NorCalAngler
Well-Known Member
I had a great time out at the brewers festival today. I tried to only taste beer that I don't normally try or I can't get in store. That being said, there were far too many standard offerings at the brewers festival. I feel like most of the breweries failed to offer up their best or most creatives brews and fell back on their standard golden ale/amber ale/IPA staples. Fairly disappointing.
There were a few stand-outs:
Fossil Fuels Brewery Wheat: This is the wheat brewed with the 45 million year old yeast. It is not nearly as estery as I expected, but that's a good thing. It tastes a lot like a Saison yeast brewed at lower temps with subdued funkiness and a bit of citrus.
Rubicon Rosebud Special Ale: I had no idea what this beer is, but I knew it doesn't normally catch my eye so I gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of caramel and chocolate with a good amount of dry hop to bring out a big citrus flavor. It was interesting enough to make me want more. I would try this one again.
Steelhead Scotch Porter: This was like nothing I've ever had before. Tons of smoke and caramel just like a fine scotch with a nice porter backbone. Definitely different. Not sessionable so I would have to pair it with the right meal... probably a smoky meat.
Moylan Hopsickle: This is probably available in store, but I have never tried it. I don't know if it was just a fresh batch, but this had a TON of dry hops. Very, very tasty and I asked the guy if he was an employee of Moylans, which he said he was, and I told him the lawsuit is BS (look it up if you want).
Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.: Another crazy brew with a rye base. It's hopped like an IPA and it is aged in whiskey barrels. Awesome brew.
Mt. Shasta Jalapeno: My buddy and I got this right before we went over and grabbed a polish sausage. The brew had the perfect amount of jalapeno aroma and heat and it stood up well to the polish sausage. It's not something I would sit down and drink a few of, but paired with the right meal it would be amazing.
Odonata Saison: I've had this before and on tap it didn't disappoint. The tap version was a bit subdued, but this could just be my tastebuds were hammered by this point. It's a local Sacramento brewery that hopes to open a brewpub soon.
Grand Teton ESB: It was near the end of the event and I wanted something to just sip on. This was surprisingly hoppy and perfectly bitter. I would pick one of these up as a session beer.
That's about it. My buddy's brother played some awesome music for the festival and I had a good time chatting, smoking cigars and tasting amazing beer. If you're in CA during this time next year I highly recommend going.
There were a few stand-outs:
Fossil Fuels Brewery Wheat: This is the wheat brewed with the 45 million year old yeast. It is not nearly as estery as I expected, but that's a good thing. It tastes a lot like a Saison yeast brewed at lower temps with subdued funkiness and a bit of citrus.
Rubicon Rosebud Special Ale: I had no idea what this beer is, but I knew it doesn't normally catch my eye so I gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of caramel and chocolate with a good amount of dry hop to bring out a big citrus flavor. It was interesting enough to make me want more. I would try this one again.
Steelhead Scotch Porter: This was like nothing I've ever had before. Tons of smoke and caramel just like a fine scotch with a nice porter backbone. Definitely different. Not sessionable so I would have to pair it with the right meal... probably a smoky meat.
Moylan Hopsickle: This is probably available in store, but I have never tried it. I don't know if it was just a fresh batch, but this had a TON of dry hops. Very, very tasty and I asked the guy if he was an employee of Moylans, which he said he was, and I told him the lawsuit is BS (look it up if you want).
Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.: Another crazy brew with a rye base. It's hopped like an IPA and it is aged in whiskey barrels. Awesome brew.
Mt. Shasta Jalapeno: My buddy and I got this right before we went over and grabbed a polish sausage. The brew had the perfect amount of jalapeno aroma and heat and it stood up well to the polish sausage. It's not something I would sit down and drink a few of, but paired with the right meal it would be amazing.
Odonata Saison: I've had this before and on tap it didn't disappoint. The tap version was a bit subdued, but this could just be my tastebuds were hammered by this point. It's a local Sacramento brewery that hopes to open a brewpub soon.
Grand Teton ESB: It was near the end of the event and I wanted something to just sip on. This was surprisingly hoppy and perfectly bitter. I would pick one of these up as a session beer.
That's about it. My buddy's brother played some awesome music for the festival and I had a good time chatting, smoking cigars and tasting amazing beer. If you're in CA during this time next year I highly recommend going.
