For beer snobs, no single event is both reveled and loathed quite as much as the beer festival. On the surface, beer fests are fantastic—you arrive and exchange your ticket for a program (more like a listing of breweries and beers) and a glass, which has unlimited refills. Naturally, it’s very tempting to get the most for your money and drink as much as you can. Sadly, this is what really tends to annoy those who are there to enjoy a wide variety of craft beer—there always seems to be a large group of drunken idiots who want to be loud, obnoxious and try to ruin it for everyone.
Thankfully, that was not the scene this past Saturday at FestivAle, a small beer festival at the East Side Club that was celebrating its third year. All the proceeds for the festival went to the National Arthritis Foundation. For me, this was my third year of attendance (why yes, I have gone every year), and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
The lineup was small, but solid—roughly 20 breweries and nearly 100 different brews to try. Rather than give my typical elaborate write-up of one or two beers, I’ll keep the descriptions short and go with my top 10. There were a ton of beers I had that I would recommend, but these stood out among the crowd. Some had me going back for seconds, thirds and yes, even fourths.
FestivAle’s Top 10 Brews:
1) Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René: Lindemans is known for their painfully sweet lambics, but what a lot of people don’t know is they actually make other, much better beers. This Geuze is one of them. It wasn’t in the beer guide, but I saw a bottle lurking in the bin at the “Belgian Superstars” station, and I wasn’t going to pass it up. Delightfully tart with hints of citrus and apple. Very, very carbonated—almost like champagne. Highly recommended.
2) New Holland Dragon’s Milk: Weighing in at a whopping 10 percent ABV, this will always be one of my favorite stouts. Breweries add lactate during the brewing process to give the beer an added creaminess, which makes for a superb flavor. Dragon’s Milk is aged in oak barrels and has wonderful tones of caramel, coffee, vanilla bean and chocolate, complete with a strong, malty backbone.
3) Potosi Snake Hollow IPA: Potosi gets a boost in my book because of the way the brewery is run, which is entirely by volunteers. It’s one of the only “community” breweries in the country, and the stuff they produce is fantastic. Full of hops and strong nodes of grapefruit, Snake Hollow is a typical IPA that will always have me coming back for more.
4) Founders Double Trouble: I was thrilled to see this beer on tap. Double Trouble is a massively-hopped Double IPA (9.4 percent ABV) that’s absolutely delicious. When you combine an abundance of fresh, bitter hops with the sweetness of orange, grapefruit and lemon (okay, not that sweet), you end up with this delightful brew. It’s not cheap (about $10/four pack) but totally worth it.
5) Lakefront Dan Brewed a Baltic Porter: Time for another beer not in the official FestivAle guide. Baltic porters are more robust than a typical porter but nowhere near as heavy as a stout. This beer was one of the highlights of the festival for me—coffee and chocolate overtones with a nice, malty finish. Lakefront impresses again!
6) Ale Asylum Ballistic: As if this beer needs an introduction. Hoppy, bitter, delicious. Mark it down! Insider information: The brewer at Ale Asylum informed me that my favorite beer of theirs, Bedlam, is due out next month. I’m ecstatic—seriously.
7) Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout: This was my roommate’s ‘beer of show.’ This beer is aged (obviously) in a bourbon barrel, and you could really taste the alcohol. Fitting, considering this sucker is almost 10 percent ABV It was a little too alcohol-y for me, but my roommate noted vanilla, toffee and chocolate. He demanded I recommend it, so I am.
8) Lagunitas Maximus: I was happy to see one of my favorite breweries there. Lagunitas came in from California, and they brought a ton of beers. Maximus, their IPA, hit the spot. Sharp citrus flavors combined with an excellent hop made for a perfect balance.
9) Timmermans Bourgogne de Flandres: Perhaps not the best sour beer at the festival (see number one), this sour Flemish ale still won me over. Tart cherries and a beautifully smooth finish made it worth coming back for thirds. Yes, thirds.
10) Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter: This was a huge festival for porters. Ale Asylum’s Contorter Porter is great, but Central Waters has nailed down the whole “robust porter” thing. This beer can only be described as “chew” with a full, creamy body and an amazing combination of chocolate, coffee and caramel and a smokey taste. It will always be one of my favorites.
Well, there you have it—10 beers to choose from, one of which should (and must) be on your “beers to try” list. The next huge festival for me is “Great Taste of the Midwest,” but until then, I’ll keep on drinking—and you should, too!
Want more delectable recommendations? E-mail Dylan at dsktaz2@wisc.edu for a full list of his choice brews.
