Back to Astoria and a birthday month excursion for Stout Month!
So, no, I did not go inside Fort George on festival day, I was pretty close though. Despite a chill and consistent but not heavy rain, there were lines at the start but I ran across many people who were waiting to go in, a thing I had not seen before.
I started my day at Reveille Cider with a Breakfast in America apple and pear cider with botanicals, orange and grapefruit zest. Lovely tart citrus mix. Fruit punch notes. Almost like orange juice.
Next door, Reach Break was pretty busy too. Only two IPAs on the board. They also had a kolsch and coastal hefe on tap. Here is a quick rundown of the five beers, I sampled…
Duane Street Wild Ale – gin botanical collab with Pilot House. Really nice. Bready with botanicals spicing
Merlot Veraison– wild ale with Merlot grapes. Nice red color. Very red wine, tannic.
Evolution of an IPA 9 – hazy dipa. Wood chips. Sawdust. Quite bitter with some creamy softness.
A Storied History – dopplebock collab with Buoy. Sweet and malty. Just tastes Germanic to me.
Hessian Aggression – collab with Rowley from NM. Barleywine. Smokey. Real nice.