2008 Seattle International Beerfest (SIB)

I think I have finally recovered enough to write this up… hopefully my bad day-after won’t taint what great fun we really did have at this year’s 2008 Seattle International Beerfest (SIB).  So here you go… the *second* official festival/festivus/fest of the blog.

We had been planning this one for quite some time.  Ever since I heard about it, I thought it would be a great idea, so I made hotel reservations, secured a group to go and waited in anticipation.  As the day came, we of course had a few cancelations but my very good neighbor Brent was allowed to go after some good wively conversation and we hopped in the car and headed to Seattle.

All in all, pretty uneventful heading in.  We found out the hotel, Seattle Pacific Hotel, was sort of a dive, but we figured we wouldn’t care and it ended up being just fine. 

So we walked north the 3 blocks to the fest, paid our $20 for our entrance, a 4 oz glass, and 10 tickets.  You will see how those come into play in a moment.  As we walked around to get a lay of the land, we quickly realized that there were a lot of folks at this event.  Big, small, old, young.  A very diverse group.  Anyhow, our first stop just happened to be our last, as well… New Belgium La Folie.  This, by far, was the best in show for both Brent and I.  All told, we probably spent about 10 of our 30 tickets on this beer (only 1 ticket each!)… for the money, this was also probably one of the best deals at the show.

 

Here is the fine brew in the glass… the glass, consequently, that I left at Sport across from the Space Needle later that night.  Anyone have a glass I can have, by chance?

The following pictures were the myriad different beers we tried.  I will comment on what I remember, which will likely be less and less as the pictures continue…

Dinkel Dark… ordered this but they gave me the Dinkel Pils, so I drank that and they gave me the dark for free… sweet deal I say… thanks Dinkel!  BTW… the Pils was better than the dark.

Not memorable…

Decent pilsner…

Nothing remarkable…

Ah this one… so… I remember that I liked this more during the first 2oz than the last.  The first 2 were smooth and you could taste the oak.  The last 2, though, the oak overtook the great beer that is Arrogant Bastard… I don’t think I could drink a whole bottle of this by any means… could be wrong, though.

Always good… we had the most, “what beer is that” questions for this than for any other beer… the ladies especially liked it dark.

Very good… Rogue 10k. 

This is the western side of the fest… oposite the mural and the space needle.  There were more of the 2 and 3 ticket beers over here… more of the belgians, etc.  We didn’t spend nearly as much time here because we are cheap bastards.

This was the one that took worst of show… we actually think there was something wrong with it and Doug from Malt & Vine concurred as we ran into him at the show.

Still packed… it only rained a little… just enough to be annoying and not enough for massive wetness.

There were so many folks smoking cigars that we had to get our own.  $14 for this here La Gloria Cubana.  The cigar tent guys are geniuses for having that place…

Longest line we stood in… this was a filtered wit… very, very tasty.  Happy we got to taste it.

Don’t recall…

Don’t remember…

It stayed busy, but this corner was by the food with little beer… and less people!

The food tents.  A cheaseburger… I think… really don’t remember, actually… that tells me I was getting pretty happy right about this point, I think.

Don’t remember…

A beautiful line of coolers serving beer… brought a tear to my eye then and still does now.

Ok… this one is probably runner up for best in show.  Very tasty… pretty exclusive, from what I hear… 1 ticket was a steal!

Last standard beer of the fest… not remarkable.

So… we have a pretty lively debate with some women folk at the show regarding which beer on Brent’s shirt was the best… the first stain (top right) came from La Folie… the big long one from Ten Fidy… overall, he wore some of the best beers there very proudly… and consequently bought himself a t-shirt before we left.

We camped right where this picture was taken for the rest of the night… about 7 in a row for La Folie… so, so good.  Don’t ask about what these two are doing…

Ah… a beautiful site as we left the event.  Really was a great time.  Super happy we went and glad we had a hotel.  Next for the bad part…

We ended up down town with some folks from work… that was our mistake… not hanging out, but continuing the alcohol… especially the bad tequilla from the bar dancer… oh man.  I think that is what did me in… note to self… go straight to hotel after beerfest next year and go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little baby… :)  G’night.

All in all, ~17 different beers and 120 ozs over 4 wonderful hours.  Very nice.

Washington Brewers Festival

Washington Brewers Festival

Due to the sheer amounts of beer that were consumed and the relatively small size of the glasses, I have decided that none of the tasting yesterday will be official… but due to the enormous amount of fun and cool-factor, this has to go on the blog.  So here you go… the first official festival/festivus/fest of the blog. 

Drumroll please….

If you are not new to this event, forgive me.  I was yesterday and my giddiness is still quite fresh.  You see, yesterday started a new annual event… one that celebrates beer in a way that not many other events can (I know, I know there are others… just go with me).  The Washington Brewers Festival happened to fall on a great day and it was shared with great people, all around.

