Trevor Prosser reports on Calgary BeerFest 2007.
Calgary BeerFest 2007
review
Submitted by Trevor
Prosser
The
problem with covering a beer festival?
Remembering everything the next day.
I made my way down to the Big Four building on the Stampede grounds for the Calgary BeerFest, which ran from 8th-9th June, to find a huge crowd milling about outside. What the...?
I soon discovered that they had, in fact, sold out the event and there were no tickets left at the door.
So, with no tickets left at the door, you would expect the event to be packed - but it wasn't. Now granted, I got there around three o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday, but I was a little surprised by the sparse crowd. People continued to stream in throughout the day, while keeners like me enjoyed short lines.
In addition to the $15-20 "cover" to get in, people had to buy tickets for tasting. I was surprised to see tickets were only 50 cents - until I found that no beer was less than two tickets, and most were three. Still a cheap drink, mind you.
Now, as far as what beers I tried, I have to rely on a napkin, on which I scribbled my thoughts as I wandered from booth to booth. I first made my way to the Calgary-based Mountain Crest booth, and filled my mini-mug with a cold Classic Lager. I seem to recall liking it, and wrote "Coor-ish, but better" on my napkin. I also got a chance to chat with Mountain Crest president Ravinder Minhas, who was mingling around his booth.
Second on the menu at Calgary
BeerFest was Wild Rose
Brewery, another Calgarian brewery. I
took a
cupful for their Industrial
Park Ale, for which I wrote "strong, with
grapefruit and hops flavours." Definitely not for the faint of heart or
tongue, but it sat well with me.
Third up was Creemore
Springs, out of Ontario.
Their Premium lager seemed to be pretty
popular and
the staff behind the counter were cheerful and chatty. The beer itself?
The
Premium Lager wasn't memorable, but I wrote "wheaty, but tasty"
followed by a bit of gibberish that, in the light of day, I can't
decipher.
Sadly, my penmanship deteriorates very quickly when I'm drinking.
Next up, Brooklyn Brewery, who were displaying
a
series of Jewish-themed beers. I chose a Messiah Ale, which I
apparently liked:
"That's nice! chocolatey! smooth!" I asked the people behind the
counter about the Jewish theme - was the beer kosher? They had no idea.
Note
to Brooklyn Brewery - next time, tell your local hires what the heck
they're
hawking!
Next on the Calgary BeerFest agenda was Paddock Wood Brewing, where I sampled the Bete Noir Oatmeal Stout, which was "smoky, bitter, filling" and, as I recall, went great with the 10 ticket hamburger from Brewsters.
By this point, my napkin has writing in several different directions, and the reviews start to be a little more inventive. Calgary's Wildwood Grill & Brew Pub served up a Pilsner, which I recall telling someone was better than the crap Roughrider fans are always drinking. I also wrote that it had "a hint of banana leaf, with a flat, sharp flavour - a good summer beer."
Last but not least, I went to the Unibroue setup. I've always been a fan of La Fin Du Monde and Maudite, but elected to try the Trois Pistoles instead. It was a very foamy beer, which I discovered when the "bartender" tried to pour me a cup, and sent suds cascading every which way. I wrote "peachy - very fruity! frighteningly good!"
There were, of course, ten to twenty
other booths at Calgary BeerFest that I didn't get to. Some
were breweries and brewpubs that I plan on reviewing in the future (Big
Rock,
Brewster's), some were simply restaurants serving Brahma and Kokanee and some
were just out of place. Why have booths for Mott's Clamato and some
awful-smelling vodka drinks at a beer festival?
I didn't hang around long enough to hear the bands, but I was told by another source that the music was not a selling feature. So, bad music, tickets sold out at the door, and a dark and dingy atmosphere. Sorry, did that sound like I was complaining? Far from it. I'll be back to enjoy Calgary BeerFest next year!
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