Oregon Brewers Festival

When KJ and I were discussing our summer trip to Portland, the idea of going the last week in July so I could attend the 2011 Oregon Brewers Festival was floated out there. But, when our plans changed to the first week in August, I immediately wrote off the idea. Then, a couple weeks ago, she got an email from one of her friends saying her husband was planning on going to the festival on Sunday and wanted to invite me to join him.

It hadn't occurred to me we were still going to make it in time for the final day of the brew fest, so—needless to say—I was pretty psyched at this development. This past Sunday was that day.

I went into the event—which is a great deal compared to the brew fests back east—with the intention of sampling as many beers as I could handle. For $20, I purchased an official mug—which is basically the admission price—and 14 tokens. The tokens, obviously, are used toward the purchase of beer samples: one token for a 4-oz. pour, and four for a full mug, about 12 oz.

I used up all 14 tokens on the smaller samples, and as this amounted to about 3 1/2 pints in total—several of them Imperial IPAs—this was about all I could handle. By contrast, the American Craft Beer Fest, sponsored by BeerAdvocate in Boston each year costs $45, and BeerAdvocates's Belgian Beer Fest is now up to $50.

You would think the higher prices would discourage these eastern events from turning into frat-boy drunk fests, but my experience was that the crowd at the Oregon event was much more well-behaved.

Sampling and truly evaluating 14 beers in an afternoon is easier said than done, but I was determined to give it my best shot. My strategy was to start with the lighter, less hoppy beers and work my way up to the Imperial IPAs, of course. Anyone who's tried to taste a Belgian white after something that was brewed with an extreme hophead in mind knows what I'm talking about.

What this strategy essentially means is I drank many of the afternoon's strongest offerings after I had already consumed quite a few. Let's just say at that point conditions were far from ideal, so samples 11 through 14 probably didn't really get a fair shake.

Regardless, there were two brews that really stood out to me. The first was Mt. Emily Wildfire Red Ale, brewed by Mt. Emily Ale House in La Grande, Oregon. The name threw me, so it wasn't on my original list of beers I wanted to try, but after suggesting my beer-challenged companion give it a try, I was drawn to it based on his feedback. It's a hoppy, American-style Imperial red ale brewed with three different types of hops, including Cascades for finishing, giving it the citrusy aroma that I'm partial to. At 7.6% ABV, it's pretty strong, but very well-balanced.

My other favorite was Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema, brewed by Boonville, California's Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Interestingly enough, I had already started down the IPA road when I veered back in the direction of this one. Because of this, it didn't make an instant impression, but as I tasted my final sips, some really great qualities revealed themselves. Summer Solstice is a smooth, creamy, malty-sweet but nicely balanced ale that makes for a perfect complement to a hot summer day.

A complete list of the beers I sampled follows:

Alaskan White Ale - Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK)
Ale Industries Orange Kush - Ale Industries (Concord, CA)
Alpha Centauri - Hop Valley Brewing Co. (Springfield, OR)
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema - Anderson Valley Brewing Co. (Boonville, CA)
Dopacetic Imperial IPA - Amnesia Brewing Co. (Portland, OR)
Elysian Idiot Sauvin - Elysian Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA)
Hale's Supergoose IPA - Hale's Ales (Seattle, WA)
Hopworks IPA - Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland, OR)
Klamath Basin Crystal Springs IPA - Klamath Basin Brewing Co. (Klamath Falls, OR)
Lompoc Kick Axe Pale Ale - Lompoc Brewing (Portland, OR)
Longboard Island Lager - Kona Brewing Co. (Kailua Kona, HI)
Mt. Emily Wildfire Red Ale - Mt. Emily Ale House (La Grande, OR)
Terminal Gravity Pale - Terminal Gravity Brewing (Enterprise, OR)
Yellow Wolf Imperial IPA - Alameda Brewhouse (Portland, OR)

Us and Them: American Craft Beer Fest 2010

After volunteering at last night's session of the American Craft Beer Fest, I was checking out the #ACBF Twitter feed, and what struck me was one Tweeter's comment about the us vs. them attitude among some of his fellow beer snobs.

Of course, his point was that those of us who are used to festivals such as this being a safe haven for beer geeks better get used to the fact that our love is moving towards the mainstream. It kind of reminds me of the catch-22 that goes with the territory of being a fan of independent music. You're excited for your favorite artists—or, in this case, your favorite brewers—when they start to gain some mainstream notoriety, but then you realize it means you'll no longer be able to stand up front at their shows—or, in this case, go straight to the front of the line.

Well, as volunteers at the ACBF, KJ and I were able to cut to the front of the beer lines, but we also had jobs to do, so we weren't all about getting drunk as many of the festival goers were. Which brings me back to my original point. I was surprised to see so many folks who considered this the type of event to pursue that goal. I mean, was it possible to really get your money's worth by approaching it as an all-you-can-drink for $40 party, waiting on 10-15 minute lines for 2-oz. samples?

