On the first day, we tried to focus on the tents from #11-#21, so tents 1 through 10 were on the docket for Day 2. Let's get drinking.
I kicked off the second session with the Edward Pale Ale from Hill Farmstead Brewery. This was a great smelling beer with a nice hoppy aroma and a good flavor. It also had a nice finish with a little bit of sweetness in there. It was a good was to start off the day.
Up next was Alchemist's Rapture. which was an IPA. It had a very intense flavor, but it was still good. I think this would be a sipping beer so as not to overwhelm the tastebuds.
Sticking with my hoppy pursuits, I grabbed the IPA from 7 Barrels Pub and Brewery. This beer wasn't as hoppy as it should have been, and was actually a little sweet, making it seem more like a pale ale than an IPA. It was super smooth, however, and tasted like it would be a good pair with a meal.
I finally mixed things up by getting a Lincoln Lager (hee hee, nice name!) from Bobcat. I didn't check, but I'm assuming no actual bobcats were injured during the brewing of this beer. This was a good beer, but it was kind of boring. Moving on...
Continuing my habit of selecting beers based on their names, I tried the Rauch Session beer from Trapp Lagers. Since it was a session beer, the ABV was probably low, but so was the beer flavor. This "beer" actually tasted more like a soda. I could see myself drinking one again if it was in a mixpack.
Since I had enjoyed it last year, I went with Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter for my next beer. It was a very dark beer, but it wasn't as roasted as I thought I remembered it being. Maybe I just got a bad one, or maybe I wasn't remembering it accurately. Or maybe a brewfest in 80+ degree weather just isn't the right place for a porter. I'll have to try it for a third time under more favorable porter circumstances.
Wolaver's was right next to OC (as you'd probably expect considering their relationship), so I snagged their Oatmeal Stout while I was in the tent. At first this beer was super bitter, but it had all the roasted flavors I was expecting from the Stovepipe Porter. Given a few minutes to mellow out, the bitterness fades away and this beer turns quite delicious.
Harpoon was offering one of their 100 Barrel Series beers, so I made Rich and Dan's Rye IPA my next choice. It has a great IPA aroma, but I think it needs a little bit more malt to balance out the sort of intense bitterness.
At this point, it was time to cleanse the palette, so I went to an old favorite, Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat. There's not a whole lot to say here that hasn't already been said, which means I won't say anything more.
I continued my being nostalgic with a Lost Sailor from BBC. That would be Berkshire Brewing Company, not one of the many other BBCs. This was a good beer that I'm very comfortable with, so I enjoyed it.
I then got a little wacky and got the Strato from Benelux, which I think is a Canadian brewery. This was deemed a "west coast style stout," but I just found it weird. It was only a little bitter, but there was something odd about it. I ended up having to let the grass have it because I didn't drink it in time before the heat ruined it completely.
I finished my afternoon with the Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale from Stone. I never give Stone enough credit, and that's because the first beer I had from them was the Oaked Arrogant Bastard, which I didn't really like. I could go off on a wild tangent here about my feelings on barrel-aging beer, but this isn't really the venue. The short version is that Stone makes delicious beer, and this ale was no exception. I think it may be a black IPA, because it was dark and hoppy and very enjoyable. There was one weird flavor note I couldn't quite pick out, but it didn't ruin anything. Definitely worth the extra ticket (its ABV was over 8.1%, so it was 2 tickets).
Somewhere I lost a ticket, and I gave my last one away, so that concluded the day's beers. Kate and I decided that of the 3 sessions, Friday night is the best, followed by Saturday afternoon with Saturday evening picking up the rear. I hope we are able to do it all again next year!
-Jon
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