The Beer-hemoth VIII - Day 2

In case you were not aware of it, drinking in the sun is dangerous without the proper precautions. Kathryn might have taken things a bit too far with the SPF 70, but I guess I can't complain since I didn't get burned at all. We all drank plenty of water as well. And even with all that, we still ended up crashing in the hotel room after the session ended until we dragged ourselves out to dinner. I guess I'm getting old.

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

The Beer-hemoth 2

Ok, so I lied. However, at the time I made the statement, I did not know it was a lie, so I feel that absolves me a little. When I mentioned The Beer-hemoth 2 the other day, I said that it would be after the Vermont Brewer's Festival in July. Little did I know that Table & Vine would be having a keg-party/beer-tasting/free-burger day of madness during this weekend. Thus, the Beer-hemoth 2 has been relocated from northern Vermont to Western Mass, with the Vermont thing now being temporarily called The Beer-hemoth 3. I don't want to guarantee the title in case of more shenanigans. Also, I do realize that northern Vermont lacks a capital "N" while Western Mass gets both words capitalized. That is because Massachusetts > Vermont.

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

Green Flash Hop Head Red is. . .

ok. It's very, very hoppy, which I guess is implied by the name. If you are not a fan of beers with a lot of hops, I would say to pass on this one.

Also implied by the name is the fact that it's a red ale. I am generally a fan of these, which is why I let the waitress talk me into it. That and the fact that Paradise City apparently no longer carries the Bluepoint Toasted Lager I have come to enjoy so much. Bastards.

For the full story, you can read the burger post about the night. I wrote it after several shots, so you know it's good.

As for the beer, it was ok. I would probably drink it again, but maybe only one or two pints. Then I would move on to something else. Kathryn tried some kind of watermelon thing (because I ordered it for her), which she enjoyed, so maybe I can write a post on that. I probably won't though, because I have bigger things planned.

-Jon

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre is. . .

a very average beer.

It is pretty much the most typical brown ale you can imagine. It isn't great. It isn't bad. It just. . . is. It seems like the type of beer that you would drink and then when you were trying later to remember what beers you had tried, you wouldn't quite be able to remember it.

Simply put, it certainly isn't a raison d'etre.

Good thing I also bought a nice 22 oz. bottle of Coffeehouse Porter. It will help take some of the sting off of my poor "other beer" choice.

Final verdict? Pass. If you want to try it, come trade me for one of the extras in my fridge.

-Jon