cream ale, and the flavor matched up with that description very well. The aroma was ok, so I might get this again when I want to switch things up some day.
Tent 3
I was very disappointed with tent 3. Well not really, but I was a little sad that Victory was supposed to be in this tent but did not come to the brewfest. I was also sad that the first beer I saw in the tent was Narragansett. It brought back painful memories of failing at Trivia Night, and it also made my taste buds sad. Luckily there was some good stuff happening to offset this.
After the initial shock of terrible beer, the next table had Long Trail and Otter Creek. Since Long Trail doesn't make anything that I haven't already had, I went with OC's Black IPA. This beer had a great aroma and a great flavor, so I am definitely going to grab some more at some point. For some reason, I got the impression that this beer has to be very cold to be delicious.
Next up was the beer from Stone Brewing Company. Having possible the only stout available, I felt compelled to drink their Imperial Russian Stout. It had a good stout aroma, and it tasted delicious. I will definitely grab a 22-oz of this if the price isn't as ridiculous as some of Stone's bottles are. If the price is super high, I will just complain a little and be forced to grab something else.
I also decided to try their Ruination IPA because it was recommended to me by someone. Possibly by the internet. And I figure that since we're eventually going to be taken over by robots, I might as well get used to taking their orders. This beer had a great aroma, and it was very good. I'll be drinking this one again.
Tent 4
This felt like the smallest tent, and the table right in the middle didn't help matters. Kate and I skipped right over Brooklyn and Blue Moon and headed for High and Mighty. I decided to try the Purity of Essence. The aroma was ok, but the taste was pretty good and might make this a beer to look out for in the future.
Next was Lagunitas IPA. This beer probably had the best aroma of all the beers I tried today. However, the first taste impression wasn't great. After I let it mellow out for a couple minutes, it turned into a completely different beer, and it was very good. I think I will try this again at some point to see what I think of a whole bottle.
The tent concluded with a beer from Cisco Brewers called Whale's Tale Pale Ale, and yes, I only got it because of the rhyming name. The aroma here was ok, and the flavor was good. This was another super-smooth drinking beer, so I might get it again.
We went back to the first tent because there was something Kate wanted to try, so I had one last beer. It was the Theobroma from Dogfish Head. Ok, this beer just smelt terrible. I bravely ignored my nose and gave it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good, with a strong blast of chocolate in there. Overall, it was very weird. I might try this again, but I don't think I'd pay for it.
So, I got to try 17 new beers, none of which were bad. I also got a free slice of pizza and a pilsner glass. And the place was only about a mile from Kate's house. I would say that this was a successful day.
-Jon
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