Matt Gray

Winterfest 2010 Roundup

Yesterday evening I attended Winterfest 2010, the annual beer tasting event presented by the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild. Brewers from around the region compete for the Snowshoe award, based on a secret ballot submitted by the crowd. This year’s Winterfest was at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

I went along with several Clockwork friends. This was my first time at Winterfest—I normally stick to the Autumn Brew Review—but the result was the same: too many beers, too little time. I’m just glad I was able to hold on to my glass.

Favorites

Here are a few of the standout beers I tasted:

Grand Design Porter

I have a personal connection to Flat Earth Brewing Co.: a co-worker of my wife is related to the owner. I also had to try a beer that was infused with the flavor of S’mores. Yes, that’s right. The only thing missing was a campfire.

Other fest-goers must have agreed:
Grand Design Porter won the Snowshoe award!

Unoaked Rosie’s Reserve

Barley John’s is a brewpub near my home; they always bring interesting brews to these events and Winterfest 2010 was no exception. Rosie’s Reserve is an Old Ale that was aged for a year outside bourbon casks (they brewed too much). It is a 15.5% ABV beer that tastes like port—and it is delicious.

Rosie’s Reserve was my vote for the Snowshoe award.

El Diablo

El Diablo is a strong Belgian golden ale brewed by Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth, MN. I love Fitger’s. I also love Belgians (Delerium Tremens comes to mind). El Diablo is a powerful, bright palate cleanser and 9% ABV. Bravo, Fitger’s!

Tea-Bagged Furious, Darkness & Four

We couldn’t stop ourselves from revisiting the Surly Brewing Co. booth again and again—they had so many beers available! I tried the Jesus Juice but was thoroughly impressed with the Tea-Bagged Furious: hop-tastic. Darkness was a mouth-pleaser; however, my favorite was Four, a double-espresso-infused riot on the tongue.

Kentucky Dessert

Usually I’m a zombie when I visit Town Hall Brewery in Seven Corners. After tasting Kentucky Dessert, I have resolved to go back as a normal human and enjoy their good bar food and superlative brews. Visit and buy some growlers! This imperial stout was a pleasure to drink, rich in chocolate flavor.

Fails

I wish that we had written down the name of the worst beer I’ve tried. I swear that it tasted as if it were brewed in a musty basement and filtered through old grandpa flannel that was laced with mothballs. Perhaps it is best that I forgot it so I don’t get angry comments from the brewer.

Conclusion

Winterfest may well become an annual tradition in addition to Autumn Brew Review. It was a blast! We are so lucky in Minnesota to have such a craft beer selection. In Costa Rica, there were perhaps five beers that all tasted the same. Hooray for microbrews!

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 2153 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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