BEERFEST. Part 1 - The Beer

That is another Beerfest in the books. What can I say, i loved it? I can't wait until the next one? I do that every time. So what was the best part of Beerfest?

The Beer.

There were hundreds of different beers to taste. The amount of quality beers available is almost overwhelming. I felt a little stressed when I first arrived. I thought quietly to myself,


- "How am I going to try all these beers in just six hours"?


- "How am I going to try them all with only 24 tickets in my pocket"?

The answer to that daunting question. "One at a time"



So lets get started.



My strategy was to get in and out as fast as possible. Just like a "whore in Church". (That seems to be a popular quote lately). I needed to hit the breweries that I knew would be the "E Ticket" lines. So I started with the ever popular breweries like Stone, Dogfish Head, Deschutes, Rogue, and New Belgium. Time, and beer, well spent. I might have actually hit a couple of them two or three times. But who is counting (Stone 3 times).

For the rest of the afternoon, I made my way in and out of most of the other breweries lines. I looked for beers that were the newest creations, or the ones which I have never tried. That was a hard task. But I did manage to try a few that I really enjoyed. And I did happen to try some that I think I will never try again.

So that is my story. Now, here is the beer list.

1. Stone Brewery - Oak Aged Ale: "This is a great beer. Very flavorful, and great mouth feel"

2. Deschutes - Green Lakes Organic Ale: "Hoppy and Nutty. Clean finish"

3. Reaper Ale - Morality Stout: "Malty flavor. Clean Finish. No aftertaste"

4. Sam Adams - Imperial Reserve: "Gooooood! I Like It"! "Buy some.

5. Bitch Creek - 20th Anniversary Double ESB Ale: "Very Good"

6. Sun Up Brewery - Armadillo Red Ale: "Hoppy aftertaste"

7. Oak Creek - King Crimson Red Ale: "11% alcohol. Kinda taste it. Enjoyable"

8. Dogfish Head - Raison D'Entre: "Yummy". (I remember asking where Sam was. The guy said "Who"?)

9. New Belgium - Seasonal: "?"

10. Oggies - Asylum something Triple something Ale: "O.K."

11. Speak Easy IPA - Big Daddy: "Dude is a dork" (I remember this. I asked for something else. The stupid "volunteer" didn't know what it was. He started asking the other volunteers. So I told him, give me that. Speak Easy was right behind him.)

12. Port Brewing - Hop 15: "I like this one"

13. Old World Brewery - Wit: "I don't like Wits. Bit this is good".

14. Deschutes Brewery - Inversion IPA: "Un legible" (Is this correct grammar? It must have been the beer talking)

15. Dogfish Head - 90 Minute IPA: "Thank you GOD for creating Sam. I love this Beer". (Something like this. That is what I meant to write)

16. Odell Brewing - IPA: "O.K."

17. Boulder Beer - Hazed & Confused: "?"

18. Sonoran Brewing - Inebriator: "No"

19. New Belgium - Mothership Wit: "+" (Whatever this means)

20. Coronado Brewing - Red Devil: "+" (Again? I don't know what I meant)

21. Old World Brewery - Stout: "Gooooood".

22. Lost Abbey - I don't know: But "I LOVE it"!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to try all the beers. My list ended somewhere around 28. But I can't figure out exactly what they were. I guess I was feeling pretty good by that time. And my handwriting is proof of it. And a side effect of this, is that my reviews became very archaic. You can see some had nothing more than a +, or No, or ?. I don't know what I was saying.

What is amazing is that when I got home, I had 38 sample tickets in my pocket. That's weird, because I started with 24. O well, at least I got to try twenty something great beers. I think next time, I might take a recorder. That should make for some great audio.

-Prost!

Empty

I'm sure everyone has been anticipating my first post about BEERFEST. In fact, I had planned on writing part one tonight. I even downloaded all my photos. But something big just happened. I finished off one of my kegs. The Flying Dog Amber Lager is all gone.

So let me think. I tapped the kegs when I finished my kegerator back in December. So in my special math, I guess it took exactly 3 months. Honestly, I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

The Bad:
I finished off an entire keg all by myself. And it only took me 3 months to drink that much beer. I am willing to bet, it would have been like 2 months if I didn't have the two other beers on tap to drink as well. In addition to the kegs, I went through several cases of bottled beer. I can't even tell you how many. Is this a problem? Should I be worried?

Now I have to go out and spend money on a new keg. And beer isn't getting any cheaper. How much is this one going to cost me? $50, $60, $80? Who knows? This economy is killing my beer habit.

The Good:
It only took me 3 months to finish off an entire keg all by myself. I would have done it in less time (like 6-8 weeks) if I didn't have the other two kegs to siphon from as well. Not to mention the cases of other beer I went through in the same time frame.

The best part of finishing off the keg is, I get to add a new one! I have an empty spot open and it is begging to get filled. I can hear it calling me from the other room right now. I can hardly stand it. I think the BevMo is still open. But then I am stuck choosing one of the old kegs someone never picked up. Or Miller Lite. I think I'm better off waiting. I want to order something real special.

