Last weekend, I trundled up to Agoura Hills to check out the Ladyface Invitational for 2017….
What a difference a day makes. Saturday was bright an chilly with a blue sky above. On Sunday, as I drove up the 101 to Ladyface, it was grey and rainy and you could barely see ahead of you.
The whole party was forced inside due to the rain which changed the dynamics a bit but I gotta say that Cyrena and crew improvised well. Tucking tables into the brewery and adding signage to help the fest goers navigate in tight quarters.
The beer list was quite the different beast from other festivals that I have been at. It was quite stout heavy and sour heavy. If you were looking for hops, you had two full throated IPA’s but past that, old ales, sour stouts and saisons were in force.
I quite liked the anniversary beer, The Shepherdess. It was strong but not warming. Good solid beer with some spice hints. Perfect for a rainy day. Other standouts were the Saison Bernice from Sante Adairius and the return of The Messenger from Three Weavers and Noble Ale Works.
My only quibble is the amount of pours allowed. The wristband allowed for 20. On a rainy day no less. 10 pours tops though I prefer 5 personally. It forces you to slow down and enjoy more rather than racing from beer to beer. And there was plenty of good beer to choose from. Beer that is normally sold in larger format bottles for over $20.00. Much better to try a small amount and see if it blows you away.
Next year, let’s hope the rains waits until Monday to come down.