What sealed the deal was the kids area so that the whole family could go (DD wife, included).  We parked the kids by the blow-up-play-things, bought some food (mmmm sausage), and bought some play-thing bracelets ($15 each) and then I was off with the guys to hit our first group of tents.

As you can see below, the crowds weren’t small… this was about noon-ish when things were still relatively calm. 

One of the first memorable brews was from a Seattle based joint called Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.  I am not sure if it was their Bosun’s Black Porter or not that they had at the festival, but man was it tasty.  Just like a porter should be… dark, slightly smoky, and very malty.  This was a favorite of the group, actually.

You know things are “flowing”… literally… when they have to bring in a full semi truck and trailer full of porta-potties at noon on the last day.  They barely missed a downhill river of piss from the overflowing johns… schwew.

After a bit of wandering, we landed on probably one of the best beers at the festival.  Ok… maybe not best for the traditional styles, but as far as outstanding and unique… this was the one.  Anderson Valley Brewing Company Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema was out of this world good.  I have to figure out how to get my hands on some.

Dogfish Head was in the house!  I picked myself a glass of their Aprihop beer, poured through a bong-looking thing.  It was mighty tasty.

One of my favorite breweries, New Belgium, also showed up although they didn’t have anything really special for us on Sunday.  I was hoping for some Old Cherry… I will just have to drink what is in my Folly Pack.

One of the longer lines at the festival belonged to Northern Lights Brewing Company out of Spokane.  I have to say their Blueberry was good… way better than the Wild Blue.  Their Dunkel was a fine drink, as well.  They had a good showing.

Another favorite out of Colorado… Oskar Blues and their wonderful craft brew cans were there to share their stuff.  I had the Old Chub and liked it… I think… it was kind of getting late…

And finally… it was so very unfortunate that this was my last beer of the festival.  A couple of guys that looked trustworthy told us we *had* to try the Chipotle Ale from Diamond Knot Brewing out of Mukilteo… we all agreed, after tasting this stuff, that if we saw them again we would take them down and beat them silly.  By far and away the worst beer there, not a person in our group could finish it.   

And the aftermath.  Thankfully, Rachael was kind enough to drive home so I could sleep.  I had dreams of flowing beer gardens and all you could drink beer… no little people on toy horses, though, Happy.

Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia, PA

Monk’s Café

It isn’t every day that I find something truly unique and special… something that transcends the normal ups and downs of life.  I found this on my trip to Philadelphia, though, this week.  Our good friend Joy at the training venue had mentioned it and told us how good it was… I knew the moment she did that it was someplace I had to go.  So, on Monday night, I grabbed a cab after dinner and headed out… solo…

The cab ride was only 10 minutes or so.  We pulled up to an old building with neon in the window.  The building itself is not wide, skinny in fact, with a hallway on the left side that takes you to a door on the right.  As I walked in, I noticed immediately that there was some serious beer drinking going on.  The various ages and genders showed this was a popular place and the bar was completely filled up.  I grabbed a place just across the walkway from the bar, picked up a menu and started perusing. 

The menu system is good… they have a full menu with the bottled beer available in several different sorting orders.  There is also good information in the menu about beer: how it is brewed, what goes in, styles, etc.  They supplement the full menu with a dated, one-sided color printed paper that has all of their beer on tap.  There is a yellow one for the front and a blue one for the back right now.  The front has ~7 beers and the back ~14.  From this list comes the sweet, sweet nectar.  More on that in a minute.

Shown here: Menu (yes I paid $3), Front Tap Menu, Back Tap Menu (and yes, I received permision to take the front and back menus), and Tasting Notes

 

I quickly realized I would be standing all night if I stayed in the front, so I headed to the very darkly lit back bar where I was able to grab a seat after some folks left.  Front and center, thank you very much.  As I took my Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale to my seat, I started talking to the bar tender, Stasia, and it was all over after that.  Stasia’s 7 years at the bar have her rivaling anyone I have ever talked to about beer… her knowledge and just plain good beer sense were amazing.  Stasia has met Michael Jackson (may he rest in peace) on many occasions, has attended Avery Brewing Company tasting events, and has generally spent more time with beer related “stuff” than most people will in their lifetimes.

So, the taps started flowing and the bottles started being opened and I was off and running.  I am going to attempt to cover them all below, but link style so as to keep the blog clean.

Needless to say, I had a great night… I didn’t drink to excess, but really had a great time.  I have one small complaint and that is it… their bottled beer is far too cold.  Much of it had to be opened and sat on until it warmed up.  The taps were perfect, but the bottles had to be sub-40° F.

Last thing worth noting… it was really cool to see folks of all walks of life coming to the bar to try out good beer.  Young, old, man, woman… it was really good to be surrounded by either other beer lovers or adventurous ones. 

I think it is safe to say that this bar is the best bar I have ever been too, bar none.  Thanks to Monk’s Café for showing me how it should be done!

