The weekend, briefly

Actually just the brew crawl. Sunday was almost all errands and I'm sure none of you are dying to see photos from my trip to Smart and Final, etc.

{first round at casey's}

{discussing}

{notes}

{beer ledge}

{golden gopher}

{"Dog Ate My Homework" by Brouwerij West}

{the varnish}

{seven grand}

I managed to take notes the entire time! The key to a successful brew crawl sounds similar to the prep for a marathon. Carb loading (bagels for breakfast, pizza mid-crawl) and lots of hydration (I go heavy on the water from the moment I wake up). Then you need to gather up a crew of 4 - 5 people. Everyone can get a different beer for each round and you taste and share. More than 5 people and you'll start losing people. I think I lost my marathon comparison there. Maybe a marathon relay? I don't know. By the end of the crawl you can manage to only be very pleasantly buzzed and still have gotten a sip of (almost) everything if you play your cards right.

Faves from this year -
Dog Ate My Homework from Brouweij West - blackberry saison that's light and tart but not sweet.
Strawator from Abita - this strawberry dopplebock divided the group. It is sweeter and tastes a bit like beer mixed with strawberry soda but I loved it. D voted no.
Pistola from Noble Ale Works - beer with serrano peppers! Just spicy enough.
Rosalita from Noble Ale Works - beer with hibiscus! A little bit tart.
Avance from Allagash - if you love sours, this is a winner.
Midnight Brett from Allagash - really flavorful dark beer. Allagash always does dark beer right.

Tons of good IPAs but we tasted so many it was hard for them to stand out. The ones that scored highest in our notes are Jericho from Valiant, White Dog IPA from El Segundo and Propulsion IPA from Kinetic.

Ommegang wins for the cutest name - Gnomegang!

Such a good day.