Earlier this year, I applied to be a member of the 4 Points Beer Advisory Board and I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen. I will write more about the group and the Brewster’s bar inside the hotel later on FoodGPS (after L.A. Beer Week) but now I want to talk about the Sourfest that happened last Friday.
As you can see this was an impressive list of beer. Not extreme sours and some fruit first beers but a nice mix of breweries and flavors.
My pick for favorite of the night came from the Italian brewer Birra del Borgo.
Duchessic was herb spicy and only slightly tart but really shone as unique amongst the other beers. I also enjoyed the subtle and funky wild strawberry beer from Mikkeller. Very Belgian upfront and the strawberry came in late but was subtle and quite nice.
Either, surprisingly or not, two other Mikkeller beers ranked at the bottom for me. Monks Brew aged in wine barrels and It’s Alive also aged in wine barrels both were dominated by powerful aromas that put me off and made drinking a bit of a chore. The tastes were strong and harsh on the tongue.
But that is what is great about a tasting. You don’t have to buy a full bottle and later find out that you don’t like it. You can find hidden gems to buy later and expand your palate.
You have three more “appreciation” nights this year starting with an Octoberfest. So check their website and see if the list or theme strikes a chord and give it a whirl.