It was almost 100 degrees, but the Brewfest on Saturday was packed and the taps continued to flow. For Three large tents plus a row of pop-up tents housed over 50 breweries, most with two or even three beers to sample. I may not have sampled all 50 breweries, but I was able to taste a good assortment. Some of my old favorites were there along with some new favorites.
I’ve had Fox Barrel Pacific Pear Ciderbefore, but on a really hot day, the light fruitiness was just what I needed. Sugar Maple serves it but you can also get it at the Sendiks stores. Because ciders are not a true beer, they can be served ice cold. And that was exactly what I needed.
One of the more interesting beers came from Schmalz Brewing’s He’Brew line, a rye ale called Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. The rye flavor was not as pronounced as you may think. It was more of a carmely rye and balanced well with the full-bodied hops.
A nice discovery was was Howe Sound brewery out of Squamish, British Columbia. Their beers came in a one liter glass bottle with a hinge “pot-stopper” cork which I was quite fond of. As a lover of most hefeweizens, I can say their King Heffy’s Imperial Hefeweizen was a well-balanced and near perfect example of a good hefeweizen. It had the traditiional banana notes with a little clove, too.
Given the weather, I really enjoyed another lighter and crisper beer called Restoration Pale Ale from Abita Brewing Company. It was a little more bitter tanginess than the majority of the pale ales I had that day. Most American Pale Ales are hard to differentiate between India Pale ales, but this one had a milder flavored hop and a cleaner yeast taste making it a good example of the American version. So, if you’re not a fan of the I.P.A lip-puckering hoppy bitterness, this is a good American version that is more palatable and drinkable.
