BYO Bottle Share @ 943

This was an amazing event based upon a great premise - Everyone who attended was required to bring at least one bottle from their collection to share with everyone else.  Such a simple concept that unfolded towards perfection!  From cans of Heady Topper to a growler from Hill Farmstead to a magnum of 2000 Chimay Grand Reserve, all of the bases were covered on this special Sunday afternoon.  Aside from the beer, 943 (an Italian/ Agentinian restaurant) provided a delicious selection of food for us to snack on during this incredibly memorable session. 

Bombers and 750 ml bottles covered almost every inch of the table.  After the first few bottles were cracked into, people milled around to check out what was opened and what remained to be tasted.  Between the Dark Lord, Hunaphu's, and vertical of Rodenbach Vintage (07-09), there were too many highlights to list.  Obviously I liked some of the offerings more than others, but almost everything I drank was great.

Here's what I tried -

Alchemist Celia
Alchemist Heady Topper
Lost Abbey Veritas 009
The Bruery Melange 3
Alaskan Smoked Porter 2011
Cantillon Lou Pepe Geuze 2008
Hill Farmstead Everett
Hill Farmstead E
Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude 4 (growler)
Three Floyds Dark Lord 2011
Lawson's Finest Knockout Blonde Ale
Midnight Sun Arctic Devil
Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad
St. Bernardus Abt 12 60th Anniversary
Firestone Walker Abacus
Firestone Walker Parabola
Lagunitas Gnarly Wine 2009
Dogfish Head Noble Rot
Weyerbacher Whiskey Barrel Aged
Olde Hickory The Event Horizon 2011
New Glarus Enigma
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Rodenbach Vintage 2007
Rodenbach Vintage 2008
Rodenbach Vintage 2009
Chimay Grand Reserve 2000
Cigar City Jose Marti
Ithaca Alphalpha
Upland Gilgamesh
The Bruery Otiose
Russian River Row 2 Hill 56
Brooklyn Brewery Blue Apron Ale
Cigar City Hunaphu's Imperial Stout
Pretty Things X Ale Nov. 22, 1838
Marshall Wharf Bourbon Barrel Aged McFindlay Scotch Ale 2010
Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak (rum barrel aged)

This might seem like a crazy amount to drink but we were all giving ourselves really small pours.  Mainly, I didn't want to get too tipsy and I wanted to make sure that eveyone got to try each bottle.  I had an awesome time sampling new beers and thoroughly enjoyed ones that I've had before.  This event was a great spot to meet people and catch up with old friends while trying an excellent assortment of special and rare brews.  Thanks to everyone who attended for bringing out some of their best.  Can't wait to do it again SOON! 

Here's a big thank you to Jared, Mat, and the crew at 943 for organizing this event and making it happen.  Cheers! 

http://phillytapfinder.com/

http://www.phillybeerscene.com/

http://943byob.webs.com/apps/location/

Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)

Over the past couple of years, Odell has become my favorite brewery in Colorado.  I first tried their beer (IPA, Saboteur, Woodcut #4) in 2010 when Capone's hosted Odell's first East Coast event...I've been hooked ever since! 

As soon as we arrived at the brewery, we grabbed an outdoor table and ordered some flights.  I went with the Co-Pilot Tray which contained the following beers:

- Harmonium (golden/ blonde ale)
- Double Pilsner
- Leprechaun Flute (pale ale, "hop-backed session beer")
- Locale Belgian Saison
- Myrcenary Double IPA (my highlight of the flight)
- Hiverano American Wild Ale

After enjoying the tasty flight I ordered a large glass of Wooden Owl, which was probably my favorite beer of the day.  Wooden Owl is an oak-aged double pilsner.  The brewery's website explains, "2nd use toasted oak barrels once filled with an IPA pilot beer.  The IPA was then emptied and Double Pilsner went in right after capturing a little bit of the fruity flavors the IPA left behind. This beer has a unique and refreshing flavor with nice vanilla oak hints."  I usually like my pilsners to be as simple and pure as possible but this beer blew me away!  The barrel aging worked wonders on this delicious brew.  Capturing lots of oak and hop character, Wooden Owl managed to be complexly balanced, smooth and extremely drinkable. 

