The sun was a bit warmer and the life of the crowd was elevated to a higher level. A Surley Darkness made its way up the line from a guy named Theo. The generousity of the people was amazing. A table surfaced and was placed next to the Hip Chicks Do Wine building across the street. Several rare and interesting bottles appeared. Some notables included Upland Blackberry Lambic, Alpine Ichabod, Midnight Sun Berzerker, Terrapin Roggin Rye, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Fred From the Wood, Heavy Weight Wee Whale (now defunct), 2005 Deschutes Mirror Mirror, Firestone Batch 1000, and even a Three Floyds Dark Lord. The generousity was uncanny to say the least. Before the doors opened to sell the Hair of the Dog brews, a beer fest had errupted outsideLooks like I missed a helluva time.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
An Amazing Scene
Angelo went to the Hair of the Dog dock sale and came away with fantastic pictures (including the requisite shot of a beer blogger in a Boston cap) and stories. One of those, "what if they held a beer sale and an improptu beer tasting of cellared beer from all over the world broke out?" deals.
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Great scene and an incredibly friendly crowd that turned a line into a tailgate party.
ReplyDeleteAt times the line was at least a hundred yards long so I have to mention this. How do you only have one slow dialup credit card machine given the crowd and price of the beer?
Don't get me wrong, I showed up at 8:00 AM so I was expecting to wait, but it still took me an hour to get through the line once the doors opened. That part was frustrating, but all in all a great scene and an amazing group of beer fans!
Nah, it wasn't that big a deal… it just gave us all more time to kiss Alan Sprints ass. :) Seriously, I'm fairly certain a large portion of the wait was from people chatting it up with the crew and/or deciding (hemming and hawing, myself a guilty party) whether they really wanted that $40 bomber of 2006 Rose (I guess I did… never got to try it without the Cassis, and I likely never will unless I can scrounge up at least 2-3 more people who might appreciate it); I know in my case the time it took for the credit card transaction didn't even enter into it. Besides, I kept plenty occupied at the "table." :D
ReplyDelete[republished from Brewpublic] I didn't get there 'till close to 9; I walked up to the HotD building looking for exactly that (having been to the previous HotD Earth Day dock sale and witnessed something similar - and significantly smaller), but all I saw at the time was the HotD crew serving breakfast and apple cider (the latter of which was quite tasty, the former I sadly wasn't expecting and had just grabbed McD's on the way) and a crowd of people (completely obscuring view of a table, BTW) hovering around the building next door at what appeared to be a "Hip Chicks Do Wine" tasting - as that was what the sign directly above the crowd read (or something to the effect). It wasn't until the doors opened and the crowd returned to their spot(s) in line that I saw out on what I had been missing; I would've loved to have tried that blackberry lambic. Still, I got to taste far more than my share (I had the worst headache later that day)… standouts include:
* Firestone Walker XII - like a smoother Top Sail (which was also there, didn't catch the year)… not even aged, just right off the shelf; now if I can find a shelf that has it, it will be mine.
* Home-brewed Wee Heavy - I didn't catch the name of the guy who brewed it, but I did catch the malted peet moss (or peet moss malt?) and bourbon-soaked oak chips in his description. Man, that was awesome.
* Goose Island 2006 Bourbon County Stout - having tried the 2008 just a scant 3 days prior, I can safely say this one will stand the test of time… I probably couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test.
* Vichtenaar Flanders Red - I thought Duchesse De Bourgogne was something of an anomaly, but this proves otherwise… its sour smell beguiles from its sweet taste. Not one of my favorites (I prefer sour or sweet from start to finish - Rodenbach Grand Cru or Avery's The Beast all the way; not as fond of the combination), but still an educational experience.
It was a great day - the sun was quite warm - and I got my half-case of Cherry Adam, of which I opened my first bottle last night… it was a bit lighter - or perhaps thinner - than I was expecting, but I imagine its body will build with time. The cherry and sherry were quite evident; not so much the bourbon, but it was definitely a smooth and effortlessly quaffed 10% from 54° to 68° (I probably took long enough for it to warm to room temperature). Definitely worth the trip; would do again.
-anónimo
With a crowd that keeps getting bigger each year and a line that stretches hundreds of people deep, it seems like another credit card machine or two is a no-brainer
ReplyDeleteI don't know about anyone else, but I'd happily pay an extra couple of bucks if they have to pass the cost on to us.
If nothing else it will let us get back to the beer sharing and tastings that much sooner!