SAVOR 2022, Part Deux - All The Other Great Beers of the Night!

 STANDOUTS AND CURIOSITIES

Here I'll talk about some of the night's standout beers as well as some curious, funky, weird beers that deserve a wider audience. I do commend all brewers in attendance for showing up, though, and this does not represent all of what SAVOR had to offer. 

Side Project Brewing, Maplewood, MO - "Oude Fermier"

I'm a sucker for Flemish-style ales so immediately I had to visit Side Project. Based just south of St. Louis, Missouri, Side Project has a ton of fruit beers, bieres de garde, and Flemish ales. They brought a barleywine and the "Oude Fermier", a 7.00% ABV farmhouse ale aged in Chardonnay barrels for a total of 12 months, mixing with wild Missouri yeast and bacteria before bottling. Once bottled, it was conditioned for another 6 months before release. 

Golden and hazy in the glass, I'm getting lots of delicious apple cider vinegar notes - flavor is super tangy, pungent, and dry. I love it. Some beers of this style are excessively fruity; this one has little fruit at at all and presents a strong yeasty flavor with the familiar farmhouse funkiness. a little winey, maybe, good acidity. A complex saison and fans of traditional Flemish ales will find this most pleasing. 

Odd Breed Wild Ales, Pompano Beach, FL - "Tilling Time"

Odd Breed is new this year, and being a huge fan of wild ales, I had to visit. All of their beers are fermented with a mixed culture of wild yeast and bacteria, and then aged in oak barrels. This is similar to the lambics and farmhouse-style ales of Belgium, which is a style that American producers are not attempting in any large numbers due to the time, effort, and craft such styles require. 

"Tilling Time" is a Lambic-inspired wild ale, which spent 16 months in French oak puncheons (a size of oaken barrel containing 104 gallons, or just less volume than a "butt" but more than a "hogshead." No I did not make that up.) After this, "Tilling Time" spends almost half a year in freshly-emptied Ardbeg 10-year Scotch barrels. 

And damn, can you taste that Islay character! The beer presents heavy notes of peat and earth, with some stone fruit and cantaloupe making a tiny appearance at the end. Acidity is more or less middle-of-the road, but the real star here is that peat character. Very good job on this one!

(photo credit: Kyle L. on Untappd as my photos did not come out)

Cheluna Brewing Co., Aurora, CO - "Chupa Guava"

You may recall Cheluna from my 2019 coverage...Javi and Jennifer Perez were back with their chelas sabrosas, bright colors, and elaborate labels and coasters. They're back, thankfully, and Cheluna's quality of beer, commitment to community, and vibrant colors all make this one of my favorite breweries to see. I follow them on Facebook, despite living thousands of miles away, and they have some really neat, community-driven events...lotería, dancing classes, terrarium building...all sorts of things I'd love to try. So obviously I'm super happy they're back.

Today they're pouring "Chupa Guava", a 5.50% ABV blonde ale made with guava. The name here is a play on words, referencing Mexico's mythical chupacabra. Crisp and refreshing, and the guava adds a nice tropical dash of sweetness and fruit. This is the kind of beer you can enjoy for hours, and the texture is just perfect - the guava "persists", as Javi says, and presents throughout the beer in both aroma and taste. 

My only regret is that I'm not closer to Cheluna...maybe someday soon I'll make it out to Colorado! Thanks Jennifer and Javi, as always, for everything!

Javi and I!

The Bruery, Plascentia, CA - "Portified Black Tuesday"

The Bruery is back again, bringing another rare offering from their cellar. This is the "Portified Black Tuesday", a 17.90% ABV Port barrel-aged imperial stout made with syrah must. They aged it for multiple years, blending and refining, before bottling in 2021. 

Woof, I mean, ~18% is pretty wild and I would expect nothing less. The Bruery has always brought super-heavy beers to SAVOR. 

It's served somewhat warm, which I think is a good call. Sweet and heavy, and sweeter than I typically go for. But just like a glass of port, it's a fine dram - boozy, a bit oaky, and very warming. There's no carbonation to speak of, just viscous, oily liquid, and meant to be sipped as a digestif. The food pairing here is sticky toffee pudding, which works perfectly - and in fact, I had seconds.

