I had been looking for something
monumental for my inaugural post.
Dozens of breweries, a couple or three
hundred labels, several hundred people, and the laughter and
camaraderie of friends. It was great.
The cost was a bit steep for someone
who has never experienced this, and I was worried I was going to
regret it. Tickets were $35 from Ticketmaster ahead of time, and $45
at the door. I bought a prepaid ticket from a friend for $40 (the
extra five was me being nice to him, not him making a profit on me),
and my girlfriend (“Sparkles”) bought one at the door.
Designated Drivers can gain admittance for $10, which gives them
access to the food (same cost of tokens applies) and free soft
drinks.
The fest was in downtown Huntsville at
the old train station. I'm going to have to check that place out
later, because it looks pretty interesting. Anyway, we went through
the line with our tickets, had our IDs checked, received an arm band
that designated us as either beer drinkers or DDs, and a small beer
glass.
Inside the fenced area were long rows
of booths, and each booth had a different brewery. The beer list is
online here.
We both tried a bunch of different
ones, and Sparkles tried a couple that I disliked so much I didn't
want to even include them. However, for the sake of fairness and
science, I've included a short review of all the beers I know we
tried, plus several that were there but that I've tried previously.
The reviews are in my words, unless otherwise noted, and the ratings
are all mine, with one noted exception.
Here we go:
Good People Nut Brown Ale – This was
the very first one we tried. Good People is based in Birmingham
Alabama. It's a pretty good brown ale, with nice nutty tones and
subtle notes of malt and just the right amount of hops, with a warm,
fuzzy finish. It would be perfect for a nice evening playing cards
or with a ploughman's lunch. It is one of the few craft beers I've
seen that is canned instead of bottled, but I don't think it affects
the beer negatively. I'm giving it a
Not Bad
rating. Definitely will find its way into my glass later.
Sparkles thought it was
Good Stuff;
it was one of her favorites.
Good People IPA – India Pale Ale, and
its counterpart the American Pale Ale, seems to be the staple of
craft beer makers everywhere. I personally prefer a much darker,
much maltier beer, but I will try an IPA from time to time. This
one, however, left me very disappointed, especially after the good
first experience of the Nut Brown Ale above. This was all
carbonation and alcohol, with little else to go on. While I applaud
their efforts (breweries in Alabama face a huge uphill battle due to
the idiot laws in our regressive state), I don't find this one to my
liking. I'm giving it a
Yuck.
Cahaba Brewing Company Liquidambar
Amber Ale – I didn't like this one too much. It, like the IPA
above, had too much flavor of carbonation and not much of anything
else. It was tart, almost sour, leaving me wishing I had some bread
or something to clear it. I'm giving it a
Yuck.
Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale –
I've tried this before, and it quickly became my second favorite. I
haven't been able to find it in stores since Christmas, though, so I
was elated to be able to get a taste here at Brewfest. It's dark,
it's bitter, it's malty, and it doesn't have too much carbonation.
Just like I like it. It's not one you're going to chug, but that's
not the point anyway. Great for an evening with friends, laughter,
and deep discussions. I'd pair it with something big and meaty, like
steak, chops, or barbecue. Easily a
Legendary rating!
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout – I
was utterly blown away. I've tried an Imperial before, by another
brewery, and was less than impressed. This, however, was mind
blowing. Black as sin, blacker even than Guinness or
Old Engine Oil,
with that definite flavor that Imperials have – a hoppiness that
reminds me of coffee or very strong tea. It's going to be hard to
say until I can try an entire glass, but this may have just ousted
Highland's Oatmeal Stout (more in a moment) as my third favorite
ever. I'm giving it a
Legendary
rating.
Cahaba Brewing Company Oka Uba IPA –
Sparkles really liked this one, but I definitely didn't. It was
light amber in color, and had hints of fruit that I didn't think
belonged there. I'm sure she rated it higher, but mine's
Yuck.
Straight to Ale Lily Flagg Milk Stout –
Lily Flagg was Huntsville's most famous four-legged citizen. In
1892, her owner, Samuel B. Moore, took her to an exposition in
Chicago where she was honored as one of the world’s best butterfat
producers. This is a local brewery, so naming their milk stout after
the local bovine celebrity is a natural. As far as milk stouts go,
this is better than the others I've had, including the one by Left
Hand. It's dark and malty, but with a nice, sweet finish, thanks to
the milk sugars in the beer. It's probably going to find itself on
my top-ten list, and on Sparkles', too. It's pretty much
Legendary,
like the cow.
Atlanta Brewing Company Wee Heavy
Scotch Ale – I tried this in November and loved it. It's dark and
malty, with just the right amount of bitterness to it. Easily in my
top ten favorites list. Good stuff.
Redbrick Brown – I was happy with
this nice brown ale. It reminds me of Newcastle, with a nutty flavor
and just the right balance of hops and malt. It would be good with a
slice of apple pie, I think. It's
Good stuff.
