Oh, you wanted to hear about the beer? Right! There were two styles, with the exception of cider and the occasional rye, to choose from: Stout or IPA. No joke. It was kind of cool to compare different interpretations of the same style for the first hour, but after my 7th stout, my palate and I were ready for a break. I sat down at a table inside a tent for a moment and nibbled at some granola bar samples. The sides of the tent were flapping in the wind, wisps riding up the back of my shirt, and I considered my departure. I decided to take a trip to the porta potty park first, and a glance at the mob waiting for a piss made the mile walk to the light rail more appealing. As I walked out the exit, a festival volunteer said, "Leaving already? Are you crazy?" That's when I knew my blood had grown thin in the past two unseasonably warm Utah winters. I pursed my lips and sloshed my way back to the train stop.
It wasn't a bad festival by any means! There was a great attendance of breweries and cideries, and the lines weren't terribly long. Better yet, they didn't have that stupid token system. Remind me again how those make sense? Pay to get into the festival, and then pay more for the beer in the BEER festival? Yeah. Philly did it right.
The most memorable brew I had there was Terrapin Liquid Bliss Peanut Butter Chocolate Porter. I imagine they must have spent years trying to get it just right. This one had me at the aroma. I've never had a beer with an impressive aroma that didn't also follow through on the taste, and Liquid Bliss is no exception. Everything was on point, and I'm saddened to know it might be some time before I can enjoy a bottle to myself. Get on it, Utah!
But I need not pout. I have a few brews left from that Mystery 12 Pack that require attention...
21st Amendment Back in Black IPA
BG Poured from a 12 oz (355ml) can into a Spiegelau style (kind of) glass, 6.8 ABV, 65 IBU, Enjoy By 04/02/15
A Chestnut in color with three fingers of pillowy, long-lasting mocha foam. If this glass was opaque and I was only looking at this brew from the top, I might swear it was coffee. The lacing looks nice enough to be one of my great grandma’s doilies.
A Roasted malt, citrus hops, pineapple, tangerines, hints of light roast coffee, a touch of dark chocolate
T Smooth chocolate melts into graham cracker and crisp toffee. A delightful burst of coffee flowers right before a gentle hop bitterness finish. Everything is wrapped in a blanket of mild citrusy hop from impact to aftertaste. This is art in a glass, my friends. More of the hop character shines through as I drink (piney/herby). It seems to build like the heat of a chili pepper - deceivingly mild at first, but gains potency exponentially as time goes on. Have no fear, it doesn’t build THAT much. ;)
M Creamy and guinness-like, full bodied, medium-low carbonation
A Bitter dark chocolate, dank NW hop bitterness
C 21st Amendment isn’t messing around here! I like to think of this as a well balanced, less extreme version of Lagunitas Night Time Ale. Not to discredit Lagunitas, but my personal taste leans toward subtle notes. On first sip, I hardly get any hop flavor or bitterness. But 10 minutes later, and I’m tonsils deep in both. The bitter characters of hops and malt - pine and coffee, herb and dark chocolate - resonate off one another to create a meaningful beer. I see this as a perfect night cap to a long day of an early season hiking/camping trip. Mmmm….zzzz
FP Iron skillet pepperoni pizza with red pepper flakes, beef stroganoff with homemade pasta, s’mores over a campfire with peter pan peanut butter and a flask of bourbon
Are you ready to go camping now?
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