On Saturday afternoon, I attended the American Craft Beer Fest at Boston’s World Trade Center. The event consisted of nearly 75 American brewers and 300 craft beers. It was a pretty amazing event and I’m super excited about all the new beers I discovered. I went to the event with the crew who run Beeriety and it was great to be there with people who really know beer. But I also wish some of my girl friends were there with me too because many of them aren’t big beer fans. And I honestly think this event could turn anyone into a beer fan. There was really something… actually, lots of somethings for everyone!
I usually prefer darker beers, but I enjoyed all kinds of beer at ACBF
I am no beer expert at all. I do know that I didn’t really enjoy beer until I started drinking “good beer.” I totally get when people don’t like beer because a lot of times, I think it’s because they haven’t had beer that’s actually well-crafted (Bud, Miller, Coors, Heineken do not count!). Honestly, I really enjoyed pretty much all the beer I tried on Saturday. They were all so different and it was awesome to be able to try so many 2 oz. samples. Needless to say, I didn’t get to try all the beers. But here are some of my favorites.
Pretty Things is actually run by a husband and wife based in Cambridge, MA, and named so likely because the labels on the bottles are incredibly pretty. I know never to judge a beer by it’s bottle, but it’s kind of hard not to with such beautiful labels. Luckily, Pretty Things isn’t just a pretty bottle; it’s really amazing beer. My favorite beer from Pretty Things and also one of my favorite beers from the entire event was Baby Tree. Baby Tree not only has a cute name, but it’s pretty fabulous tasting too. It’s a springtime quadruple brewed with dried plums and has an extremely unique taste, unlike anything I’ve had.
Terrapin Brewery, in Athens Georgia, is another brewery with cute labels. I tried the Side Project 90 Shelling Ale and was super impressed.
Enjoying the event with Chris from Beeriety.
Brooklyn Brewery is already a favorite of mine when I’m in the mood for a Summer Ale. But I had never tried their Intensified Coffee Stout. And being the coffee lover that I am, I figured I’d love it. And I was right. It was the perfect dark, rich stout.
I had never heard of Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) until the Beer Fest. But the second I took a sip of Three Philosophers, I fell in love. Because it’s that good. The Belgian quadrupel is blended with cherry lambic, making for a dark, fruity, but not too fruity, ale. I will definitely be seeking this out in the future.
I’ve been a big fan of Dogfish Head for a while, so I was psyched to try something from them I haven’t had yet: Midas Touch. It’s brewed with white muscat grapes, honey, and saffron and they describe it as “somewhere between wine and mead.” Different than anything I’ve had and super enjoyable. I also really loved the Sah’tea brew. Though this also definitely wasn’t the typical beer, I absolutely LOVED it. I’m so excited to purchase some Sah’tea for a low key night, when tea would be appropriate, but beer necessary. And I will continue to be a huge Dogfish fan.
Left Hand (Longmont, CO) makes a really amazing milk stout that is kind of the “go-to” of milk stouts. But, I’ve been searching for a good ginger beer for a while now, so I was pretty thrilled to try one from Left Hand. JuJu Ginger Ale is just what I’ve been looking for and had the perfect amount of ginger flavor; not too overpowering at all.
Other beers I loved at ACBF:
Southern Tier (Lakewood, NY)- Funny story about Southern Tier. It’s located right on the lake I go to every year for my family reunion. There’s not a whole lot to do in the area, and for some reason I never knew this brewery was here until after my probably 6th visit to the area. Next time I’m on the lake for my family reunion, I am so going here. A lot! I enjoyed the Cherry Saison at the festival, but am also a fan of their Pumpking, Creme Brulee, and Jahva.
Paper City (Holyoke, MA)- Milk Stout
Watch City (Waltham, MA)- Hops Explosion
Speak Easy (San Francisco, CA)- Rum-Runner Rye
Ithaca Beer Co. (Ithaca, NY)- Apricot Wheat
If you get the opportunity to attend a beer fest in your area, do it! Even if you’re not a big beer fan, I promise you’ll have fun and learn to like at least some varieties of beer. If you’re more of a wine/mixed drink kinda gal or guy, start with some fruity beers or try some of the dessert-flavored ones. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy them! And for more beer info. check out Beeriety; it’s a new site but is going to be an amazing go-to for all kinds of beer info (and lots more)!
[Sues]
 |
Thanks for coming out, we all had a great time!
Pretty Things is one of those up and coming brewers that people should keep their eye on!
"when tea would be appropriate, but beer is necessary". HAHAHA. love it!
Great post!
This was my first beer festival and I was blown away. I made it my personal mission to try and find the best hefeweizen, but I am sure that I missed a few.
Saturday Session II was packed.
What a fun event! My husband is a HUGE fan of Ommegang AND Dog Fish – we've actually got a couple Dog Fish Head restaurants down in the DC area. Sounds like a great Saturday afternoon!
Looks like a lot of fun! I usually go to the beer festivals (HarpoonFest, Winter Jubilee)in Boston but have never made it to this one. Thanks for the review!
Susie,
We just spent two weeks at the cottage again and thanks to your web site, I have discovered the Southern Tier Brew. See you in September – Tom Campbell