I couldn't complete a visit to the Odell Brewery without having a pint of their standard IPA at its freshest.  I've had this excellent IPA a bunch of times in bottle, but this was my first time on tap.  A mouthful of juicy hops bursting with waves of sweet, refreshing citrus continued with every sip and gulp until the sudsy bottom of the glass.  Such a perfect way to finish up our day at this awesome brewery!!  Hope to see you again soon, Odell.     

http://odellbrewing.com/

Funkwerks (Fort Collins, CO)

Paying a visit to Funkwerks was one of the main reasons we took a day trip out to Fort Collins during our vacation in Denver.  After spending the majority of the afternoon at Odell Brewing Co., we sort of cut into our allotted time at Funkwerks.  Basically, we had less then a half hour to put down everything we wanted to try.  Mission accomplished!  When pressed for time, it's hard not to persevere when you're gazing down into an inviting array of colorfully-filled snifters.   

(L to R): Black Cherry Codename: Ron Burgundy, Codename: Ron Burgundy, Codename: Farmhouse, Tropic King, Saison

Each beer we tried was really tasty and there was no clear favorite - just a great selection of amazing brews!  Everything was pretty delicious but the most unique offering of the day was the Codename: Ron Burgundy.  Commercial description from Funkwerks website: "This beer is based on the recipe for an Oud Brune. Instead of fermenting it with a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria, which would have produced a sour beer, we fermented it with a Belgian yeast and aged it for several months in French oak red wine barrels. The result is a dark reddish-brown beer with aromas of tart cherries, dark fruit, and a bit of toasty malt. The flavor is a balance of a slightly tart dark fruit and slightly sweet toasty malt. Oak tannins make the beer finish dry with a complex fruity flavor that lingers on the palate. Stay class, Fort Collins."  I preferred this version to the Black Cherry Codename: Ron Burgundy, which was Codename: Ron Burgundy infused with black cherries.       

While I wish I could've spent more time at the Funkwerks taproom, I'm just happy that I had the opportunity to try some of their awesome beer straight from the source.     

Dogfish Head Festina Pêche

I was looking for a light, refreshing brew to compete against the rising late-June heat and decided to open a bottle of Festina Pêche.  Dogfish Head took the core qualities of a traditional Berliner Weisse and added their own spin to concoct this brewery coined "neo-Berliner".  Festina Pêche is a nice summer beer but seems to be lacking something that could push it to the next level.  For being one of the most experimental breweries out there, Dogfish Head stayed too close to the middle of the road on this one.  After each sip, I was hoping for the initial taste of tart peach and citrus zest to be to more pronounced and amplified.  I would've also preferred a crisp, lingering sourness as opposed to the mild, abrupt finish.  While I didn't find this beer to be amazing, it was still relatively very good and an absolute steal at $9.99 per 4-pack.  I really can't think of any other brew representing this style that you'd be able to find for $2.50 a bottle.  Festina Pêche ranks much higher for me as a satisfying summertime option than a top Berliner-styled beer.  Not my favorite offering from Dogfish Head, but definitely a solid brew that I'd gladly drink again.       

From the Dogfish Head website: "In addition to fermentation with an ale yeast, Berliner Weisse is traditionally fermented with lactic cultures to produce its acidic (or green apple-like) character. Served as an apertif or summertime quencher, Festina is delicately hopped and has a pale straw color. To soften the intense sourness, Berliner Weisse is traditionally served with a dash of essence of woodruff or raspberry syrup.
In Festina Peche, since the natural peach sugars are eaten by the yeast, the fruit complexity is woven into both the aroma and the taste of the beer so there is no need to doctor it with woodruff or raspberry syrup. Just open and enjoy!"

Central City Red Betty IPA

Over the past few months I've been keeping a steady supply of this tasty, solid brew in our fridge.  Originally sold as Red Racer, it's now labelled as Red Betty in an effort to settle a dispute with California's Bear Republic Brewery.  Central City Brewing Comapny is based out of Canada (Surrey, BC) and up there this beer is still going under the original name, Red Racer.  Enough legal talk, time for beer talk! 

The main thing I like about Red Betty is the great balance that translates into easy drinkability. Golden amber in hue, this beer is not a hop bomb but a very evenly weighed out IPA.  Lots of piney hops up front that transition smoothly into a bready malt backing.  The borderline ripe grapefruit citrus notes leave behind a lingering aftertaste of pleasant hop bitterness.  Red Betty is a refreshing, medium-bodied brew that I find to be almost sessionable despite its 6.5% abv.