 These 500mL bottles go for $55 a pop, if you can find them, so definitely a rare beer.  

Fremont Brewing Co., Seattle, WA- "Ye Olde Centaur"

Fremont, my old Seattle standby. I've been to their taproom a few times and have reviewed their beers many times over the years. A solid Seattle choice, led by Sara Nelson (now on the Seattle City Council!) and husband Matt Linthicum, head brewer. Matt was here this time.

This is their "Ye Olde Centaur", a 10.00% ABV barrel-aged English-style barleywine made in memory of Matt Bonney, a bigtime Seattle beer guy who I actually met a few times at Bottlewerks. He was a lover of Scotch, cigars, beer, and whiskey, so this beer is made in his memory and honor using some of those ingredients. 

It's full of molasses, brown sugar, toffee and nougat with a hefty dose of oak, vanilla, and wood. A little "chewy", as I like to say, requiring a few moments of swishing in the mouth to fully appreciate the flavors. There's a touch of raisins there, too. 

This is the kind of beer to pour into a snifter on a fall day and watch the sun set over Mount Rainier, sipping and savoring the complex spice character that the 10yr American (Buffalo Trace) and Scottish whiskey barrels impart. Regrettably, Matt is not here to try it, but at least we can raise a glass in his memory.

Dogfish Head Brewing Co., Milton, DE - "Fermentation Engastration"

Dogfish Head is the second largest "craft" brewery in the US and responsible for hundreds of beers over the years, and founder Sam Calagione is considered one of the titans of brewing in the US. They're here with a few offerings, most interestingly the "Fermentation Engastration", a 10.00% ABV experimental ale brewed in collaboration with Gastro Obscura.

They call this the "Turducken" of beer, and I guess that makes sense: the first brewed rose sake, then into that added honey to make mead, then added apple cider from Angry Orchard to ferment that into cider, then added Muscat grape must and topped off with Belgian-style saison. And voila, it's...beer? 

Kind of an odd (tur)duck(en), if you ask me. There's an interesting nose on this one for sure, pretty muddled - full bodied, sort of like a light trippel, some stone fruit, but an odd effervescence...floral on the back end for sure, which could be the sake. 

Keenan says outstanding! I like it but would probably want to enjoy it on its own at some point, not while having other beers. 

Hi-Wire Brewing Co., Asheville, NC - "Japanese-Style Dry Rice Lager"

Hi-Wire's originally facility is next to a sake brewery, so they used koji (rice with mold spores) to make this lager. It's clean, crisp, and bone-dry, a nice everyday drinker. It's super clear, too! Sort of the lager version of Stillwater Artisanal's "Sake-style Saison." Might be a wonderful everyday drinker and highly worth trying, especially for people that like clean, almost-flavorless beer. That's not at all to say it's bad, in fact, achieving this kind of clarity is a rare feat. I'd also pair this with spicy food. 

Here's me having a chat with the brewer!

Site 1 Brewing Co., Omaha, NE - "Cerna Dira"

Site 1 came to SAVOR last time, I believe and most of their beers are retro space-themed. Here, they're serving up the "Cerna Dira", a 4.60% ABV dark lager. 

"Cerna Dira" is Czech for "black hole", and is Site 1's alternative to their regular Czech lager. I do like the dark lager style, and this one does not disappoint...it's off-dry, less malty than expected, a little roasty, but soft and easy-drinking. It's a dark lager, as opposed to a lagered stout. Does that make sense? Served with lamb and polenta, I love the combination of savory, malty, and herbs. 

Land-Grant Brewing Co, Columbus, OH -  "Macha Mochi Sour" 

Land-Grant out of Columbus was here, serving up one of the more unique beers of the night - "Macha Mochi Sour", a 4.50% ABV American sour made with vanilla, mochi powder, milk, and rice flour. 

Very interesting! A touch creamy, herbal, and soft, it's far less bitter than most macha I've had. Very peculiar, in a good way, and hard to describe. It's almost like a matcha vanilla milkshake mixed with a beer. My vote for most off-the-wall beer of the night, and something I'd like to try again in a more focused environment. Fans of sours should be cautioned that this isn't super sour.