Decision:
What to do? If course I am going to fill that spot, soon. I need to make a decision on which beer to add. I have some in mind. But I really want a special beer this time. Something that will make all my friends jealous. I think I will take a few days to decide. I am going to read through my list of beers from the past Beerfests. See which ones I liked, and which ones I loved. Then I can make my decision. I might even add a "Vote which Beer" app. over on the side there. Then you can all help me make my important decision.

I really loved this beer. And I love Flying Dog Brewery. I have yet to drink a beer they make, that I didn't like. They are an amazing brewery. In the crowded microbrew scene, they stand out like a whore in church. And that whore sure can brew some great beer!

-Prost!

Beerfest. I did it.

Another Beerfest in the books. I did it. And I did it well. I tried all kinds of beers. Some new, some old. But for the most part, I think I expanded my beer library. I would love to sit here, and type out a long and detailed post about all the beer I tried, and all the people I saw, and all the drunk idiots I had to pour beer for. But I am just to damn tired and intoxicated to do that right now. So you are going to have to wait until tomorrow for my first post. I will do my best to make it worth the wait.

Thanks for understanding. You guys rock!

-Prost!

Beerfest tomorrow

It's that time again. BEERFEST! God, I love that word. It just rolls off the tongue...BeeeeeeeeerrrrrrFesssssssssssssst. But the best thing about Beerfest is the beer. O, I love me some beer. And the only thing I love more than a beer, is trying hundreds of them in a single day, at one place. And that is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow.

I will be drinking beer, making notes, taking pictures, and pouring beer. It is going to be one beer filled day. I plan on loving every minute of it. And with any luck, I will attempt to write about it. Who am I kidding? Do you really think I will be able to write a post tomorrow after 8 hours of drinking beer? I know I'm good, but I'm not that good. In all honesty, it will take me a few days to write everything. At least I have the weekend. I think I will break it up into three posts again. That seemed to work well for the last Beerfest review.

So I better go. I need to get some sleep.

-Cheers!

Three Sheets is Saved

According to Zane Lamprey, his show Three Sheets has been saved. You can read all about it on his website, his Facebook site, and his My Space site. Where ever you decide to read it, the bottom line is that We Saved Three Sheets.

The first 3 seasons were aired on the MOJO network. Season 4 finished up shooting and Zane has been looking for someplace to air it. Where will this be? We don't know. The big announcement will be made at the upcoming ZANEFEST. This time it will be Zane Patrick's Day. The event will be held on Thursday, March 14th at the Knitting Factory in Tribeca New York. If I didn't live on the complete other side of the country, I would be there.

So you have a little time to catch up on the first 3 seasons of Three Sheets before season 4 makes it to your TV. Trust me, you are going to love it. You can buy them on Amazon.com, or download them on iTunes.

-Cheers!

I got a job, in a brewery

This is not entirely true. In order to qualify as a job, don't you have to be paid? Then again, if I am paid with education and a great time, isn't that a form of payment? If so, can this qualify as a job? I just confused myself. But what it really means is that I am going to be hanging out in an all new brewery.

What is this brewery I am speaking of? It is called Old World Brewery. By nothing more than happenstance, I found it. And a couple days ago, I had the pure enjoyment of hanging out, drinking some fine beer, and talking to one of the owners, Perry Parmely.

Located in the north part of Phoenix, Old World Brewery is looking to carve out it's own place in the Four Peaks dominated brewery scene. And from my observation, I think they are going to do just that.

Over the next week, I will be posting pictures of the brewery, evaluating the beers, conducting a full interview, and possibly even getting my hands dirty in an attempt to help brew some beer. The guys will be set up this weekend at the Great Arizona Brew Festival. Be sure to stop by and try their brews. I think you will like them.

-Cheers!

All Beer, All the Time

After some serious thought, and a few pints to help dull the pain, I have decided to make a change. The title above says it all...."All Beer, All the Time. That's right. From now on, Good Burp will be all about my adventures with beer.

When I started this blog, my plan was to write about beer and all the idiots I seem to run into on a daily basis. I have quite a talent in finding them in a crowd. While it has been fun and therapeutic to write about these people, I found it to get a little mundane.

I realized a little while ago that beer is what I really preferred to write about. And the followers of this blog seem to agree with me. Most of the people who stop by to read my thoughts are beer lovers from all around the world. And quite frankly, I really have enjoyed drinking, listing, rating, comparing, and writing about all the different beers I seem to run into on a daily basis.

In celebration of this momentous decision, I will make an important post tomorrow. I had a chance encounter today which helped solidify my decision. The topic is going to spill over into 3 or 4 posts. I think you are going to enjoy them.

-Cheers!

Note: For those who will miss the rants and raves about the idiots of the world, you might want to check around. I could decide to start a new blog somewhere else. Somewhere soon.