Now that a couple of days have passed since the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival, it is time to recap the weekend….
There were changes this year. First off there was a concert with a small selection of beers available (which included America’s Preference from our own Highland Park Brewery) the night before the fest . The pre-Fest Kleen Kanteen cup was matte black instead of silver. And at the main event, the foreign breweries were mingled with everyone else. No special section just for them.
But other than that dabbling about the edges, there is not much to truly say except for favorite beers. This festival is pretty drama free. Snafu’s apparently aren’t allowed in the Mid-State Fairground.
So what did I enjoy? In no particular order…
1. Firestone Walker’s Propagator Patrick Hayze v2 was quite good soft and fruity without losing hop bite.
2. Rare Barrel Raging Waters a touch Sour lovely watermelon note. Simple
3. Fonta Flora Urban Monk Carrot Cake So good. Like a spice cake dessert
4. Thornbridge Lukas Helles crisp clear and delicious
5. BarrelWorks Pixie Dusted don’t get tangerine at first but then it doesn’t leave
6. Rare Barrel Alchemy and Magic damn good. Cucumber centric
7. Monkish Space Cookie way weird. Good balance of hops and vanilla
8. Half Acre Pony Pilsner perfect for any festival
9. Firestone Walker Lager straight from the Lager logo emblazoned golf cart/fridge
I did notice that there were more breweries that were tapped out. The speed and number seems to increase so either these breweries need to bring more beer or back-ups need to be in place. Maybe wineries or cocktails can take over? Or perhaps a staggering of start times for those breweries known to be extra popular.
In the end, all to be said is that this is an impressive gathering of beer and if you get a chance, you should grab a ticket immediately.