Final Thoughts

SAVOR was pretty solid. Although the feel has changed over the last few years, I still think it's a worthwhile event. Breweries from all over the US come to this festival, and since many of those breweries do not distribute nationwide, attendees get a chance to try beers they would never be able to otherwise. 

I do have to temper my remarks with a few suggestions for improvement - I felt the layout was far too crowded and the aisles too narrow to really interact with brewers. There was a lot of line-cutting and the staff tasked with delivering food often, quite forcefully, pushed past attendees and hefted hot steaming plates far too close to guests. While some of that is unavoidable, I felt if the event was smaller (fewer brewers, larger space) that might mitigate that. A fun part of this event is spending time with brewers and learning about their products (and, as media, conducting interviews!) and small spaces don't make that super easy. 

But in any event, I had fun, Keenan had fun, and I am very thankful to be asked back. I hope that next year, some logistical changes are made, and I look forward to another successful event in 2023. 

(photo credit: the Brewer's Association)

SAVOR 2022! All-You-Can-Drink Beer Fest in the Nation's Capitol Returns (Part 1)

 SAVOR is back! I first got wind of this through the grapevine back in December, and after a few months of patiently waiting, was once again granted a media pass to cover the event. 

For those of you unfamiliar: for many years, SAVOR is a project of the Brewers Association, an early-summer gourmet food / beer pairing event held annually in Washington, DC. Hundreds of brewers from across the US travelled to our nation's capital to lobby Congress, network, and showcase their two favorite beers at this capstone event. In the past, it's been held at the National Building Museum right near Judiciary Square, and is now returning after a two-year hiatus for obvious reasons. I've been lucky to attend now four times: 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. This year, it's held at The Anthem, DC's famed waterfront venue. 

Aside from each brewery bringing two beers they want to show off, they also have food — the Brewers Association executive chef Adam Dulye and his team creates little bites to accompany, and amplify, the beverages. I reached out to Adam about this philosophy in pairing the canapés with the beer:

"From a chef perspective it is a challenging and fun process....from the outside looking in it may come across as a bit head-scratching 'it’s beer and food is that necessary?"

Well, of course, food and booze go along well with each other, and food certainly pairs with beer! Not to mention the benefits of not drinking on an empty stomach. And so as the breweries choose which beers to bring, Chef Dulye begins to assemble a team of chefs from across the US, who send in multiple menu ideas - before the beers are chosen. Once they finalized the beer information, Chef and his team began slimming the menu down. 

"We ended up narrowing the menu down to 60ish items, and then began lining them all up to menu items. The goal is to have no menu item to the same style more than a few times, and in most cases get a few different styles in to one menu item. That way when [guests] taste the same dish with a different beer, [they] get a different reaction." 

Then, of course, they have to order all the materials and cook up thousands of little bites for the hungry patrons of SAVOR. In the past, there's been such a neat spectrum of food - meat, seafood, veggie options, chocolate cake, coconut cream...this time, they've got everything from lava cake to lobster, pit beef to tacos, burnt ends with fennel, and more. 

Like the last few times, I relied on local beer aficionado Alex's comprehensive spreadsheet, which he makes each year for the event. This spreadsheet has all the info one would need to plan one's visit - table locations, styles of beer, ABV, classification, even score on Untappd. There are too many beers for one individual to try in one night, so we need to be choosy. My method was to pick out both breweries I know and love and styles that I'm interested in - and then permitting time to explore and try new things that might be surprising. 

Accompanying me tonight is former colleague and good friend Keenan, who has been known to enjoy a beer or two now and again. We sat down before the event, went through our spreadsheets, and got our list ready. 

20 minutes in an Uber later, and here we are: zero-hour at the Anthem. 

I'm breaking my SAVOR coverage into two parts - introduction and Best in Show, and then another post about the other fun stuff I encountered. In terms of my reviews, I don't like "ranking" things but I wanted to share my personal favorites of the night and those I believe did a fantastic job. I will not be reviewing all the beers I tried, nor are they all the ones worth having - I had a lot of tasty beverages this night that I'd be happy to revisit again down the road.

