This year’s Sasquatch Brewfest had a much different tone than last year’s. Sure, the festival was still filled with craft beer enthusiasts hotly debating their favorite brews. But this time around there was another issue stealing much of the discussion; the venue. For the first time, Sasquatch moved indoors, away from Ken Kesey Plaza and into the Hilton Conference Center.
The hotel did a great job accommodating the brewfest, but it just wasn’t the right fit for Sasquatch. When my wife and I arrived shortly after the festival opened, the dim light, cavernous space and trolling hotel staff had the event feeling pretty somber; not at all the vibrant, community feel of Sasquatch. A guy in the restroom summed it up nicely (while taking a pre-folded paper towel from the little basket next to the sinks), “You know, I miss the port-o-johns and hand washing station. There is just too much gold trim in here.”
The fact that it was an uncharacteristically gorgeous Saturday was just salt in the wound. Much of our afternoon was spent ferrying drinks to the deck, where we could enjoy a few moments of sun, before returning to the cave for another brew. It’s never a good sign when you are constantly escaping the festival in order to enjoy it.
This year also brought about another change; the festival’s move from June to mid-May; the week before Oregon’s primary. This had Sasquatch at times feeling more like a Democratic convention than a brewfest. Floyd Prozanski spent the afternoon manning the Ninkasi taps while Peter Defazio chatted up patrons on the floor. There were also a large constituent of volunteers clad in lime-green “Team Bradbury” t-shirts; all of whom were sent into a frenzy by the arrival of their Lord, atop his noble steed.
Fortunately, as the day progressed and the drinks continued to flow, the mood lightened, despite the lights remaining dim. My wife and I were able to sample about half of the 50+ brews on-tap at this year’s festival. Here is a rundown of the stand-outs, both good and bad (and alphabetized).
Anderson Valley (?) – Toby Day Memorial Ale
This was a nice scottish ale, dedicated to the late Toby Day, an employee at Anderson Valley. I’m not positive the beer was produced by AVBC, it was tucked away in a corner, nowhere near the AVBC table where their Hug’r Boont was being poured. Nor was there any mention of the brew in the program. If anyone has any additional information about this beer, please share.
Deschutes – Jubel 2010
Jubel 2010 is still young and no where near as good as it will be in another year or two. Still, I am already a fan. The brew is still a touch on the sweet side, but has a great dry, vinous finish. Not only drinkable, but enjoyable young, unlike some of Deschutes other limited releases.
Ft. George – Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout
This was my favorite brew of the festival; a blend of both fresh and Wild Turkey bourbon barrel-aged Cavatica. The barrel-aged portion lent some great vanilla and oak notes to the already rich, roasty stout. Everything about this brew was smooth.
McMenamins High Street – Dragon’s Breathe
An English-style ale, fermented with Belgian yeast and christened Dragon’s Breathe. What the crap? Irony aside, this was a watery brew; void of flavor save for the tiny hint of Belgian yeast.
New Belgium – Lips of Faith: Eric’s Ale
This was my wife’s favorite brew; part sour ale, part Belgian blonde; aged in wooden fermenters for up to three years, then re-fermented with peach juice. It led off with a big blast of lactic sourness, then finished dry and spicy. While I was also a fan of Eric’s Ale, in general, the brew seemed to be more of a hit with women than men. Maybe Jeff was on to something with his previous assertion about the drinking preferences of the fairer sex.
Note: I really need to try more of the Lips of Faith brews; I was equally impressed with the Dark Heather Saison I tried at the KLCC brewfest earlier this year. Not sure why I keep passing them up.
Ninkasi – Kraken
Poured for me by Floyd Prozanski, Kraken is a creamy, oaty strong ale with a generous amount of piny hops. Oddly, for a strong ale named after a mythical sea monster, Kraken is one of Ninkasi’s milder brews (6.7% ABV, 55 IBUs). And while I liked the beer, -3 points for all the horrid “Release the Kraken” jokes.
Note: I haven’t settled on a point system yet, so a loss of three could very well be completely inconsequential.
Oakshire – Glen’s Hop Vice 2010
GHV ’09 was a Golden Promise and Amarillo double IPA SMaSH. This year Oakshire continued the single-hop tradition, hopping ’10 exclusively with Simcoe. The brew tasted as you would imagine; a resiny, pine-tar blast. I recently had a chance to try some ’09 and really enjoyed how it was tasting after a year; I imagine ’10 will fare as well. How about a vertical next year?
Ram – Ski Lifter
I honestly remember nothing about this beer. It was one of my last brews of the evening; consumed during the waning moments of sobriety. I only mention it because of the odd notes scribbled in my program. They consist of a bunch of stars, the words “trappist yeast” underlined in the program description and the word “Belgiany” (in quotations) written in the margin. It was my friend Jesse’s favorite beer of the festival, so maybe he’ll chime in and provide some much needed clarity.
Rogue – Chatoe Rogue Single Malt
A completely uninteresting blonde ale. Well, I guess being GYO certified is a little interesting, but not enough to save this brew.
Wakonda – Beachcomber Cream Ale
After having Wakonda’s wonderful imperial pilsner, Sneaker Wave at the KLCC brewfest, I had high hopes for Beachcomber. Unfortunately, it was a standard cream ale with a sweet, honey finish that seemed out of place.
Walkabout – Jabberwocky Strong Ale
Far from the worst brew I tried, but possibly the most disappointing. Gobs of chocolate malt and a lack of hops had Jabberwocky tasting like an average brown ale. The only thing “Strong” about it was the respectable ABV (7.2%).
Walking Man – 2009 & 2010 Sasquatch Legacy Project
’09 was a Belgian IPA; light and crisp, but muted in the hops department. ’10 on the other hand was hop-drenched imperial porter that somehow leveraged both a piny taste and aroma, from a collection of hops (Columbus, Centennial, Northern Brewer and Citra) that should not produce that characteristic. I am really looking forward to seeing what 2010 scholarship winners Dean Price (Icicle Brewing) and Jesse Shue (Hair of the Dog) come up with for next year.
With 15 brews, IPAs were, not surprisingly, the style most represented at the festival. It was also the one style I completely skipped, aside from the Oakshire and Walking Man tribute ales. Nothing against IPAs, I just wasn’t in the mood for them after my first three beers of the day turned out to be pine-bombs.
The one category that was surprisingly light was the Glen tribute ales. The program listed five: the two Walking Man Legacy Projects, Oakshire’s Glen’s Hop Vice 2010, Rogue’s Glen, and Eugene City Brewery’s Glen’s Toothy Grin. Unfortunately, the Rogue and ECB brews were nowhere to be found. Maybe I just missed them (it was a big place), or maybe I left before they were tapped. No matter the reason, you’d think the person manning the Rogue table would have been able to shed some light on the situation. When I asked about these brews, I was pointed to a board listing Chatoe Rogue and 200 Meter. Also, I’m not sure why Ninkasi decided not to brew a tribute ale this year. I believe they skipped out on the Cheers to Belgian Beers festival too. Maybe their hands full with the brewery expansion.
As for the homebrew contest, there were 61 entries, up from 50 last year. Dirk Baker won Best of Show with his Glen Tribute Ale, Menace. My Glen Tribute Ale, Strong Bad, received Honorable Mention (5th) in category, exceeding my goal of not last place.
So, here’s to Glen Hay Falconer and the wonderful festival his life has inspired. Hopefully we are back outdoors next year, and hopefully I remember to start my homebrew earlier.
Cheers!
Kevin