On Saturday the 16th of February David, Win, Jadyn and I went to the afternoon session of the Extreme Beer Fest. The setup was pretty similar to the last fest I went to at the Cyclorama. There was a nice selection of beers. Three Floyd's had a booth, as well as Surly. As usual the notes are abbreviated and more general. This beer fest will be split into two posts.
763-765. Harpoon Parti-Gyle
Harpoon brewed a series of three beers for the beer fest. The beers were all brewed from the same mash. A Stock Ale was brewed from the first runnings, a Pub Ale was brewed from the second runnings, and a Table Beer was brewed from the third runnings. We started with the weakest beer of the three and worked our way up. Harpoon's description from the fest website:
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 2.70%
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing on the style, but I think English Pale Mild is pretty close. Light copper in color. Malty caramel in the aroma with a touch of resiny hops. The flavors are light biscuity malts and a light hop finish. This was my favorite of the three, perhaps it's because I have a soft spot for the under-appreciated Mild. Flavorful and drinkable!
The website says, "Nice fruity, bready aroma with notes of honey. Super hoppy, while maintaining light bitterness and body. Down right refreshing! OG: 7.3, FG: 2.0, ABV: 2.7%"
764. Harpoon Pub Ale Parti-Gyle #2
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing this is an English Brown Ale. The color is a hazed brownish. The aroma is fruity and maltier than the table beer. Sweet and malty throughout with a light hop bitterness, some notes of toffee.
The website says, "Spicy aroma with note of Licorice, Anise, Fennel and slight alcohol. Some hop bitterness for balance, but this beer is focused on a nutty, caramel malt profile with some roasty notes. Firm body and mouthfeel. OG: 15.5, FG: 4.2, ABV: 6.0% "
765. Harpoon Stock Ale Parti-Gyle #1
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 8.30%
Style: English Strong Ale
Again, they style is a guess. Pours a hazy amber with a sudsy head. The aroma is predominantly citrusy and resiny hops with some malt and spice. The beer itself is sweet and malty with a resiny hop finish.
The website says, "Spicy, piney and citrusy hop aroma with some alcohol and oaky notes. Beautiful, deep Auburn color. Intense sweet malt flavor balanced by explosive hop character finished with balanced bitterness and hop flavor. A warming brew. OG: 21.9, FG: 6.8, 8.3% "
766. Dreadnaught IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. The aroma is hoppy, predominantly citrus and resiny. Opens up with malty sweetness: raw sugar, caramel, biscuity. The hops are there, but I think the malts are a bit much.
768. Ham on Rye
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Rye Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. The aroma is smoky with an undercurrent of sweet malts. The flavor is dominated by the smokiness, but also has a bit of malty sweetness and some rye spiciness. The name says it all, it really does evoke a ham sandwich.
768. Saison de Gewurz
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a pale, hazed, straw color. The aroma is sweet and fruity, the grapes are noticeable. On swirling the aroma becomes a tad grainy and musty. Grape fruitiness is predominant in the flavor, sweet with a light spiciness.
From the website: "Belgian-style saison ale made with real Gewürztraminer grapes. A touch of spiciness complements the delectable blend of a Belgian dry-style saison with a German dry-style wine. 10.0%"
769. Matty O'Connor's Irish Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 3.40%
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a brown sudsy ring for a head. Chocolate with maybe a hint of Brettanomyces in the aroma. Not too sweet. Light roastiness and chocolate.
From the website: "An old-world Irish Dry Stout aged with Brettanomyces claussenii. 3.4%"
770. American Sour Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.30 %
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy straw color. The aroma is definitely actual grapefruit rather than hops, almost pithy. There's a sour grapefruit character throughout with underlying supporting malts. Nice and sour. The finish is the characteristic grapefruit bitterness.
From the website: "100% sour mash beer. Fermented with fresh Florida grapefruits. A mouth puckering drinking experience! 5.1%"
771. The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, brownish red. The aroma is a nice sour and medicinal blend. The taste is predominantly sour with a nice fruity undercurrent. Based on my small sample I thought this was a nice interpretation of the style.
From the website: "Our version of the classic Flanders Red. Aged for one in year in French Oak on Sour Cherries with Creepy Crawlers. 5.0%"
772. The Lost Abbey The Angel's Share
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Strong Ale
Pours a hazy, dark brown. The aroma is strong and malty with molasses and a hint of roastiness. Thick with port-like flavors, prunes, molasses. Very sweet.
773. Two
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Surly Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark brown. The aroma us malty with a little bit of tart cranberry. Sour cranberries on the palate with well attenuated sweetness.
From the website: "Surly's 2nd anniversary beer, a strong dark ale with over 40lbs of cranberries per/bbl; oak-aged. 9.5%"
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Surly Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.30%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a huge brown head. Chocolate and fruit in the aroma. Chocolate, coffee and hints of fruit on the palate. Very thick.