Without further ado, the SAVOR 2022 champion:

BEST IN SHOW

Drekker Brewing Co. - Fargo, North Dakota

Although every brewery did something right, best in show for SAVOR 2022 goes to Mark Bjornstad and Drekker Brewing Co. out of Fargo, ND. I believe this was Drekker's first time at SAVOR, and they really knocked it out of the park. 

Founded in 2014, Drekker is located right in downtown Fargo, not too far south from North Dakota State University. I've never been, but Google Street View shows a pretty rad-looking building and a neat outdoor patio. My thought was it would be too cold to sit outside in Fargo in the winter, but looks like there are firepits. 

They've got a *gorgeous* taproom, as well, with some solid Nordic beer-hall vibes. I personally love the industrial look, and converted factories are super cool. Also, they have pinball machines.

Drekker's taproom. Epic. Photo credit: Todd Shea, 2021 (via Google)

We'll get to their appearance at SAVOR in a minute, but first a big shout out to the brewery's artwork, done by local artist Punchgut Studios. Punchgut does their beer labels, as well, and man what a cool set of stickers on those cans! I love the aesthetic. 

According to their website, and despite battle-ready, horned mascot, the they aim to "do good, give back, and unpillage" by staying active in the community. Aside from river cleanups and other events, they have donated over $80,000 to local non-profits - a good sign of community involvement, which is hallmark for many sustaining breweries.

So here's my criteria for best-in-show, and I'll explain why Drekker excelled:

1. Thoughtful, inventive, exciting beer. I don't like boring, unless you can explain what you're doing. I also prefer to see some unique and funky styles. Some breweries opt to bring basic, core beers to this event and I don't understand it.
2. Good beer. Trying and not hitting the mark is fine, but don't bring that stuff to SAVOR.
3. Attitude. Come with a smile and a sense of humor!
4. Knowledge. I love hearing about the process and procedure for each beer, so telling me "you're not sure what's in it" isn't cool. 

So on to Drekker, perched on the second level, stage left, kind of where I like to stand during Anthem performances. Clad in a tuxedo t-shirt, but regrettably not wearing a horned Viking helmet, Mark was on hand to pour his two beers of the night: 

• "Coconut Killer Secret Handshake Milkshake", a 7.00% ABV experimental IPA
• "Narfle the Garthak", a 10.00% ABV wood-aged beer

...or at least that's what the SAVOR guide said. There's always more to the story, so let's find out.

• "Coconut Killer Secret Handshake Milkshake": My research shows this is part of a wider lineup of Secret Handshake Milkshake IPAs they make. All fruit / dessert themed. I start with this one, and it's opaque in the glass with a strong orange Creamiscle vibe. Looks lactose to me. Made w Sabro hops, fresh toasted coconut, and vanilla bean, this beer is lovely! I admit I'm somewhat wary of lactose IPAs, but when done right - as this is - it's awesome. The coconut comes through, nice and bright, and the sugar they use softens up the flavors and makes it creamy. The coconut is tastes natural and not sweet, which I prefer. Finish on the beer is rather short and pretty snappy, which isn't a bad thing.

2. Narfle the Garthak - the description provided by SAVOR doesn't do this justice. It's a 10.00% ABV imperial pastry stout, aged eighteen months in Stranahan’s & Old Fitzgerald whiskey barrels, then conditioned on banana, peanut butter, cacao nibs, cinnamon, marshmallows, Graham crackers, honey, and milk sugar. Wow. This "kitchen sink" approach is a risky gamble, so let's see how they do.

Dark as the night is long, smells like banana French toast (Keenan coined that.) 

Oh man, this so wild. It's perfect. Just perfect. Silky smooth, full of natural-tasting flavors, warming, mouth-coating. Bright, milky, fresh, not too sweet, and all the flavors listed above make an appearance. It's like warm banana nut bread slathered in Nutella. I had three. Three! Keenan and I immediately started singing the praises to other attendees, and convinced a few to try these beers. The wood barrel age softens out the "base" beer pretty well, and you do get some of the vanillins in there, but the stars of the show are the banana and peanut butter. Luscious, full, velvety, and soft, and the finish lingers for a long time. Cinammon, malts, and peanuts are what I get most from the finish. 

