2019 CT Brewers Guild Beer Fest
This year there were some major improvements as well as some awesome craft beer to try and share. What a seriously fun afternoon.
Those glasses are ready for beer
We’ve gone over how cool the Brewers Guild is before, you can catch up if you feel behind.
So, the Brewers Guild hosts this beer fest full of wicked Connecticut beer for Connecticut people. Last year we had a great time sipping CT beer and thought the sour from 30 mile stole the show. This year, there was a fest with a lot more sour beers and a lot more space to spread out, chat about beer, and meet people.
We went with both the wives who, I think, had a good time too. So let’s take this a little at a time. Here are the high lights:
Huge Variety:
The state has 80 something breweries now and more than 60 of them were pouring their best brews at Oakdale this Saturday. We didn’t splurge on the VIP tickets, which gives you access to some limited beer offerings. However, I didn’t feel like we missed out on anything. There were lots of IPAs, stouts, sours, lagers, and too many other styles to name.
What stood out:
In the wide variety of available New England IPAs there were lots of beers that, like the cream of the crop, rose to the top. Here are some:
Alvarium Clusternutter
This salted peanut butter stout was so good I felt compelled to give the woman who poured my tasting a solid high five. The salty peanut butter note is so perfect. Honorable consideration to Kinsmen’s peanut butter milk stout that, while a touch sweeter, had no shortage of big peanut butter flavor.
30 Mile Blueberry Sour
I have really been enjoying sours and this one really hit the spot. It had that little vanilla bite that comes along with blueberry sours sometimes.
Five Churches Cherry Wheat Ale “Früt Jüs”
A light fruity beer that tasted like... fruit, and.... juice. The wives loved it and went back for more.
East Rock Brewing
Everything they offered was crisp and clean and delicious. I think in a muddled crowd of hoppy pale ales, a perfectly lagered Helles and Weisse beer just stick out as awesome and refreshing.
The Grilled Cheese
While obviously not beer the grilled cheese we ate from The Whey Station food truck was far and beyond above par.
The number of beers I tried and enjoyed is really too many to list here. I will say that this beer fest gave me an increased desire to make a New Britain trip to check out Alvarium and Five Churches, who both were super impressive.
City Steam Brewery
This was a sleeper brewery for me today. City Steam has been around for a long while and always popular with Naughty Nurse but they have a whole new groove and presented two IPAs today that were incredible. I’ve enjoyed their stuff before but what they had going today has me excited for what they are working on.
Overall, a great day with good friends, and delicious beer. The brewers guild and the CT beer scene has me psyched for the future. Let me know what you thought, what was the best beer you tried? Cheers!
Cheers to next year!