From the website: "This Russian Imperial Stout is a sipper. Brewed with a blend of 8 different malts, oats and candi sugar. This huge stout reflects Surly's commitment to brewing intensely flavored beers in small batches. Only 25 barrels of this beer were brewed. 10.3%"
763-765. Harpoon Parti-Gyle
Harpoon brewed a series of three beers for the beer fest. The beers were all brewed from the same mash. A Stock Ale was brewed from the first runnings, a Pub Ale was brewed from the second runnings, and a Table Beer was brewed from the third runnings. We started with the weakest beer of the three and worked our way up. Harpoon's description from the fest website:
Parti-gyle: An antiquated method of producing more than one beer from the same mash. Achieved by running off a high gravity brew, then rehydrating the mash and repeating the process, which yields a brew of lesser strength. We put our spin on the traditional method to produce a high strength Stock Ale, a medium strength Pub Ale, and a low strength Table beer. Try all three!763. Harpoon Table Beer Parti-Gyle #3
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 2.70%
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing on the style, but I think English Pale Mild is pretty close. Light copper in color. Malty caramel in the aroma with a touch of resiny hops. The flavors are light biscuity malts and a light hop finish. This was my favorite of the three, perhaps it's because I have a soft spot for the under-appreciated Mild. Flavorful and drinkable!
The website says, "Nice fruity, bready aroma with notes of honey. Super hoppy, while maintaining light bitterness and body. Down right refreshing! OG: 7.3, FG: 2.0, ABV: 2.7%"
764. Harpoon Pub Ale Parti-Gyle #2
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing this is an English Brown Ale. The color is a hazed brownish. The aroma is fruity and maltier than the table beer. Sweet and malty throughout with a light hop bitterness, some notes of toffee.
The website says, "Spicy aroma with note of Licorice, Anise, Fennel and slight alcohol. Some hop bitterness for balance, but this beer is focused on a nutty, caramel malt profile with some roasty notes. Firm body and mouthfeel. OG: 15.5, FG: 4.2, ABV: 6.0% "
765. Harpoon Stock Ale Parti-Gyle #1
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 8.30%
Style: English Strong Ale
Again, they style is a guess. Pours a hazy amber with a sudsy head. The aroma is predominantly citrusy and resiny hops with some malt and spice. The beer itself is sweet and malty with a resiny hop finish.
The website says, "Spicy, piney and citrusy hop aroma with some alcohol and oaky notes. Beautiful, deep Auburn color. Intense sweet malt flavor balanced by explosive hop character finished with balanced bitterness and hop flavor. A warming brew. OG: 21.9, FG: 6.8, 8.3% "
766. Dreadnaught IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. The aroma is hoppy, predominantly citrus and resiny. Opens up with malty sweetness: raw sugar, caramel, biscuity. The hops are there, but I think the malts are a bit much.
768. Ham on Rye
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Rye Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. The aroma is smoky with an undercurrent of sweet malts. The flavor is dominated by the smokiness, but also has a bit of malty sweetness and some rye spiciness. The name says it all, it really does evoke a ham sandwich.
768. Saison de Gewurz
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a pale, hazed, straw color. The aroma is sweet and fruity, the grapes are noticeable. On swirling the aroma becomes a tad grainy and musty. Grape fruitiness is predominant in the flavor, sweet with a light spiciness.
From the website: "Belgian-style saison ale made with real Gewürztraminer grapes. A touch of spiciness complements the delectable blend of a Belgian dry-style saison with a German dry-style wine. 10.0%"
769. Matty O'Connor's Irish Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 3.40%
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a brown sudsy ring for a head. Chocolate with maybe a hint of Brettanomyces in the aroma. Not too sweet. Light roastiness and chocolate.
From the website: "An old-world Irish Dry Stout aged with Brettanomyces claussenii. 3.4%"
770. American Sour Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.30 %
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy straw color. The aroma is definitely actual grapefruit rather than hops, almost pithy. There's a sour grapefruit character throughout with underlying supporting malts. Nice and sour. The finish is the characteristic grapefruit bitterness.
From the website: "100% sour mash beer. Fermented with fresh Florida grapefruits. A mouth puckering drinking experience! 5.1%"
771. The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, brownish red. The aroma is a nice sour and medicinal blend. The taste is predominantly sour with a nice fruity undercurrent. Based on my small sample I thought this was a nice interpretation of the style.
From the website: "Our version of the classic Flanders Red. Aged for one in year in French Oak on Sour Cherries with Creepy Crawlers. 5.0%"
772. The Lost Abbey The Angel's Share
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Strong Ale
Pours a hazy, dark brown. The aroma is strong and malty with molasses and a hint of roastiness. Thick with port-like flavors, prunes, molasses. Very sweet.
773. Two
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Surly Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark brown. The aroma us malty with a little bit of tart cranberry. Sour cranberries on the palate with well attenuated sweetness.
From the website: "Surly's 2nd anniversary beer, a strong dark ale with over 40lbs of cranberries per/bbl; oak-aged. 9.5%"
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Surly Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.30%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a huge brown head. Chocolate and fruit in the aroma. Chocolate, coffee and hints of fruit on the palate. Very thick.
From the website: "This Russian Imperial Stout is a sipper. Brewed with a blend of 8 different malts, oats and candi sugar. This huge stout reflects Surly's commitment to brewing intensely flavored beers in small batches. Only 25 barrels of this beer were brewed. 10.3%"
Labels: Beer Fests
