Last night I attended a Beer Advocate gathering at Andre's house. Now, this isn't a high tech gathering, just a bunch of Beer Advocate people drinking some beer and actually getting to know each other a bit better.
About 15 people showed up, each bringing their own craft beer(s) they have procured somehow. I brought three craft beers: Avery's Quinquepartite, Avery's 13th Anniversary, and Tallgrass' Oasis.
The Quinquepartite is a Wild Ale, or sour beer, and the fourth part of Avery's Barrel Series. The final product here combined beer aged in two different Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, a chardonnay, a Zinfendel and a port barrel...hence the 'Quin' (five). I'm not one for sour or wild ales, but this was nice. Nothing over the top, but complex enough to enjoy. The different wines played off one another nicely and the port brought out the pear-ish flavor of the beer. Very nice.
The 13 from Avery was an experiment on my part. I had found it several years ago in Kansas, when Colorado stores had ran out a year before. It's a Weizenbock beer...a strong bock/wheat beer. And it was fantastic. A caramel and chocolate aroma, with sweetbread and roasty, spicy flavors.
Oasis is from Tallgrass, a Manhattan, KS brewery. It's an ESB style that tasted more like a Pale ale. I should say, though, that the feel was more pale ale-ish. Some nutty and caramel notes, the bite and dryness was more than expected. A good beer, from a can too.
There were plenty of fantastic brews on display, we didn't get to them all. It was a great time and look forward to the next installment. But first, the Great American Beer Festival!
cheers
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