Links:

1. Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale
2. Cantillon Lout Peper Kreik 2005
3. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
4. Avery The Maharaja
5. Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale
6. Bear Republic Racer X IPA
7. La Binchoise Reserve

 

Introducing the next generation beer rating system…

Sick of seeing the star rating system?  Tired of rating on a 9-point scale?  Wondering what the real difference between 2.14 and 3.16 on the rating scale is?  Look no further, the next generation of beer rating systems is here.  Brought to you exclusively by the folks at justbeer.wordpress.com, we give you the JustBeer Blog 6-rating normalpeoplewillunderstandthisratingsystem rating system… or JBB6 Rating System.  Here it is in all its splendor:

• JustBeer Blog Hall of Fame - the ultimate honor.  Reserved for only those truly outstanding beers out there.
• For the Win - the rating that a beer would get if you were at the store shopping for beer that you wanted to impress your guests, friends, family, or neighbors with.  You would vouch for this beer and consider it a special treat if it were in your fridge.
• Will Buy Again - while you wouldn’t necessarily buy this to impress anyone, you would buy it again because it just tastes good.
• Middle of the Road - Not necessarily good or bad.  Nothing differentiating.  Nothing special.  Tastes like other beer within the same type/class/flavor/etc.  Probably won’t buy it again.
• Just Not Right - Whatever normally provides us with beer goodness was missed here.  Just doesn’t cut it.  It is highly likely that you won’t buy this again or recommend it to anyone that isn’t your enemy.  If the last beer on earth, though, you would still probably drink it.
• Not Even for Free - Reserved for those really, really terrible beers out there.  Now, I haven’t met too many beers I would ever put in this category because, after all, beer is beer, but you know there are some out there.  The main one that comes to mind is Victoria Bitter… nasty stuff that is…

And there you have it.  Ultra exclusive, ultra hip, ultra perfect.  This is the rating system to end all rating systems, so don’t look any further. 

Now… back to the beer.

Back from Argentina…

Back in the action.  A long, very good trip with fine beer in every location.  Some with pictures, some without, but I will start to post what I can.  Some good local Argentina beers (at the suggestion of my local friends) and of course I had to have some Shiner Bock while in Texas… 

More to come starting tomorrow night.  For now, I leave you with this picture from the trip.  It basically says don’t swim in the water… its contaminated…

Last post for the week?

So… this might be my last post for a bit… not sure yet.  I am off to Argentina, Texas, and Mexico for the next 7 days.  I will try to keep up with this since I haven’t missed a day yet, but Po might have to cover… although he is off traveling, as well…

So… much… pressure…

Must… blog… about… beer…

Doug

Dug’s Picks - Week Ending 1/20/08

Last full week of reviews for the next two weeks… traveling to Texas and Argentina for business, so posting may be a bit iffy.

Having picture formating issues tonight, as well, so the week’s collage looks like crap.  Going to just go with it, though, as I have “stuff” to do.

So, on with the week’s picks!

#1 - Full Sail Wassail - Not sure if it is because it is the last beer of the week or not, but I really, really enjoyed this one.  I have 4 more in the fridge, so I think I will enjoy it some more… tonight.

#2 - Redhook ESB - An all time favorite… the good old standbye.  A fine, fine beer if there ever was one. 

#3 - Widmer Hefeweizen - A big surprise since I don’t generally like Hefe… this was very tasty.  It will be in my fridge this summer, that I can gaurantee.

Dug’s Picks - Week Ending 1.13.08

What a difference a week makes.  Where last week I had trouble with the top 3, this week there was a plethora of great beer experiences to choose from.  The picks:

#1 - Widmer Brothers Drop Top Amber Ale - As stated, this is purely a great beer.  Nothing to it but goodness.

#2 - New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale - I know this is another amber, but it has to be second on the list… it really could be no. 1, though… note to self - if bored, do a blind taste test with this and #1 some time.

#3 - Hale’s Ales Moss Bay Extra - I know my review was not stellar, but this beer keeps coming back to me.  It has a good lingering effect, making me want to go buy more… right now…

Dug’s Picks

Week 2 down… many more to go… I will drink every beer you can buy in Monroe, WA… you just wait.

#1 -  Beck’s Dark - Not sure if it was just the mood I was in or not, but this one just playin took the cake this week.

#2 - Stone Smoked Porter - A good porter… if that is what you are into.

#3 - Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale - Not as good as the Nut Brown, but still a good beer.

That’s it… will get a pic of them all up here later if I get the chance.

Edit: Finally getting around to getting the collage for the week up here:

Dug’s Picks

So… quite a week of beer drinking and I think the blog is off to an OK start.  So, to round out the best beers of the week:

#1 = Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen - If I wanted to treat some folks to an outstanding beer that just simply tastes great in a very nuetral way, I would pick this one.  Amazing flavor.

#2 = Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale - Another really great, full flavor, but super-smooth beer. 

#3 = Anchor Steam Beer - For a small brewery, this tastes like no other amber I have ever encountered.  These go down way too easy.

Still trying to get my friend Po on here, but he is dealing with a bit at work, so I will carry the torch for now.

Dug