Apr. 09, 2008 - Issue #651: Spring Style ‘08
Beerfest
100 bottles of beer in the hall: tales from Beerfest
The many beers on tap spanned the globe and the range of availability and accessibility. Some of Edmonton’s microbreweries were present, as were the big boys, of course. There were beers from places we all know as beer-countries, like Scotland and Germany, but there were also beers from unexpected locations such as Ukraine.
The big corporate brewers had flashy, larger booths. Budweiser’s booth, for instance, included a small-scale country bar where you could sit and be served by women in checkered Bud shirts. The smaller breweries were more under-stated and focussed on their beer. Where the big breweries hired young, attractive women who knew little about beer, the smaller breweries generally had their regular reps (most often men) who could talk intelligently about beer. Impressively, Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn, famous for its oak-aged beer, sent one of their partners (Innis) to pour samples.
The International Beer Festival worked like this: a $20 entrance fee ($15 in advance) got you in the door where you could purchase coupons for 50 cents each; each booth offered up 4 oz samples for two to five tickets each. You then spent your evening sampling beers. If you needed a break, there was live entertainment at one end of the hall, some food (of the fast variety) available, and some non-beer exhibitors to peruse. There was also an on-site liquor store so you could pick up a six-pack of your new favourite on your way out the door.
There was also a “Beer School”, hosted by the Edmonton Homebrewers’ Guild, where Guild members walked participants through a short course on beer flavours and styles, complete with little jars of malt and hops for props.
Unfortunately, there were also a number of hard alcohol and shooter booths, which I personally found off-putting. They were out of place and fostered more of a frat boy atmosphere around them. I think they served only as irritating distractions from the more relaxed sport of beer sampling. I hope the organizers move away from them for next year’s version.
An estimated 5000 people worked their way through the booths over the two days. It was a mixed crowd. Earlier in the evening, it was a bit older—couples and small groups of beer fans working their way slowly through the more exotic and interesting beers. As the night wore on, a younger crowd took over—university-aged clusters engaging in much faster sampling, leading to more noise and more exuberance. But it was a classic beer crowd—friendly, upbeat and casual.
I think that is the key difference between beer festivals and wine festivals. Wine events have a decidedly upscale, serious tone to them. Beer fests know they are about fun as well as trying new and interesting beer. The exhibitors are more laid back, and the crowd feeds off that.
As for my plan, I decided to focus at first on beers that I had not tried before, which shortened the list significantly. In this initial go-round, I found a series of beer from O’Hanlon’s, a small English independent brewery with a fast-growing reputation. Yellowhammer is their light blonde ale, which was fruity and very accessible. On the more bold end was their Original Port Stout, a thick, dark stout infused with port. The port notes added a rich complexity to the beer.
Maybe the oddest new find was Beer in a Box. Yes, in a box. It comes with its own tap setup and a small canister of carbon dioxide. Hook it up and get instant cardboard keg. Too bad the beer was astringent and soapy. I quickly moved on.
Toronto brewer Mill Street had some of their wares available, including their noted Organic Lager. It’s one of the few fully organic beers in Canada, and it’s a light, refreshing lager. I detect a little grassy hops, but mostly it is clean and good for summertime after mowing the lawn.
Then there were those Ukrainian beers, Slavutych and one whose name I could not pronounce, spell or remember. They were crisp, pale lagers that were much better than expected. Both leaned towards a corny malt and light hopping. Worth another try on another day, possibly.
Once I had hit the highlights of beers untried, I turned my attention to beers I know I enjoy. Pleasant and familiar stops at Wildrose for their IPA, at Amber’s for a quick Mountain Pepper Berry Ale and at the Homebrew Guild table who were serving up Alley Kat for tasting purposes brought a smile to my face.
A visit to the Creemore Springs brewery was fortuitous for all involved. In the first glass pulled I picked up a distinct taste of cleaning agent—detergent and chlorine. A quick switch to a different keg proved to be much more palatable. The first keg had something wrong with it, but for the rest of the night all was fine for visitors to their booth.
A third fun strategy for beerfest sampling is to pick a type of beer (brown ales or pilseners, for expample) and go to a number of the booths who have that kind of beer. This allows for a side-by-side tasting of the different competitors, which can be quite fun.
After a couple hours sampling and tasting, you find yourself with a warm glow and a euphoric feeling that the world is a good place. That is the power of good beer.
Put the International Beer Festival on your calendar for next year’s installment. I know I have. V
New comments for this entry have been turned off and any existing ones are hidden. We apologize for any inconvenience.