h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Boonville Beer Fest will be hosted by the Anderson Valley Brewery May 2 in Mendocino County, California. For more information, visit

http://www.avbc.com/events/beerfest/

Mr. Nerd and I plan to attend.

So many beers, so little time...

For us, the beer festival started Friday around lunchtime. As soon as I switch off the engine, one fellow strolled over to ask if I had made souvenir buttons (badges) again this year. I had, and handed him the booty.

Oh yeah, the festival had a theme. If pirates got wet a lot, then Nature helped us with that theme by raining on us the whole weekend.

After setting up camp, we set about the easy work of finding and drinking beer. Strolling from one brewery's campsite to the next, we sipped many fine beers well into the night.

I didn't have any bad beer. Everything was at least a 3 out of 4, and most were 4 out of 4 beverages. Even the brews I did not particularly care for had been crafted to style.

The next day at the Mendocino Fairgrounds in lovely, soggy Boonville saw some 80 breweries serving beer to thousands of festival attendees. In the crush, it was easy to get lost.

Nonetheless, there were some stand-out creations. Ninkasi, served Total Domination IPA . Angel City Brewing Company made a Belgian IPA, full of fruity and wine flavors, also . Sierra Nevada's IPA was particularly well balanced .

I'm glad to see fewer breweries bothering to make hop bombs, beers so full of hops that the drinker loses her palate and perhaps even some tooth enamel. These gimmicky brews are so hoppy as to be unpleasant, and only one brewery to my knowledge was serving them. (No, I did not partake.)

Several breweries were serving cask conditioned ales from firkins, perhaps an everyday product in Great Britain, but a wonderful treat in the States. I fervently hope more breweries will follow suit.

Finally the festival drew to a close, and we retired to our campsite for BBQ, music, and more beer tasting. What a weekend.

The American beers arn't necessarily as availible over here (at least if they are they're way way more expensive than comparible UK and continental equivelents), I'd just like to say though, that of those I've tried, I've really* enjoyed and loved each and every one from the Sierra Nevada's brewery Will have to look out for that one as I don't think its one I've tried

May be a RL beerfest near me soon (well yes there is* but I may* manage to get my butt in gear to actually make it along this time)

We tapped our first keg of the Sierra Nevada summer seasonal yesterday - Summerfest lager. I don't much care for lagers generally but it's Sierra Nevada, and they just don't make a bad beer. And of course, being Sierra Nevada, it's hoppier than your average lager

And the post beer fest continues...

Gordon Ale from
Oskar Blues Brewery
Lyons, Colorado
8.7%
A big flavorful yummy red ale.


During our campfire concert after the fest and also during the next morning packing up, several breweries handed us bottles and cans of beer. So the brew fest lasts as long as the beer does.

Oskar Blues

I'm a fan of both the Gordon (which is a hefty double IPA at 8.7% ) and Dale's Pale Ale

I'd love to drink more of the Ten Fidy imperial stout, but it's 10.5%

Post beer fest...

Mr. Nerd and I just shared an Oskar Blues Brewery Old Chub Scottish Stye ale. Nice, went well with the stew we had for lunch, , but I've had better, Sacramento Brewing Company's Sasquatch Scotch ale comes to mind.

Didn't see Sacramento Brewing Company at the brew fest this year, come to think of it. But perhaps with somewhere between 70 and 80 breweries, I might have missed one or two.

Happy

For shame

Well I guess the beer fest is well and truly over. Mr. Nerd and I had the last bottle of Ninkasi Total Domination IPA on our camping trip over the weekend.

Sierra Nevada Southern Harvest has just been released for a very short run

I used to have a great Sierra Nevada connection. My husband, who works for www.mendobrew.com, would give me a case of beer to take to work. I'd give it to a co-worker. She'd give it to her brother, who works for Sierra. He'd send back a case of beer the same way.

Fun cultural exchange program.

I'll say

The 2010 Boonville Beer Fest will be hosted by the Anderson Valley Brewery May 8 in Mendocino County, California. For more information, visit

http://www.avbc.com/events/beerfest/