The Great American Beer Festival, the second largest beer festival in the world took place last month and I had the good fortune of attending this year’s festivities. Celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, the GABF tickets sold out in record time, clocking in with 49,000 attendees. There were 466 breweries at the festival, serving 2,375 different beers, and 238 medals were awarded, including 18 to breweries entering the competition for the first time. In a word, it was EPIC.
About the beer: Ah yes, the crisp air of the fall season can only mean two things for beer lovers: 1. Pumpkin flavored everything & 2. Oktoberfest style beers! Being a native New Englander means being lucky enough to experience all four seasons, but it also comes with the unapologetic love for all of the Sam Adams seasonal varietals. And what’s not to love about a new beer for every season?
About the beer: Dopplebocks are dark and strong lagers that are traditionally enjoyed in the winter months. There’s still no reason why you can’t enjoy them any time of year though so last week I cracked open a bottle I had in my small beer cellar. The one I went with, Smuttynose S’Muttonator is a great example of this traditional style, but with an American twist.
In a Nutshell: Smuttynose S’muttonator is a great American take on a classic German style.
Review: Smuttynose has long been a favorite New England brewery of mine. While they are mostly known for more conservative fair like pale ales, when they do bolder styles in their Big Beer series they never disappoint. The S’Muttonator is no different. It’s a big, bold, nutty beer that tastes great. While dopplebocks are meant to be strong beers, both in their flavor and alcohol, I’ve often found many of them a bit too sweet to really get into. The S’muttonator does a nice job balancing out the sweeter qualities with just a kiss of hops, making it a beer I think anyone could enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5
(Photo by Dan Larson)
About: Craft beer isn’t exactly the first thing one thinks when one thinks of New Jersey. There are however a number of fine craft breweries in the Garden State. Today we’re going to take a look at a brew from River Horse Brewing Co. out of Lambertville, NJ.
About the beer:
For a guy who knows an appreciates craft beer I admittedly know very little about barleywines. For the most part barleywines have always been selected for me or given as gifts, with this week’s Beer of the Week selection being no exception. Over the weekend a selection of the Beeriety crew had the opportunity to pop open an Old Boardhead Barleywine by Full Sail brewery. The 22 oz., which was gifted to us by friend of Beeriety Meg Whyte, had been aging since 2009 when she had resided in Portland, OR. Since it was a rare treat for the east coast Beeriety team you can bet expectations were high, given the aging and anticipation of trying this new (to us) barleywine variation.
About this beer: Scotland’s Brewdog is one of the most intimidating craft beer companies around. They make the world’s strongest beer, The End of History. (41% ABV) They aren’t just known for making crazy high ABV beers alone, they also have an incredibly wide range of non-coma inducing goodness. For this beer review I choose to step away from the relative safety of trying their highly regarded IPA (Punk IPA) and chose to drink something a bit more eclectic. Having never tasted one of Brewdog’s brews before I decided to go with Dogma, which is a strong ale made with honey, kola nut, poppy seed, and guarana.
Its been just about two months since I returned to Boston from my glorious beer adventures, and writing for Beeriety has given me a great space to process everything I experienced. So in my final “Beer, There, and Everywhere” post, I wanted to share the things from my trip that have been most significant since coming back to the Boston beer community.
1. A Community of Respect and Passion
It is obvious to most that the craft beer industry hosts a particularly incredible community of people, but I was so impressed with the level of respect and passion that brewers, beer drinkers, and everyone in between embodied. Competition between breweries (if there is any) is completely friendly, and more often than not you hear of collaboration and sharing amongst brewers. It is a group of people who genuinely love what they do, and want to share that with their peers, and support others in doing the same. This is like nothing else I’ve seen, and it is a beautiful, albeit small, collection of people.
2. Keeping it Simple
On every brewery tour I attended, the first question from the guides was “what are the four ingredients required to make beer?” And without fail, the answer is always water, malted barley, hops, and the ever-important yeast. It is a small and wonderful reminder of the simplicity of the drink that so many millions of people enjoy, and a testament to the talent of craft brewers across the US and the world. An easily forgotten, but in my opinion crucial tenet that makes craft brewing so amazing.
3. Something for Everyone
In visiting so many different breweries, brewpubs, and beer bars, I saw an immense amount of diversity that was both incredible and occasionally overwhelming. Whether bitter, malty, hoppy, spicy, citrus, light, clean, dark, heavy, creamy, roasted, grassy, high-alcohol or low, there is a little something for everyone, even those most skeptical of what beer has to offer. Craft beer is a drink for all, it knows no bounds or limits, and this, culturally speaking, is nothing short of phenomenal.
In all likelihood, nothing I’ve listed above is new or surprising, but these were the things that I found to most impressive during my travels. The history, the culture, the people, the opportunity, and the beer are what make me love the craft beer industry so immensely. Experiencing this across the US in 8 states, 14 cities, and 22 different breweries only helped my love to grow exponentially. So now I’ll move on to Denver, in hopes of becoming even more immersed in the world of brewing and craft beer. I encourage everyone to become more involved in this wonderful community; start homebrewing, go to a craft beer event, visit a brewery, join a craft beer club, or simply fill your glass with a tasty beer that was created with great dedication and skill.
About: Session ales are attracting an increasing amount of attention lately in craft beer circles. For years it was the big and bold beers that caught the eye of craft beer enthusiasts, brews that were intense in both their flavor and alcohol content. While everyone still loves those bold beers as much as they always have, beer lovers and brewers alike are beginning to investigate what possibilities there are at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Overview: Sam Adams Utopias might be one of the most hyped products in the craft beer industry. Released on odd years since 2001 as a follow up to Sam Adams Millennium, this beer holds the title of one of the strongest naturally brewed beer in the world, coming in at about 27% ABV. This beer uses yeasts typical for champagne and wine, maple syrup, and for this year’s batch, the brew was aged in a variety of sherry and port casks. The bottle is handcrafted out of ceramic and individually numbered. You also get a redeem code for a free (plus shipping and handling) handmade glassware especially made for this beer. Only 53 barrels were used for this year’s batch, and many stores are already out of their supply, even though there was no major announcement when it became available. Did I mention that it’ll cost you $150, or often more?