Few beers really strike my fancy like this one does. Narfle is perhaps one of the finer stouts I have a had in a long, long time. Something to enjoy in a big snifter in front of the fire on a snowy night. Something to have on a sultry summer night at the beach, watching the waves and feeling the salt air on one's face. Something to have on a crisp autumn afternoon, listening to the wind blow dry leaves across the yard.

Sorry, this was really good.

So Drekker took best-in-show because Mark did a great job bringing two delicious, unique beers to the event, was on hand to describe them and talk about the process, and didn't rely on gimmicks or an overweighed reputation (as some brewers do) to make up for any potential shortfall. He was cool to just chill out, talk to us, and his explanations of the beer didn't seem...canned, no pun intended. Drekker seems like the kind of place I would hang out often, were I to live in Fargo. 

Fantastic job, Mark - your beers are awesome and I wish I could try the other stuff you do. With that, Drekker is king of the hill for this year's SAVOR, and stay tuned for my next post where I dive into all the other standouts, standbys, and oddities I came across.

WSET II - test taken! Now we wait.

 Well, I'd been meaning to update everyone more on my progress but it really went by quite quickly...I'd say I did about 13 hours of study time across the entire course. It was all asynchronous, which worked well for my schedule and allowed me to complete the modules and assessments at night or on weekends when I was most free. There were some tasting note activities, which I regrettably did not participate in fully. Overall I thought the program was well-laid out, a good mix of visuals, activities, animations, videos, and texts. I also thought the material was specific enough to gain a solid, deep understanding of spirits but not too specific as to lose an appreciation for the material. 

I took my remotely-invigilated test last Wednesday, and aside from one time when the stupid automatic office light turned off, everything went smoothly. There were only a handful of exam questions that I did not immediately know the answer to, but I was able to give an educated guess. I'm aiming for the award With Distinction, the highest honor, but we'll see. 

The test organizers need to send my test recording to some 3rd party company, who will review it and get the scores back. They said it could take up to 10 weeks, which is frankly ridiculous, but it is what it is. I'll keep you all posted!

Glen Manor Vineyards - 2018 petit manseng

Today's wine is a 13.50% ABV white which I purchased on a whim at Irving Wines & Spirits in Mt. Pleasant. It's made by Glen Manor in Front Royal, VA, and is a single-varietal of the grape Petit Manseng. I touched a bit on Virginia wines off and on on the blog, and it's something worth investigating. Obviously the range of wines produced is not that of many other places in the world, but wines made in Virginia can certainly be intriguing. Most of the Virginia wines I've had are from Barboursville or those in Loudoun County; this one is to the west in Warren County.

I'd never heard of the winemaker nor the grape, so going in blind. But that's part of the fun!

It's a light gold color in the glass and gives of a mild, neutral floral aroma - sort of like flowers after a big breeze. In terms of taste, I'm getting some sweet Comice pear, a touch of grapefruit, and some white grape skin (cassis) flavors. There's a touch of butter on the texture that softens up the acidity...and that makes sense; in my research, it appears Petit Manseng is a late-harvest white grape grown mostly in France, where it's often left on the vine late into the year to produce dessert wines (think Saunteres). I don't think it's malolactic; the finish wasn't particularly coating, but wasn't thin either. 

It's neat. I like it. It's middle-of-the-road in a lot of ways, but that is to its credit I think. Some folks look down on Virginia wines as bitter or rough, but I think that's a mistake; as the boom of craft wineries continues, you'll see more and more wines being made in Virginia and you might just find something new and neat. In fact, in 2020, Wine Spectator named Glen Manor's petit manseng as one of the top 100 wines to discover. So there you go! You can visit Glen Manor's website here.

WSET II - next step, certification!

So for a few years, I've played around with the idea of getting more formal wine & spirits education. While there's a ton of free information out there - and a lot of it can be picked up on-the-job or through self-study - there also exists certification programs such as the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, the Cicerone program, and the Society of Wine Educators....not to mention the venerable Court of Master Sommeliers.

Last year, I completed the PernodRicard BarSmarts program, which was pretty intense and covered everything from proper bar management, the history of spirits and cocktails, comprehensive recipes, and proper mixology. Although I'm not behind the bar, I felt it was a fulfilling and interesting course, especially the part about keeping a bar and managing one's mis-en-place: where the best place for ice is (and how to make it!), how to store one's tools for easy access, and how to best handle guests and provide top-notch service. This program is recognized in the industry but is meant for service-focused staff, which I'm not (although I might have some news on that shortly, too!)