O'FallonBrewery Chocolate Cherry – I've seen the bright red boxes in grocery stores
for months now, and Sparkles and I have been daring each other to try
it. Well, I got to try it. It tastes like chocolate covered
cherries, and good ones at that. This is an amazingly sweet beer,
perfect for dessert in itself. I didn't notice the hops or malt,
which means that the balance is just right. A very interesting red
color, almost brick red. This is Good stuff.
Sparkles said that this is what she'll be drinking from now on.
It
was about here that Sparkles brought me something nasty that
supposedly had pomegranate juice in it. It was so awful that even
Miller Lite would be an improvement. Epic fail. I will spare the
company the indignity of naming and shaming, because I'm sure their
products will soon speak for themselves. Just don't go buying beers
with juice in them, ok?
Thomas Creek Pump House Porter – A local organic grocery store carries
this, and I'd been thinking about trying it. It's a decent porter, a
bit on the hoppy side, with notes of something I couldn't quite
place. It's worth a second look, for sure. For now I'll say it's
Not bad, but that may
rise after I've tried it again.
Bison
Organic Chocolate Stout – Wow. This is very surprising. It tastes
like a Green & Black's dark chocolate bar. Very nice finish.
This is another one that would be good for dessert all by itself.
Definitely Good stuff.
Rogue
Dead Guy Ale – I'd tried this previously, so it was nice to say hi
to an old friend. Supposedly named because it smells and tastes like
a dead guy, this is anything but nasty. It actually has a nice
yeasty scent and flavor to it, and leaves the tongue wanting more. I
consider this to be Good stuff.
Rogue
Chocolate Stout – This was new to me. While not quite as good as
the Bison, above, it was still very good. It had hints of oatmeal,
too, which I really like in a beer. I want to try a whole glass of
it. For now, I'm giving this a Not bad
rating, but that may go up later.
HighlandBrewing Company Oatmeal Stout – This Ashville, NC-based brewery has
been blowing my socks off since I first tried them a few months ago.
This beer has a wonderful oat flavor that is paired with a dark,
malty bitterness that I just cannot get enough of. Easily my
second-favorite beer ever. It's freaking Legendary.
HighlandBrewing Company St. Terese's Porter – This is a bit lighter in
color than most porters I've had, being closer to a dark brown than a
black. It has a pretty good balance of hops, malt, and yeast, and I
like the nutty tones that come through. All in all, it's Good
stuff.
HighlandBrewing Company Gaelic Ale – Another great beer from Highland.
It's technically an American Pale Ale, but it's a bit darker and
stronger than most I've tried. Good flavor. Not as good as the
Oatmeal Stout, but definitely worth a drink or three. Good
stuff.
Boulevard
Chocolate Ale – Tastes like M&M candies! Of all the chocolate
stouts I tried, this was probably my second favorite. Good
stuff.
LazyMagnolia Southern Pecan – I've enjoyed this quite a bit, so it was
nice to have a taste here. It's a new take on “nutty brown ale”: They brew it with pecans. It's on the dry side, so it's not too
sweet. It is great alone, but would probably pair well with pecan
pie. It rates pretty high on my list – Good stuff.
LazyMagnolia Jefferson Stout – I've never tasted a sweet potato beer.
I was very impressed. It also has lactose in it, so it's a milk
stout, but when it finishes I've tasted hints of dark chocolate and
coffee as well. I think it's pretty Good stuff.
OldBlack Bear Brewery Roaming Bear Stout – Another local brewery.
This stout was pretty good, definitely better than some. There's a
nice malt flavor, with some chocolate notes hiding in there as well.
Sparkles liked it too, which was a surprise, as she likes lighter
beers than I do. We're thinking this is Good stuff.
Unibroue
La Fin du Monde – I tried this last week. A waste of money, in my
opinion. It had a weird flavor, one I couldn't put my finger on.
Then it hit me: Hops. This beer is way over hopped for my taste, and
I don't like the fruity notes, either. It's forgettable. Eh.
Unibroue
Trois Pistoles – Not much better than La Fin du Monde, if at all.
Way too much hop flavor and way too much fruit. Ironically they
claim that it's a malty flavor, but if it is my palate is totally
screwed up. Eh.
He'Brew
Genesis – An APA, it is way too sharp for my taste. Very crisp and
carbonated. Despite my love affair with their Messiah Bold, I could
easily forget this one. Eh.
Avondale
Vanillaphant – From the Brewfest guide: “An ale which is
surprisingly light bodied for its robust flavor it has all the
chocolate and roasted nut flavors you would expect in a porter but
with a special vanilla twist at the end. We use the world's finest
hand selected vanilla beans from the bourbon islands of Madagascar in
our recipe. The malty and vanilla sweetness are perfectly balanced
with hoppy bitterness.” It's apparently aged in Jack Daniels
whisky barrels. Avondale has an interesting history, but I'll let
you visit their website. We both really enjoyed this beer. It was
the last one I tried, and I savored the experience. I'm going to
definitely drink some more of it. Good stuff.
That's
all I've got notes for. There were more I'd have liked to have
tried, but time grew short and my blood alcohol level grew high. I
definitely think the event was worth the cost, and I'm going to go
back again next year. I'm tempted to skip Annual Conference and go
to the one in Birmingham in a couple weeks.
-- Barefoot Friar
