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Recap: The Winter Beer Festival
Photos | Lauren Seibert
Recap: The Winter Beer Festival
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| Photos | Lauren Seibert | |
They called out to ye faithful, and all ye faithful answered. Saturday night, at the second session of this weekend�s Winter Beer Fest, I watched the huge Naval Yard warehouse space slowly but surely fill up � and then flood and spill over � with the most faithful of beer-goers. Let me assure you, shelling out about $50 for a four-hour session of limitless holiday beer sampling is absolutely worth it, especially when many of these beers aren�t even out yet, or are limited-edition, or are 8.5 percent ABV and up.
Around 50 breweries made an appearance at that night of the Fest, manning tables in a giant circle around the perimeter of the Philly Cruise Terminal. Holiday tastes ranged from Sam Adams� Cherry Wheat � a golden ale with light brushes of cherry and honey � to Dogfish Head�s Indian Brown Ale, a malty brew blending flavors of coffee, ginger, Raisinettes and chocolate. I definitely didn�t taste any Raisinettes in the Brown Ale, but it did feature a hint of unsweetened cocoa.
There were also things like Original Sin Cider, which kegmaster Dan Murphy trumpeted as "the real Champagne of beer." It was indeed one of the lightest, sweetest ciders I�ve tried, apple-y and altogether delicious. "We had girls lined up all day," laughed the table�s other server, Ryan McDonald. �It was the most popular beer last session.� (I�ll admit I visited the table again after my first go-round.) Also light and tasty was the new Salient de Scotia Brune from California-based organic brewery Eel River.
At Weyerbacher�s table, I sampled another Belgian-style golden ale, Merry Monk, which was fruity and aromatic, with warm, cheery flavor. �You can pair it with anything,� noted festival volunteer Beth Goldfischer. �It brings out the flavors of any food.�
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| Photos | Lauren Seibert | |
During my visit to the Beers of Legend magazine�s table, salesman Jonathan Nitka opened my eyes to the world of beer gossip (I was unaware such a thing existed). For instance, Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence, not yet released, has faced some controversy. "Actually, there has been this rumor that it wasn�t chocolatey enough," Nitka confided to me. I headed over to Ommegang�s table to check it out for myself, but sadly they hadn�t brought it. Instead, I tried their Abbey Ale, a dark but smooth mesh of plum, cinnamon, caramel and licorice flavors. According to the information sheet, this ale was "known to cause spontaneous meditation." I found this highly amusing (but everything was getting pretty funny at this point).
One of the stronger beers I tried, at 9.9 percent ABV, was Lagunitas� Brown Sugar Barleywine. Very sweet, though with a noticeable malt, the batch was created by accident when they added a ton of brown sugar to save a botched brew. �It�s just a happy mistake of brewing. An incredibly happy mistake,� said Trevor Jankowksi, who was working the table.
I concluded the night with some beef stew cooked by chef Jeremy Nolen of Brauhaus Schmitz, who demonstrated for everyone how to braise meat in a dark lager. The beer added subtle layers of extra flavor to the meat without overpowering the other spices and vegetables. Stomach and liver satisfied, I joined in the toasts that rippled through the crowd every 10 or so minutes, finally exiting the festival full of holiday cheer (and beer).
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: @laurenseibert recaps this weekend's Winter Beer Festival: http://tr.im/Fetq...
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