Therefore, I've decided to enroll in the Wine & Spirits Education Trust's Level II Award in Spirits course, which began on May 16th. It's a 5-week intensive course, covering the *technical* aspects of distilling: the tools, methods, hardware, and molecular chemistry surrounding the creation of distilled spirits. The course is going to be tough, and I will have to sit for a remote-invigilated exam in order to pass, but when I do I'll be ready to continue my work in the wine & spirits industry with a greater understanding of the complexities surrounding spirits. They also have programs on sake, wines, and sub-specializations on Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y.

So far, so good - I'm about two weeks in, and diving deep into the various distillation methods and what the constituent parts of a distillate is - "heads, hearts, and tails" and the different things distillers can do throughout the process to balance and extract "congeners", or flavors. It's really quite interesting but a lot of work! 

To help me study, I'm enjoying a juniper peppercorn saison from Ardent Craft Ales. Saisons work well as a canvas for herbs and other flavorings; peppercorns are a common ingredient but the addition of juniper is most welcome. It's clearer than I was expecting, but still fresh and delicious!

Weekly Cocktail: "To Life and Adventure" at Dovetail / Viceroy Hotel DC

I recently visited Dovetail, executive chef James Gee's newest creation on the first floor of the Viceroy Hotel. It's part of a class of 14th St-(adjacent) restaurants I like - refined, elegant, but also lacking the stifling pretentiousness that certain high-end spots seem to exude. During my visit, Chef was kind enough to come and check on me as I was eating, my meal consisting of a wide spread of what the kitchen has to offer: New York strip steak; asparagus soup with egg and brioche; quinoa salad; and an array of small bar bites like pork cracklings, hush puppies, and kimchi deviled eggs. 

I've always said that one of my favorite parts about a restaurant or bar cocktail experience is seeing what fun and funky spirits the mixologist is slinging. I'm somewhat of an omnivore when it comes to spirits, with few things I really don't like or use (in that arena, anything that goes into the cloyingly-sweet Godiva liqueurs and goofy cruise-ship "tropical" neon-colored nonsense.) To open my meal at Dovetail, I chose their "To Life and Adventure", a fitting name for my personal DC philosophy.

"To Life and Adventure" is a mix of pisco, Pedro Ximenez sherry, Palo Cortado sherry, strawberry puree, lemon, vanilla. I'm a sucker for cocktails made with fortified wines, so it was a natural choice.

The cocktail is served in a pilsner-style glass and topped with fresh strawberry garnish and a huge sheaf of fresh mint. The cocktail itself is served over ice, and the strawberry, lemon, and vanilla gave it a really neat fruit-smoothie vibe. The blend of sherries, PX being sweet and dark with dried-fruit notes, and Palo Cortado taking on a dry, delicate profile of walnuts. The oxidized nature of the wine is perfect to blend with sweet, pulpy fruit, and makes for a fantastic summer sipper. Too bad their rooftop, Hush, isn't open yet! 

Do yourself a favor and check out Dovetail: 1430 Rhode Island Ave, NW, Washington DC. 

Weekly Cocktail: "Lucy Goosey"

Hello, is this thing on? 

It's been on a hot minute since I've been posting, totally my fault, as I've been focusing mostly on my magazine writing. I'm easing off that a bit as I am super busy at my day-job, so I get time to maybe visit my blog. Whew. What a busy year!

Here's today's cocktail, the "Lucy Goosey", named for my upstairs neighbor's dog Lucy.

Here's how to make it: 

• 2oz dark rum (I used Cotton & Reed's excellent PX Dark Rum)
• 0.5oz Pratt & Standard true ginger syrup
• 0.25oz lemon juice
• 4oz sparkling white wine (I use Trader Joe's Blancs de Blancs brut)
• 
  

Combine the first three ingredients in a julep shaker and shake over ice. Sift and pour into a flute and top with sparkling wine. Enjoy! I like the strong ginger flavor and mild bubbles from the wine. If you want something more effervescent, add 2oz of sparkling water and serve in a larger glass.