Night Of The Living Funk + Belgian Beer Fest

[ant]

My time here in the States has drawn rapidly to a close; back in November, but time for one last huzzah... a solo trek up to Boston this weekend for the Beer Advocate NOTF and BBF.

I think this is the most scared I've ever been about a beer trip. I know I've only tried about 20% of the NOTF beers, and the session is only 3 1/2 hours long. I also know I have developed a massive affection for sours and barrel aged beers, and I want to try at least this list of 21... the current list of beers I "simply must have"...

NOTF List
Allagash Brewing Co.
Portland, ME - allagash.com

Interlude (Mixed fermentation in French oak Syrah barrels; 9.5%)
Vagabond (Barrel-aged Sour Ale; 10.0%)

#

Boston Beer Co.
Boston, MA - samueladams.com

Samuel Adams Barrel Aged Red (Flanders Brown aged in multiple barrels for two years, fermented w/ Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus; 7.0%)
Samuel Adams Old Lambic (6-year old sample from a stand-alone barrel, originally portable tanks were left to cool in a New Hampshire cider apple grove; 5.5%)

#

Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY - brooklynbrewery.com

Brooklyn Wild 1 (Barrel aged/Brett refermented Golden Ale; 9.0%)

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Cambridge Brewing Co.
Cambridge, MA - cambridgebrewingcompany.com

Om (Strong Belgian golden ale aged in Frech oak chardonnay barrels for 1 year, vibrated weekly at 136Hz with tuning forks and Tibetan chanting bowls; 9.4%)
Reckoning (Strong blonde ale, 100% Brett from Drei Fonteinen, French oak pinot noir barrel aged; 8.6%)
The Colonel (Strong sour porter w/ Brett & Lactobacillus, aged in Buffalo Trace barrels 18 months; 6.5%)

#

Harpoon Brewery
Boston, MA - harpoon.com

Sour Rye Ale (Fermented & aged in oak with wild yeast; 5.5%)

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Haverhill Brewery / The Tap
Haverhill, MA - haverhillbrewery.com

Beerstand Berliner Weiss (Sour-mashed light German wheat ale; 3.0%)
Rejuvenation w/ Brett (Belgian Dark Strong aged in oak; 7.2%)

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John Havard's Brew House
Cambridge, MA - johnharvards.com

Pandora's Box (Blended Sour Ale)

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Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Portsmouth, NH - smuttynose.com

Dr. Funkenstein (Pale Ale w/ two types of Brett yeast; 5.2%)

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The Bruery
Placentia, CA - thebruery.com

Hottenroth Berliner Weisse (3.1%)
White Zin (Sour Ale with Zinfandel grapes; 7.5%)

#

The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, CA - lostabbey.com

Cable Car 2009 (Blended sour ale; 7.0%)
Cuvee de Tomme (Barrel-aged sour ale w/ cherries; 10.0%)
Sangre DC (Sangria de Cerveza; 10.0%)
Special TBA

#

Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Easton, PA - weyerbacher.com

Riserva; American Wild Ale (10.0%)

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White Birch Brewing
Hookset, NH - whitebirchbrewing.com

Wild Ale (Golden ale aged on the dregs of a wild ale fermented w/ two strains of brett & chardonnay soaked oak chips. Bottle conditioned and ready as an event exclusive; 8.0%)


I shudder to think what crap I'll talk to Tomme Arthur and his peers as I sidle up to them telling them how much man-loveI feel for them and their creations.




And this is before I have to get up to face two sessions of the BBF...

...featuring this list.

Friday will be glorious, and Saturday sublime. I am not looking forward to a plane ride back Sunday afternoon. But I must try if I am to keep up with Doc and his adventures.

 

[sinkas]

life's tough hey Ant!

 

[mika]

I've reported this post in the hope that a mod will think you're just as much of a ******* as I do and ban you from posting about this kind of Nirvana :icon_drool2:

Om (Strong Belgian golden ale aged in Frech oak chardonnay barrels for 1 year, vibrated weekly at 136Hz with tuning forks and Tibetan chanting bowls; 9.4%)

Someone's taking the piss right ? :unsure:

 

[ausdb]

Hey Ant, teasing is not nice and if you keep it up we will set Kook and Brendanos (the sourmeister's) on to you, when you get back h34r:

 

[kabooby]

I don't know if it's teasing or bragging. Either way I dont like it.

Kabooby

 

[ant]

I guess it's kind of teasing and bragging. But also in the interests of beer knowledge sharing? Sorry kabooby.

But I did wrap my lips around all of the afore mentioned on Friday night, plus these extra special "on the night" releases.

Lost Abbey - Yellow Bus, Sinners Blend, Red Barn Saints Blend
Cambridge - Cerise Cassee
Allagash - My Brother Daryl, My Other Brother Daryl
Cisco - Stoned Sour Soul, H3O+
Ithaca - Brute
Smuttynose - Brett and I
Russian River - Consecration, Temptation

I can't even remember the rest, I'll have to dig out my notes. So much good stuff. Not a bad beer all night. Honestly. If I had made any one of them, I would be chuffed beyond belief.

Oh my God. I'm still in shock from walking in and seeing "Yellow Bus" written on the wall. I've heard and read so much about this beer and it was one of the few beers I've had that lived up to its hype. Tomme Arthur is a giant among brewers... and a leviathan among mortals... really has his sours dialled in. Poor fella was one of several brewers I chewed an ear off.

A real highlight was a panel session with Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey), Mike McManus (Ommegang), Will Meyers (Cambridge), Rob Todd (Allagash) and Dave Yarrington (Smuttynose). Answered anything posed to them, and a telling point was when asked to clarify an earlier comment about barrel aging and blending being a real shooting gallery, Tomme replied with "I think I speak for all of us here when I say we don't really know what we're doing, we're just learning as we go". So refreshing to hear a brewer be so frank and not gloss an answer.

Will Meyers also made a point that struck home when he got onto the topic of the expanding micro/craft scene in the US. He said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I don't really think what we're doing is all that innovative.. what you need to remember is that the US has been fixated on (almost) exclusively brewing an actually technically demanding style of beer for the last 100 years. These other beers and styles have always been there, I think we just forgot about them for a while".

And no Mika - he really did use the tuning forks an hour a week at the "universal resonance" frequency. Several questions about that... the other brewers having a bit of a giggle at him. Tasted great though.

 

[mika]

That's out there ! But if it makes good beer...

Still real jealous. When are you coming back to Oz ? We'll start organising the lynching brewday

 

[bconnery]

Yes the post was bragging but in my book it is the duty of all AHB members to post pictures and details of their cool beer adventures to make us all jealous.

The next time I have one I will be...

I am particularly jealous of this one but I still want to hear about it!