What You Should Have Drinked...Dranked...Drunkeded #5

First Annual Fall Beer Festival

First off, I’ve got to rail a little against the title. It’s not an annual event unless it’s happened a second time. It’s a journalism thing. That’s the only thing I didn’t like about this little Saturday “daycation” I took.

Nashville holds two annual beer festivals that I’m aware of. The first, the Music City Brewer’s Festival, is held in the oppressive July heat and is pretty pricey if I remember correctly. The second is the Tennessee Beer Festival. It’s held at Two Rivers Mansion and is easier on the wallet, but the selection isn’t as attractive.

Now my favorite watering hole, The Flying Saucer, is attempting to put on their own little shindig.

This grand event was held in front of the Saucer’s 10^th Avenue location. The reserved parking spaces and a bit of the street were closed off to accommodate the entry tent, five beer tents strung together, a small food tent, a DJ tent (music provided by a couple of DJs from Lightning 100), and a few rows of picnic tables and folding chairs under a larger tent. All in all, not a ton of room for a big crowd, but I guess it was a good thing that there wasn’t a huge crowd, at least not while I was there.

My plan was to get there at noon, when it began, and leave at 10 p.m., when it ended. Things happened beforehand that caused me to show up about 45 minutes later than planned, and, well, nothing happened that caused me to leave early, I just couldn’t drink anymore beer. I gave it my best shot, but I guess I was found lacking. It was for the best, though, what with having to get up at 5:15 the next morning when all three kids decided they needed to be awake.

Now, I’m going to just admit that I can’t recall why I liked the beers I liked. Ditto for the ones I didn’t like. I had 13 high alcohol content brews, and they took a bit of a toll on me (don’t worry, I stopped drinking about an hour and a half to two hours before I went home…no problems there). I can remember that there wasn’t a one that I didn’t supremely dislike, and there were quite a few that I’d like to sample more of.

Here’s my tally for the day:

1. Terrapin Side Project Hopzilla Imperial IPA
2. Left Hand Twin Sister’s IPA
3. BBC Hell Fer Certain
4. Fritz & Ken
5. Dogfish Head Punkin
6. He’brew Rejewvenator ‘10
7. Stone Smoked Porter
8. Rogue XS McRogue Scotch Ale
9. Dogfish Head Sah’tea
10. Left Hand 400lb. Monkey
11. Yazoo Hop Project
12. Stoudt’s IPA
13. Terrapin India Brown Ale

I also filled my belly with a Space Club (my personal favorite sandwich on their menu) and fries during a trip inside and two brats on buns outside.

I also walked away with a nice Schlafly key chain/bottle opener. And I don’t even feel bad about not having their Oktoberfest.

Attendance was sparse for most of my time there. I think it was most crowded between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00. The bar inside was full each time I went in, though, and with the ability to travel in and out at will, it’s a bit difficult to say exactly how well attended the festival was. I hope it was well enough received for this to actually become an annual event. I ended up sampling 12 beers (I’d had the Yazoo Hop Project before) that I’d never had before. And although I was by myself for half my time there (a big thanks to Katie V. for hanging with me for a few hours!), I think if I properly pestered enough people sooner than I did this time, I’d be able to drag a decent crowd along.

Michelob Porter (Beer Review)

From the label:

"A traditionally styled porter brewed using dark chocolate and roasted coffee malts."

I’ve got a buddy who’s been drinking a lot of this. He says it’s not the best Porter he’s had, but it’s pretty damn decent. He claims you’re getting more than what you’re paying for. So I hope I’m not expecting TOO much out of it.

First off is the color. It’s dark, but definitely not the darkest I’ve seen. It’s not fully translucent, but I can see a smidge of light through it. I’m impressed with the aroma. I’m definitely getting heavy chocolate tones. Out of the four Michelob crafts I’ve had (including Irish Red, Marzen and Pale Ale), this is the only one that doesn’t smell like your run-of-the-mill American lager. This smells like a good, dark beer.

This brew tastes excellent. It’s not the fullest tasting porter I’ve had, but I wouldn’t call it weak like I have with Michelob’s other craft beers. It’s got a full enough body and goes down very smooth. The after taste, which is heavy on the roasted coffee, lingers just long enough, making you eager for the next taste.

This, my friends, is a good beer. As I mentioned, it’s by far not the best porter on the market, but it’s probably the least expensive, which makes a big difference in today’s economy. And it may be the least expensive, but that just means you’re getting an excellent return on your "investment."

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Listening to: Beck - Scarecrow
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Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter (Beer Review)

From Flying Dog’s website: "Like Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo Imperial Porter is deep and complex. This turbo charged version of the Road Dog Porter is mysteriously dark with a rich malty body, intense roasted flavors, and a surprisingly unique hop kick. With Gonzo weighing in at 7.8% ABV, it will bit you in the ass if you don’t show it the proper respect."

I usually can’t tell the difference between a porter and a stout. As much as I like to call myself a beer snob, I’m still a relative novice when it comes to differentiating between similar styles and whatnot.

What hit me first about this brew is the licorice scent that you get right up front. I’m not a fan of licorice. Won’t eat it, and the smell makes me gag. But the way it’s infused as part of the overall aroma makes it rather appealing.

There is a strong alcohol taste on the front end, but a pleasant, smoky after-taste. I’m assuming since this is a porter rather than an ale, the extreme maltiness doesn’t make the beer as sweet as other high malt beers I’ve had. But the above description is correct, the alcohol will bite you in the ass if you’re not expecting it. I’d like to try this again and compare it to the Road Dog Porter.

Well, I’m done with the Flying Dogs for a while. With my next trip to my local libation provider, I think I’m going to pick up a Michelob variety pack. Their Amberbock is my #2 beer, and it looks as if they’ve branched out beyond typical American lagers. I’m interested to see how a big corporate beer maker can stack up to a smaller microbrew or specialty beer maker.

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Listening to: The Ataris - The Boys of Summer
via FoxyTunes