This award winning Canadian brewery has put out one of the best canned IPA's I've had in a long time.  Bring it to a BBQ to share with your hop-loving friends, take it camping, or keep it at home for a great year-round standby.  Red Betty is definitely worth seeking out!

http://www.centralcitybrewing.com/

Dark Horse Brewing Co. at Hawthorne's

I went to the Hawthorne's Dark Horse Brewing Company event with the goal of trying one specific beer.  Considering I only had time for one drink, this plan worked out pretty well.  Even better was that the beer I wanted to try, Bourbon-Barrel Aged Plead the 5th, was surprisingly still flowing when I arrived.  This barrel-aged Imperial Stout was a glass of pure deliciousness!  Waves of soothing bourbon heat were soon joined with a mouthful of chocolate, oak and warm vanilla. Almost tasting similar at times to the qualities of a whiskey-soaked brownie or a slice of dense, chocolate cake.  The heavy bourbon presence provided a strong base of flavor but never came off as too boozy or overwhelming.  From the first sip until the final drop, this was just an outstanding beer.  Bourbon-Barrel Aged Plead the 5th will definitely be added to my list as one of the top barrel-aged stouts around.     

http://hawthornecafe.com/

http://www.darkhorsebrewery.com/

Hill Farmstead/ Grassroots at The Boilermaker

Hill Farmstead and Grassroots at The Boilermaker?  YES!!  This was indeed my most anticipated event of Beer Week and it panned out to be everything I was hoping for.  What a perfect combination of excellent brews with an inviting atmosphere to enjoy them.  Great beer, great bar!

At this point, I consider Hill Farmstead to be one of the absolute best breweries around.  Compared with other Eastern states, their IPAs are basically unparalleled.  I've pretty much loved every beer I've had from them in the past and I was excited to try many more of their offerings during this event.

Grassroots Brewing is a subsidiary of Hill Farmstead that has previously collaborated with many other notable breweries (Mikkeller, Tired Hands, Cigar City, and more).  It appears that Grassroots is a gypsy project as I read they operate "as a client brewer at Fanø Bryghus" in Nordby, Denmark.

My friend, Troy, and I arrived before the place got packed and we grabbed two seats in the center of the upstairs bar.  My goal was to try everything on tap and that's exactly what we did (minus Citra which oddly was the first beer to kick).  One of the many things I like about The Boilermaker is that in addition to normal-sized servings, they also offer small glasses of everything that is pouring on draft.  This made it possible to try everything we wanted and not be a collective sloppy mess by the end of the night.  Thoughtful move by management that I wish more bars would pick up on. 

Sooooo, here's what we got into:

Hill Farmstead 
- Abner (Double IPA)
- Everett (caramel and chocolate malt Porter)
- Myth of Saison (Tired Hands collab, Saison brewed with 240 lbs. of VT and PA honey)
- Society and Solitude #2 (Imperial Black IPA)
- Society and Solitude #3 (experimental Double IPA)
- Florence (Belgian inspired Wheat)
- Edward (unfiltered American Pale Ale)
- What is Enlightenment? (Simcoe, Amarillo- hopped American Pale Ale)

Grassroots
- Tired Hands Wachu Saison (brewed w/ Thai red rice, peppercorns, and yuzu)
- Keep on Cruisin' Buddy (Berliner Weisse)
- Tired Hands Do Saisons Dream of Electric Yeast? (Dark Saison)
- Mikkeller Wheat is the New Hops (Wheat, Brett IPA)
- Kolding Bryglaug KolVal (Belgian Pale Ale w/ Orval Yeast)

WOW!!!  As expected everything was incredible, with the minor exception of KolVal which I thought was a bit muted especially with the addition of the Orval yeast.  Still a good beer, just not on par with the rest of night.  Abner is one the best DIPAs around but Society and Solitude #3 was right on its tail.  Two fantastic beers I'd love to see around here more often!  They were also the only brews that we ordered a second round of during our mammoth session.  Edward is an amazing Pale Ale that always tastes as fresh as can be. What is Enlightenment? blew me away with its balance of hops and intense citrus fruit juiciness. Wachu's complex array of flavors combined to make a deliciously balanced citrus, spicy saison.  I'm not a huge fan of black IPAs but Society and Solitude #2 was one of the best examples of this style that I've yet to try. Just an awesome mix of flavors highlighted by roasted malt, coffee, grapefruit and piney hops.  Wheat is the New Hops had a nice blend of funk, citrus and hoppiness that provided a solid balance without getting carried away.  The tart, fruity refreshing taste of Keep on Cruisin' Buddy was a great palate cleanser after downing a few of the stronger-bodied beers.  Some of these brews were clearly better than others but the overall margin ranged from great to excellent. 

Here's a huge thanks to Shaun Hill for bringing all of these superb beers down to Philly (please make these available on a regular basis). Another thanks to The Boilermaker for making this event possible. Last but certainly not least, thanks to Stefany and Alyssa for keeping things flowing and running smooth amongst a very crowded upstairs bar.  Cheers!   

http://www.hillfarmstead.com/

http://www.theboilermakerbar.com/