Excuse me, but do you know where the beer is? |
This year it was held in an active, friendly, vibrant coastal city -- Portland, Maine -- gorgeous to walk through during the day, and loaded with things to do at night, as opposed to land-locked Worcester, Mass. which has two great bars and... a pile of rocks (and I think that the pile of rocks is now gone, so... two great bars?). Both cities, coincidentally enough, have American Hockey League arenas downtown! If it's held in Albany or Philly or Hartford next year, then we'll know something is up.
Portland Yacht Services... now serving beer. |
Cool truck! |
Long, long line to get in. |
(Beer) school is IN! |
School bus full of brewers. |
THE KEY SIMILARITIES
Quite simply, acres of some of the world's most creative, skilled and inspired brewers, manning tables that dispensed the sweetest nectar of the gods! The ability to not only sample fresh, sometimes rare, and often exclusive brews, but then to also be able to talk to the creators about them is what makes The Festival truly unique among beer fests.
The X-mas Keebler (aka Jim Barnes) made an appearance. |
Like last year, there was plenty of quality, and affordable, food on hand, at the very back of the venue. There was the Bite Into Maine lobster roll truck, which served the best lobster that we had on this trip ($15 with tax for a roll bursting with fresh, sweet lobstah), served Maine-style (mayo and chives), picnic version (with coleslaw, butter, celery salt), chipotle style, curry version, etc. There was a mobile brick oven/wood fire gourmet pizza vendor, which served the best pizza I've had outside of NYC. If you spy Pizza Pie on the Fly, you'll be remiss not to give it try! There was a decent Mexican food vendor, Hella Good Tacos, with fish tacos, burritos, etc. The Small Ax food truck seemed to be mostly about meat sandwiches -- it all looked good, but we stuck to the seafood.
I could probably cut and paste the blog post from last year's Festival, and, save for some minor details, it would remain accurate. Basically, you've got a warehouse full of serious beer aficionados of varying experience -- novice to expert -- true beer lovers all, flitting to and fro, searching for the cool, rare, exclusive, exciting, unknown bottle or keg, telling friends, "you have to try this!" and "don't do anything -- ANYTHING -- before going to this table to try that beer!" And on the other side of the tables are veritable brewing legends. Each session is a four-hour magic kingdom excursion of beer wonderment, all thanks to Dan Shelton, aka Malt Disney!
Malt Disney, center. |
Shelton Brothers breweries 2013 (new attendees in bold)
8 Wired (New Zealand) ▪ Agullons (Catalonia, Spain) ▪ Amager Bryghus (Denmark) ▪ Anchorage (USA) ▪ Au Baron (France) ▪ Bad Attitude (Switzerland) ▪ Baird (Japan) ▪ Barfly/Laborotorio (Italy) ▪ Blaugies (Belgium) ▪ Brewfist (Italy) ▪ Brodie’s (England) ▪ Buxton (England) ▪ Cambridge (USA) ▪ Cantillon (Belgium) ▪ CCM (Catalonia, Spain) ▪ Celestial Meads (USA) ▪ Cidrerie Traditionnelle du Perche (France) ▪ Crooked Stave (USA) ▪ De La Senne (Belgium) ▪ De Molen (Holland) ▪ De Ranke (Belgium) ▪ Dieu du Ciel! (Quebec, Canada) ▪ Drie Fonteinen (Belgium) ▪ Freigeist (Germany) ▪ Guineu (Catalonia, Spain) ▪ Haand (Norway) ▪ Het Nest (Belgium) ▪ High & Mighty (USA) ▪ Hill Farmstead (USA) ▪ Hogan’s (England) ▪ Jester King (USA) ▪ Jolly Pumpkin (USA) ▪ Kerkom (Belgium) ▪ Kissmeyer (Denmark) ▪ Kout (Czech Republic) ▪ Lagar de Ribela (Spain) ▪ Le Trou du Diable (Quebec, Canada) ▪ Mahr’s (Germany) ▪ Marina (Catalonia, Spain) ▪ Midtfyns (Denmark) ▪ Mikkeller (Denmark) ▪ Mjodhamnen (Sweden) ▪ Naparbier (Spain) ▪ Nøgne Ø (Norway) ▪ Page 24 (France) ▪ Pays du Flamand (France) ▪ Prairie Artisan Ales (USA) ▪ Pretty Things (USA) ▪ Rappi Bier Factory (Switzerland) ▪ Renaissance (New Zealand) ▪ Ridgeway (England) ▪ Saint Somewhere (USA) ▪ Struise (Belgium) ▪ ‘t Hofbrouwerijke (Belgium) ▪ The Drunk Monk (Belgium) ▪ The Monarchy (Germany) ▪ Thiriez (France) ▪To Øl (Denmark) ▪ Toccalmatto (Italy) ▪ Trois Dames (Switzerland) ▪ Yeastie Boys (New Zealand)
12% Imports breweries 2013
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing (USA) ▪ Evil Twin Brewing (Denmark/USA) ▪ Stillwater Artisanal (USA) ▪ Omnipollo (Sweden) ▪ Gueuzerie Tilquin (Belgium) ▪ Brouwerij Hof ten Dormaal (Belgium) ▪ Hopfenstark (Canada) ▪ Brasserie Cazeau (Belgium) ▪ Local Option (USA) ▪ Brouwerij Emelisse (Netherlands) ▪ Nomada Brewing Company (Spain) ▪ Westbrook Brewing (USA)
Local breweries 2013
Allagash ▪ Bull Jagger (TBC) ▪ Maine Beer Co. • Maine Mead Works • Marshall Wharf ▪ Oxbow ▪ Rising Tide
2012 breweries8 Wired • AeppelTreow • Against the Grain • Agullons • Anchorage Brewing • Bad Attitude • Baird • Beer Here • Blaugies • Brodie • Buxton • Cambridge Brewing • Cantillon • CCM • Celestial Meads • Christoffel • Cidrerie Traditionnelle du Perche • Crooked Stave • De Graal • De la Senne • Devil's Brew • De Molen • De Ranke • Dock Street • Dieu du Ciel! • Freigeist • Hogan's • Haand • High & Mighty • Hill Farmstead • Hofbrouwerijke • Huvila/Malmgard • Jandrain • Jester King • Jolly Pumpkin • Kerkom • Kissmeyer • Les Trois Mousquetaires • Le Trou du Diable • Mahr's • Middlemiss • Midtfyn's • Mikkeller • Nest/Schelde • Nøgne Ø • Oliver's • Page 24/St. Germain • Pretty Things • Ridgeway • Saint Somewhere • Sixpoint • Slaapmutske • Struise • Thiriez • Tø Øl • Trois Dames • Weissenohe • West County • Yeastie Boys/Renaissance • Local Option • Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse • Brouwerij De Dochter Van De Korenaar • Evil Twin Brewing • Brouwerij ‘t Gaverhopke • Hopfenstark • Omnipollo • Hof ten Dormaal • Stillwater Artisanal Ales • Gueuzerie Tilquin • Bierbrouwerij Emelisse • Huisbrouwerij Sint Canarus • Brasserie de Cazeau • 'Proef' Brewery
At Infinity brewpub. |
L-R: Jean Cantillon, Jason Perkins, Rob Tod, Tom Peters, Yvan De Baets, Stephane Mahrs. |
Infinity brewpub. |
The harbor. |
Oysters and beer at Eventide. |
Lunch at Eventide, after Friday afternoon set up. |
Probably hauled b'tatahs back in the day. Ayyuh. |
Ice is nice. |
Sour at Infinity. |
Transwesteit, De Struise collaboration, at Infinity. |
Infinity brewpub, the Thursday before The Festival began. |
Lunch at Portsmouth Brewery, on the way up. |
Chase from Prairie on the left. |
A true Prairie home companion! |
This looks shadey... what are you up to, Andrew? |
Room #2. |
Far right, Urbain from De Struise. |
Ron of Jester King on the right. |
The men from Mahr's with Miss Maine -- Mahr's needs women...? |
In room #2. |
100 barrels of beer on the wall, 100 barrels of beer... at Allagash. |
Choose your Allagash Coolship poison. |
Duck pond next to Allagash. |
Beneath Allagash's massive fermentors. |
Post Festival at Novare Res. |
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