International Beer Fest- Providence

I finally had the opportunity to attend a beer event of this size. The International Beer Fest was on April 14, 2012 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. What better way to sample many brews 2oz. at a time. The vast majority of venders were local to New England such as Samuel Adams, Mayflower Brewing,  Narragansett, Harpoon, Coastal Brewing and even the new Grey Sail out of Westerly, Rhode Island. The only west coast brew in attendance was Lagunitas. Guinness, Dos Equis, and Innis & Gunn were in attendance and many more. Here a some scenes from it .

Don’t be fooled by it’s size. It has unlimited refills!

 

What would a beer event be without the world’s most interesting man?

 

Local rock station 94HJY in attendance with the obligatory young hotties!

 

Best non- beer was this Cayman Jack Margarita drink. If you like margarita’s you owe it to your self to try this. It was awesome.

 

Brilliant!

Looks like Sam was hooking up later on!

 

An after show brew at the the Trinity Brewhouse across the way from the convention center. This was a Belgo-American Siason which was very good. So good I had a couple of them.

 

More brews being made behind the glass at Trinity Brewhouse.

 

Overall I had a great time. The only regret is that I needed a designated driver afterwards which I will do next time. The Trinity Brewhouse is an excellent place to visit too with some interesting brews and a friendly atmosphere. I believe they also have a show in the fall so I’ll be looking forward to that one(with a ride of course!).

Beer wars in Massachusetts

Beer wars in Massachusetts

Top 20 Beer Reviewers on YouTube

Here are the top 20 beer reviewers on YouTube as compiled by Better Beer Authority(reviewers themselves but not in entered in voting for fairness). This small but enthusiastic bunch does such a service to the growing craft beer community. It's not easy to produce the videos. I've done a few amateur reviews and it's tough to do. It may be one thing to like or not like something but to try and put it into words what your tasting, why you like or dislike something and be somewhat entertaining(that's what it boils down to really) at the same time. It's not easy. Check it out!

Official Guinness Surger Unit Movie

Beer Review #5:Narragansett Bock

My video review of Narragansett Bock Beer.

Sam Calagione: Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewing - Interview

I thought this was a cool interview of Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione by Better Beer Authority's James Knott. It's always enjoyable to listen to Sam's insight, thought's and his honest enthusiasm about what he does. Enjoy!

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Highlighting Rating From rjplumer

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Highlighting Rating From rjplumer

Recently tried this one at a tasting for Lagunitas. This one is a very good one.

Top 10 Beers

 

Recently I’ve hit the 250 beer count on Ratebeer.com and I thought it would be a good time to see what my top ten is.This list is always changing as I sample more brews. This is just according to my Ratebeer.com scores so far I imagine it’s change when I hit 500 at some point. Maybe I’ll do some future top tens according to style. Well here we go:

10. Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

• Brewed by: Bear Republic Brewing Company
• Location:Healdsburg, California
• Style: American Strong Ale
• Ratebeer score: 3.76
• My Ratebeer score: 4.1 (rated on 1/29/12)
• My Comments:
• Nice citrus cascade hop crispy aroma. Rich deep brown with a tinge of red, and a light tan head. Sweet tangy taste. Sour middle. Hard to nail this one down as it’s wonderfully complex. Flavors are crisp and fresh. Very nice brew. I’d like to have more of these. Excellent!

9. Ommegang Witte

• Brewed by: Brewery Ommegang
• Location: Cooperstown, New York
• Style: Belgian White(Witbier)
• Ratebeer Score: 3.4
• My Ratebeer score: 4.2 (Rated on 11/27/11)
• My comments:
• Mild zesty lemon aroma. Creamy pillow head. A bright hazy yellow with sediment floating around. Lemon tartness. with clean finish. Very refreshing. This is one for the summer time for sure.

8. Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

• Brewed by: Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
• Location: Chicago, Illinios
• Style: Wheat Ale
• Ratebeer Score: 2.8
• My Ratebeer Score: 4.3 (Rated on 12/24/11)
• My comments:
• Light lemon aroma. Light haze with bright yellow color. Foams to a one finger that settles to thick but thin head.Lots of bubble action can be seen. Mild zesty lemon softened with a hint of bread flavor. Some sourness but you have to pay attention to notice. Refreshing and zesty feel to it but balanced with a soft finish. Superb for this style.