Judging by how the crowd's demeanor changed considerably between 6 and 9pm, many were able to get pretty good value for their money. But, as far as I could tell, most were fairly well-behaved and there were only a few ejections—including two confirmed puking incidents—out of 4000+ participants. In fact, there was even one friendly woman—I think her name was June—who insisted on having her husband take a photo of the two us.

I didn't get to sample as many brews as I would've hoped—that probably goes with the territory of actually working the event—but there were a couple that made an impression. First, here's the list of those I tried:

• Dark Matter (Element Brewing Co.)
• Sir Hop-A-Lot (Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store)
• Seventh Seal (Haverhill Brewery)
• Gestalt (Haverhill Brewery)
• Mojo IPA (Boulder Beer Co.)
• Bourbon Black (Allagash Brewing Co.)
• 2XIPA (Southern Tier Brewing Co.)
• Hopback Amber Ale (Troegs Brewing Co.)
• Dale's Pale Ale (Oskar Blues Brewery)

Two of those—Dale’s and Mojo—I’ve had before, but both are old standards that filled a void when I just needed a quick, convenient pour that I knew I would like. My favorites among those new to me were Franklin's Sir Hop-A-Lot and Southern Tier's 2XIPA, both American Double IPAs, otherwise known as Imperial IPAs. Big surprise there, I realize.

The discovery of Franklin's, a virtually unknown—at least to me—brewpub in Hyattsville, Maryland, adds another stop to a potential ballparks-and-brewpubs trip that KJ and I are planning, probably for next summer. Since neither of us have been to Washington's Nationals Park nor Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, a trip there is already in the works, with possible other destinations being Baltimore's Camden Yards—KJ’s never been—and a first visit for both of us to New York's Citi Field. Two of our favorite microbreweries—Victory Brewing Company and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery—are also in that neck of the woods. After tasting Sir Hop-A-Lot, a stop-off at Franklin's is now a must.

We also went home with a nice little goody bag, which included quite a few beers that neither of us have ever had. If anything is truly memorable, you'll certainly be hearing about it right here.

American Craft Beer Fest

KJ and I have volunteered to work the American Craft Beer Fest, which will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on June 18 and 19. We're working the evening session on Saturday, the 19th. This is actually the first time I've signed up to do this sort of thing. Obviously, I've attended beer festivals, but have never actually worked one.

Of course, we get free admission to the session we work, so that's part of the motivation. But, mainly I'm looking forward to meeting some fellow craft beer enthusiasts and writing about my experience. The primary reason for this post, though, is that I wanted to share the introductory emails we sent about ourselves to the BeerAdvocate folks, who run the festival. In some sense, they contain mini-bios with respect to our introduction to the kinds of beer we enjoy.

First, here's mine:

My name is Charles Simone, and my wife KJ and I are interested in volunteering for the upcoming American Craft Beer Fest, and future Beer Advocate Fests as well.

I'm an avid home brewer and have been brewing for almost 20 years. I've been a craft beer drinker since discovering a brew pub called Brown and Moran's (currently Troy Pub and Brewery) in Troy, New York in the early '90s. Prior to that, brands such as Bass Ale and Sam Adams Lager helped me realize that I considered bitterness a positive quality in beer.

I write a blog called Left Field, about baseball, music and beer. My site includes a guide to the best beer bars in and around Boston: http://left-field. blogspot.com/p/boston-beer- guide.html. I'd love to become involved in some way in the local craft beer scene, interact with local folks with similar interests, and possibly blog about my experiences. 

I'm also a big fan of BeerAdvocate, and consider your site and magazine to be the premier source of news and other information regarding good beer. Most importantly, I respect beer.

More importantly, though, I got a real kick out of what KJ wrote:

My name is KJ, and along with my husband Charles Simone, I am interested in volunteering at the upcoming American Craft Beer Fest.

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I became a fan of craft beers in my early twenties. As the number of local microbreweries in Portland is similar to the number of Dunkin' Donuts locations in Boston, just about every activity included stopping for a pint of beer. Upon moving to Boston in 2001, I quickly found out that finding good beer was difficult. I became frustrated with the tap choices that rarely seemed to move beyond Coors, Bud, Miller and Guinness. Even the local options of Sam Adams and Harpoon did little to satiate my hop cravings. So, ultimately, I gave it up for several years except for trips home to Portland. I used to haul three growlers of my favorites back from each visit (until the liquid ban).

Fast forward to 2008 when I met my dear husband, home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, and avid BeerAdvocate reader. He reintroduced me to good beer, hauling me all over New England to try out his favorites along with new options. I guess you could say we fell in love over hoppy beer. :)

I am excited to be back in the beer game and am interested in meeting others who share the sophisticated palate for discerning an excellent brew. And, I love to be involved; helping others is part of my nature.