The last time I went to a Flying
Saucer beer festival (the
fall 2009 fest at the Fort Worth location), I learned that tasting
the big, bad, high-gravity and high-ABV beers before trying lighter
brews can throw off your tastebuds and make the latter drinks seem puny
by comparison. At last Saturday's Spring Beer Festival at the Flying
Saucer on the Lake location, I learned the hard way what happens when
you show up late and wait till the end of the night to try those
aforementioned big, bad brews: They're gone.
Somehow, I managed
to have a good time anyway. As with the previous festival, in return for
$15, festival-goers received a card entitling each up to 10 4-oz.
samples from any of four tents: East Coast, West Coast, Texas and
Captain's Picks. Four punches could be combined for a full-pint pour,
though almost everyone seemed to enjoy the sample-platter approach. An
additional $5 was good for a "UR Not Worthy" stamp that allowed them to
sample even pricier beers from the "Out Of This World" tent. Thankfully,
though, the Saucer comped my sample card and even gave it a "UR Not
Worthy" stamp.
Following are my notes from the festival, plus
some info on the Brew Riot
homebrew and microbrew festival on N. Bishop Boulevard in Oak Cliff
Saturday.
Chouffe Houblon IPA Tripel (Out Of This World)
Very pale
yellow in color with a puffy white head. Complex as expected from a
Belgian IPA, with a nice bracing hoppiness, and a bit sweet but
thankfully not too sweet. The 9 percent ABV is imperceptible.
The
outdoor setting is beautiful as the sun sets, and it's not too crowded.
Boulevard Tank #7 Farmhouse Ale (Captain's Picks)
Much
sweeter than I expect from a saison, so it's not as refreshing as
saisons usually are, though it still makes for a nice hot-weather drink.
I have a feeling I'll be drinking a lot of saisons this summer.
New
Belgium Lips of Faith Eric's Ale Sour Wheat (East Coast Tent)
No,
New Belgium hasn't packed up and moved to the East Coast. Rather, this
brew was chosen to sub for Dogfish Head's Festina Peche (Berliner
Weisse), which ran out before I arrived. I heard it was great. Eric's
Ale, my introduction to the world of sour beers, is not something I'd
seek out again. It's like a tart, super-dry peach cider with a funky
nose. I struggle to finish my 4-oz. sample and can't imagine drinking a
full one. Cider drinkers might enjoy it, though.
At this point, I
meet the Captain
himself, Keith Schlabs, the "beer guru" for the Flying Saucer chain and
for the Meddlesome Moth. After a few
minutes of chatting, he excuses himself and comes back with a taster of
Brewdog and Stone's Bashah collaboration, a black double Belgian
IPA from one of the rare-keg tappings going on inside the Saucer that
day. Does "black double Belgian IPA" sound like a few too many elements
going on for one beer? It kind of tasted that way, too. The argument
between the pungent piney hops and roasty dark malts was so loud it
managed to drown out the points that the Belgian yeast was trying to
bring up. It all combined to be something like a very hoppy porter with a
super-sticky body. A weird mix, but not a total trainwreck. I'd
certainly like to try it again without the aftertaste of a disagreeable
sour ale still lingering--and I wonder how cellaring it for a year or
two might smooth it out.
Anchor Humming Golden Ale (West
Coast)
Very full-bodied and bright. A nice quenching pale ale
without an overwhelming amount of hops.
Koenigs Quadrupel (Out
Of This World)
Dammit, they're out of Maredsous Blonde and
Scaldis. This replacement is way too sweet and just tastes kinda cheap
to me.
Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale (West
Coast Tent)
A light pillowy head and a reddish-gold body. Grainy,
earthy hops and kind of mild. Not especially memorable, but a good
quencher. Later research shows that this is an IPA brewed entirely with
hops from, as the name would suggest, the southern hemisphere of the
globe. I need to give it another shot when I haven't preceded it with so
many other beers.
Left Hand Widdershins Barleywine
My
friend and colleague Daniel Hopkins told me I absolutely had to try
Avery Samael's Oak-Aged Barleywine, but alas, I waited too long.
Instead, I settle for Left Hand's perfectly fine barleywine, which had a
nicely complex malty, spicy sweetness that I imagine would be a whole
lot more appealing in cold weather.
Stone Sublimely
Self-Righteous Black IPA (Captain's Picks)
This was my most
memorable beer from the previous Flying Saucer beer festival. Though Paul
Hightower at Dallas Craft Beer Examiner would beg to differ, I
still love it. Black with ruby highlights, it has a nice thick roasty,
malty body balanced with sweet citrusy hops. It's hard to believe this
and Bashah are in the same family.
The Texas tent has run out of
Real Ale's Highlander, with nothing especially intriguing remaining. I
notice quite a few dogs here. Here's a tip to the guys who wore kilts to
the fest: Next time, bring a dog instead. They get a lot more attention
from the ladies than a kilt. A kilt doesn't say much more than "Ask me
about my kilt!"
Avery Jubilation (West Coast)
Lagunitas
Undercover Investigation Shutdown and Widmer Brothers Reserve Prickly
Pear Braggot were both gone, and replaced with this winter warmer.
Lighter in color than expected, it was nonetheless full-bodied with
enough spices to make me cough. Even out of season, a good holiday beer
puts me in a cheerful mood.
Brewdog Dogma
This has a
sort of funky weird foot smell to it. I've had this beer--flavored with
kola nut, poppy seeds, guarana and Scottish heather honey--and rather
liked it, but not under these circumstances. It has elements of a brisk
IPA, a sweet Belgian and an all-around drinkable lager. Very odd.
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Don't forget that that 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday is the Brew
Riot homebrew competition outside Eno's Pizza at 407 N. Bishop Ave.
This year, 11 homebrewers have entered. Unfortunately, because the
competition has moved to the street, the cost has gone up from last
year's $10 to $15 suggested donation. However, this year's $20 donation
goes to Go Oak Cliff, a fine
cause indeed, and entitles you to sample the entries as well as wares
from nine participating microbreweries. The fest also includes live
music, giant chess in the street and Lonestar Goldsprints stationary
bike competitions. I've got to say, getting on a piece of exercise
equipment is one of the last things I'd want to do after drinking beer.