7.  Anchor’s Brekle’s Brown

• Brewed by: Anchor Brewing Company
• Location: San Francisco, California
• Style:Brown Ale
• Ratebeer Score: 3.33
• My Ratebeer score: 4.3(Rate 0n 11/04/11)
• My comments:
• Crispy hop aroma. Deep ruby red color with a tan one finger head. Mild bitterness with sweet clean finish. Tingly on the tongue. Well balanced between the Citra hops and mild bitterness. I’m liking this more and more with each mouthful.

6. Samuel Adams Octoberfest

• Brewed by: Boston Beer Company
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
• Ratebeer score: 3.23
• My Ratebeer Score: 4.4(Rated on 9/2/11)
• My comments:
• Pours a deep clear amber. Mild spicy aroma. The flavor is a masterful blend sweetness and balanced a with subtle noble hops note.It has a rich feel but yet doesn’t overpower and actually finishes on a mild sweet dry finish. A true pleasure to consume. Incredible brew all around.

5. Allagash White

• Brewed by: Allagash Brewing Company
• Location: Portland, Maine
• Style: Belgian White(Witbier)
• Ratebeer score: 3.54
• My Ratebeer score: 4.4 (Rated on 11/27/11)
• My comments:
• White pillow like head. Bright yellow hazy yellow. Mild bitterness. Soft yeast taste. A crisp subtle and well balanced. Mild banana lemon like aroma.

4. Innis & Gunn Highland Cask

• Brewed by: Belhaven(Greene King)
• Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
• Style: English Strong Ale
• Ratebeer score: 2.89
• My Ratebeer score: 4.5(rated on 11/12/11)
• My comments:
• Sweet floral but mild aroma. Pours a nice caramel color with a tan head. Has a slick feel.I can sense the whisky barrels. This is a tough one to nail down. Has a very smooth classy finish. Has a mild caramel like taste. I can also sense the wood barrels. I’m not a scotch drinker so that’s probably what I’m experiencing. So smooth I can’t tell it’s 7.1% ABV. Very impressed by this one.

3. Ayinger Bräu-Weisse

• Brewed by: Brauerei Aying
• Location: Aying, Germany
• Style: German Hefeweizen
• Ratebeer score: 3.67
• My Ratebeer score: 4.5 (rated on 11/27/11)
• My comments:
• Has a nice sweet lemony wheat and banana aroma. Creamy head. Feels very zesty on the tongue. Very refreshing with just enough bitterness to not be offensive. Has a nice clean finish. Color is a milky yellow with a hint of gold. Has a creamy mouth feel.

2. Founders Porter

• Brewed by: Founders Brewing Company
• Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Style: Porter
• Ratebeer score: 4.00
• My Ratebeer score: 4.55( Rated on 12/25/11)
• My comments:
• Chocolate aroma with a hint of dark fruit. Deep dark brown a tan subdued head. Mild bitter start , then sour which then surprisingly finishes clean. I can feel lots of carbonation on my tongue which is unlike most Porters I’ve had. Feels thinner than other porters I’ve had. Refreshing and easy to drink.

1. Anchor Porter

• Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
• Location: San Francisco, California
• Style: Porter
• Ratebeer score: 3.84
• My Ratebeer score: 4.6( Rated on 11/27/11)
• My comments:
• The chocolate malts hit first followed by milder toffee aroma. Black with a tan pillow like head. Head starts off at a strong two finger then levels off to a one. Has rich coffee like taste that is only mildly bitter. Has a nice smooth feel. Has a nice sweet follow through that is quite pleasant. The rich malt in the beginning is superbly balanced with the sweet hop finish. Each mouthful is better than the one before. Haven’t had a dark beer like this taste so sweet. Pity I only bought one bottle. Nice job Anchor Brewing Company!

 

Summary: Like I said before these are subject to change. You may also notice my scores were generally higher than Ratebeer. Ratebeer is of course an average of all scores and obviously I’m on the higher end of the scale. Beer tastes are subjective to one’s personal taste. I’ve had some highly rated beers that simply tasted awful to me so therefore probably got a lower score. I do my best to be fair and give everyone a fair shake and try not to bad mouth anyone. I’m interested to hear your comments or questions. I will work on the top ten worst in the near future. Thanks for coming by.

Authors@Google: Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery

Authors@Google: Charles Bamforth Author of "Grape vs Grain"

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