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Beer fans know that glassware accumulates very quickly. One shaker pint turns into multiple festival glasses, a specific Pils glass and goblets too numerous to count. But, I saw this glass and beer pack and thought that maybe, possibly, I could somehow squeeze another one in. This Dupont Avec les Bonx Vouex looks like a perfect host gift or just a gift for yourself if only for the fantastic beer included.
Here are my totally subjective and totally correct best beers from this year’s edition of the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival.
(Of course, I only had, maybe a 15% of what was actually poured)
Fonta Flora – Carolina Custard (their spin on the Kvass style was excellent too)
Firestone Walker – Walker’s Cuvee with Meyer Lemons (should have tried more of the Barrelworks offerings)
Russian River – Scratching Post (cat people like cat jokes)
Beachwood – 28 Haze Later (best beer name of the fest0
Surly Brewing – Xtra-Citra (best beer next to the non-stop Side Project line)
By now, you are probably sick and tired of me rubbing it in about the Festival but I wanted to put keystrokes to screen one more time to talk about what I liked, loved and also didn’t drink.
For the Thrillist/Buzzfeed/HuffPost crowd, the 5 Best Beers were:
1. Tipopils from Birrificio Italiano
2. Tropicalia IPA from Creature Comforts
3. Cucumber/Mint Sour from The Rare Barrel
4. Yuzilla Phantom from Beavertown Brewing
5. Gin Barrel Pony Pilsner from Half Acre
There is no corresponding worst beers list. There were beers that I expected to be better. Beers that my palate was probably too shot to fully enjoy or beers that could not be enjoyed in the heat. This is a tightly curated list of brewers and the Invitational part of the name is where FWIBF pushes away from the pack. And even if a super rare beer kicks or there are lines, you can saunter to the next booth and nine times out of ten get a beer withing the margin of error of greatness. One example, Side Project had huge lines most of the day. Next to it was Beachwood and the Blendery, next to that The Bruery. You could be pissed about missing out on one beer but the next was literally calling your name.
The heat being the only Achille’s Heel of this festival. And last that I checked, the sun is a bane to many a festival. Other than that, there is nothing that this festival doesn’t do right. They have music but it is separated far from the panel sessions. Games are available but not in the way for people there to simply enjoy the beer. Water and bathrooms are plentiful and the food is awesome and free.
Firestone Walker should patent their template and sell it to all breweries.
Since Founders is now around town in finer craft beer shoppes and taps, I was able to speak with one of the co-founders, Dave Engbers, the other day to talk about and get a feel for the way they do things in Michigan.
I have written a more general piece for Food GPS but there were some odds & ends that I found interesting to relate.
~They have given their brewers, including brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki a long leash when it comes to experimenting.
~The R&D team of the two founders + brewmaster + three other trusted members are the final gatekeeper for many beers but they also use their “taproom as a focus group” too.
~Engbers is quite aware of the “bad beer out there” and has
I just had to share two of the best Christmas gifts (Beer related category) that I received this year…
So what you see is MALTed milk balls, a rabbit that is HOPping, some wheat and a packet of yeast. All of the ingredients in beer! A clever sister-in-law I have.
I have had great help in chasing my 50 Beers / 50 States goal but this wins a big prize. My wife found a friend who was traveling in the vicinity of some of my missing states and enlisted her to help me. And did she ever. She got beer from 5 states! Thanks to Ayn for single-handedly knocking 10% of my list away! Unbelievable!
Everytime I hear about the Great American Beer Festival gold, silver and bronze winners, I think of all the categories that there are now. 79 plus the pro-am winner. That is a wonderful testament to the resurgence of craft beer in this country. I don’t care that 90+ percent of the country drink the industrial water lager because there is a bounty of great beer everywhere you go. And just like people now require better coffee and people refuse to eat individually sliced “American” cheese, soon craft beer will be the default.
So, check out the GABF website to see what beers you should be tracking down. And to get more number crunching check out the excellent Brookston Beer Bulletin.
….and a big congrats to my local, Eagle Rock Brewery for winning the Pro-Am competition with their wonderful Red Velvet.
….nitro style.
BEST OF MY LIMITED FEST
This goes to Brooklyn Breweries Cuvee de Cardoz. Mostly because any beer that could put umpteen different Indian spices on top of a base wheat beer and make it come out good, has to get my vote. This is a unique beer without needing an acquired taste. It is finely balanced and complex.
Here are my best beers of the year list (in no particular order)…..
Magic Hat # 9
had this at Naja’s place after horrible traffic and getting lost. this beer made everything melt away.
Cali- Belgique aged in Oak (Handpump)
Orange cream with hops. A breakfast IPA?
Rubicon Goldfinger (Nitro)
thank you Blue Palms for the Nitro!!
HUB 7 Grain Survival Stout
a great, hearty and complex stout that still lingers in memory
Widmer Teaser
light and completely different. tea flavors in a beer.
