The list of breweries was pretty impressive, at the Friday session, there was:

• Union Barrel Works
• Stewarts Brewing
• Allagash Brewing
• Unita Brewing
• Old Forge Brewing
• Troegs
• Boston Beer/Sam Adams
• Riverhorse Brewing
• Smuttynose Brewing
• Climax Brewing
• McGillins
• Lagunitas Brewing
• Great Divide Brewing
• Clipper City Brewing
• 21st Ammendment
• and of course Stoudts Brewing

There were a few other breweries that were supposed to be there, like Flying Dog Brewery but there table was empty on Friday, I don’t know if they were there on Saturday.  I had great intentions of interviewing breweries and writing up intelligent reviews on the beers I tried.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like I had planned, the music was loud so interviews were out and after trying so many different beers it was really tough to come away with a lot of clear thoughts on individual beers.  Not that it really matters, in the end, I had more fun not having to worry about getting all the details down.

Fortunately, I did manage to at least keep a record of what I tried.

• Lagunitas Little Something Extra
• Stewarts Highlander Stout
• Stewarts Octoberfest
• Stoudts Brewery Reserve Bock
• Climax ESB
• Old Forge Pale Ale
• Old Forge Ludwigs Anniversary Lager
• Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter
• Allagash White
• Allagash Abbey Ale
• River Horse Double Wit
• River Horse Unfiltered Lager
• 21st Ammendment Hell or Highwater Watermelon Wheat Beer
• Great Divide Samurai
• Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
• Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop Ale
• Great Divide Hibernation Ale

As you can see, it was a pretty impressive selection of beer and I had quite a bit of fun.  Keep in mind the sample glasses were only 6 ounces so we were only drinking 3 to 5 ounces at a time so I am not as much of a drunk as it may seem.  There were a few beers that really stood out that I went back for seconds and thirds but I can’t say they were my definitive favorite as there were others I would have liked to gone back and gotten more of.

I had never heard of Stewarts before but their Highlander Stout was really good, as was their Octoberfest.  They are pretty close to me, they are in Bear, DE which is only an hour and half or so from where I live.  Definitely a place I am going to have to check out.  I also couldn’t get enough of the Allagash Abbey Ale and the River Horse Double Wit.  The great news is, I didn’t drink a single beer that I didn’t enjoy.  It was a really fun night and I can’t wait for the next one.

]]> http://www.yearlylesson.com/2009/year-of-beer/beer-festivals/stoudts-brewery-microfest/feed/ 1 http://www.yearlylesson.com/2009/year-of-beer/beer-news/beer-and-bacon-festival-how-can-you-go-wrong/ http://www.yearlylesson.com/2009/year-of-beer/beer-news/beer-and-bacon-festival-how-can-you-go-wrong/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:21:20 +0000 Brian http://www.yearlylesson.com/?p=97 I read on the Brookstone Beer Bulletin tonight that Clipper City Brewing company in Baltimore Maryland has announced the 1st annual Heavy Seas Beer and Bacon Festival on Saturday, September 19th which also happens to be Talk like a Pirate Day.  Read a little more about it over on Brookstone’s blog.