Blog Tracker
27-07-2022, 09:24
Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/07/big-night.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddNCFWnuVpv_RNJEQvRncac-haBUMOqhAQoDrEqCq0qR8b-JJtJ4FWDMIUAiTbz5kf83HCo363TsDludSO2d4oktRb_SB1LAN oILcOJnU-R5PAbYt3XL7jYNJAt2eM7el138E3uirKV9bKqeyc-HI2D7OKl8-f5kTMEpaL8OUKkDRPjTQz68/w200-h174/andrew_and_chris.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddNCFWnuVpv_RNJEQvRncac-haBUMOqhAQoDrEqCq0qR8b-JJtJ4FWDMIUAiTbz5kf83HCo363TsDludSO2d4oktRb_SB1LAN oILcOJnU-R5PAbYt3XL7jYNJAt2eM7el138E3uirKV9bKqeyc-HI2D7OKl8-f5kTMEpaL8OUKkDRPjTQz68/s2607/andrew_and_chris.jpg)For the second post from Fidelty 2022 it's time for the dark beers, the strong beers, and the answer to the question if I drank any IPAs at all. Mostly, I drank them vicariously in the company of Andrew (https://twitter.com/AMcGwinn) and Chris (https://twitter.com/reaymondez), visitors from Coventry and haze-loving hopheads to a man. If anyone was going to steer me to the right part of New England, they would. In the meantime, I got on with things.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0afNFG6mIuE7x7WFwVPurO5ZLPudRXTHF-4jwCe3u3x_quZ2_inpdPPgA83yYm5Iz3-inaXRA_LSBHUI1odAIOJHLGryPqcCzUeMVeOpk7Y8TWXHu4h4A 6IUHDnOyT3htVZshCZoaB3mT2m7XHpUnjAgz0mEqzvPh8SxcGb SyxRCIcOftkvA/w200-h136/trouble_brewing_harrys_nut_butter_brown_ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0afNFG6mIuE7x7WFwVPurO5ZLPudRXTHF-4jwCe3u3x_quZ2_inpdPPgA83yYm5Iz3-inaXRA_LSBHUI1odAIOJHLGryPqcCzUeMVeOpk7Y8TWXHu4h4A 6IUHDnOyT3htVZshCZoaB3mT2m7XHpUnjAgz0mEqzvPh8SxcGb SyxRCIcOftkvA/s1325/trouble_brewing_harrys_nut_butter_brown_ale.jpg)Yo u don't go to a gig like Fidelity and expect brown ale, but Trouble brought one, a new entity called Harry's Nut Butter, the magic ingredient being peanut butter. There is a certain nuttiness to this one, but allied with a big chocolate flavour from the malt, it came across more as hazelnut to me. The chocolate manages to be both candyshop milk variety and also more grown-up bitter dark chocolate. Though a relatively modest 5.8% ABV there's lots going on here and I found it quite busy. While I'd be willing to give it another go, I think a measure much larger than the festival tasters might be hard work.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU5bYckwBcf6JKIGyBR78VPc5VB4jClgFbk5YsmSN9U 1LAH9ywnBVvD63r58fFWtOFdPtDSrhEcXRXfdUGLPZlzeuPdJh LcV9UX6KEbXDf_q8FQ_V2KOzh_PP9ujy6EdWI4svn48yaBpu5u 4vTAv2-3heRnIvx_cMbQuUj6gF9N-Y_Tx0-z0/w200-h117/cloudwater_donzoko_low_and_slow_smoked_baltic_port er.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU5bYckwBcf6JKIGyBR78VPc5VB4jClgFbk5YsmSN9U 1LAH9ywnBVvD63r58fFWtOFdPtDSrhEcXRXfdUGLPZlzeuPdJh LcV9UX6KEbXDf_q8FQ_V2KOzh_PP9ujy6EdWI4svn48yaBpu5u 4vTAv2-3heRnIvx_cMbQuUj6gF9N-Y_Tx0-z0/s1990/cloudwater_donzoko_low_and_slow_smoked_baltic_port er.jpg)Scottish lager specialists Donzoko had a smoked Baltic porter that they brewed with, and I think at, Cloudwater in Manchester. Low & Slow is 10% ABV, so a gentle introduction to the double-digit beers of the evening. It's fully compliant with the style's requisites, being clean and chocolatey with a liquorice bitterness which could have been stronger but worked nevertheless. Then the smoke was merely a seasoning on top of this, adding a subtle extra complexity which didn't overpower the rest. I wouldn't have minded a bit of overpowering but fully respect the balanced line they've taken here. It's a better beer for it.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhayfOicpUQr0tPVlO6XFoUz9e33H3jQjR-fVbbTwBHvJCKs1B4r8DUMmXT5qjzYWmjcaTOQS1InPu1pqfEbI kAyiOndeeovopKyOiAl72UVIEuEa6_khIWEWj1Xq-g6u3PFkf6HA_xDikAvCPac_alz4mr3Pg2s4F3noY_FCkDxD2st qK8/w200-h174/verdant_every_day_is_a_different_dose_american_whe at.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhayfOicpUQr0tPVlO6XFoUz9e33H3jQjR-fVbbTwBHvJCKs1B4r8DUMmXT5qjzYWmjcaTOQS1InPu1pqfEbI kAyiOndeeovopKyOiAl72UVIEuEa6_khIWEWj1Xq-g6u3PFkf6HA_xDikAvCPac_alz4mr3Pg2s4F3noY_FCkDxD2st qK8/s2265/verdant_every_day_is_a_different_dose_american_whe at.jpg)Not an IPA, but an American wheat beer came from Verdant. I really just liked the name: Every Day Is A Different Dose. Isn't it just? This has a pleasing wheaty softness while the flavour blends sweet New-Englandish vanilla notes with a harder grass bitterness from the hops. It's only 6% ABV and manages to be refreshing with that, though there's an edge to it, making clear it's no lightweight.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionjGEGiSNuZvNJWQ0mkS0yfIWnvquCwSYdUgCkh7d02 _yPepFn40Ra_A-flaAg0-gscpprN26IHVqadh0w5VHzd1uLrpZSZRZjeUAEG1yALYMa6nrZ jfVqPjk-qwkfVV9ISya_cdVCFq3JiZ-ldCQ2g_MC5gXEB9ehGDzjZHgp1yJ96xY0TM/w141-h200/track_range_together_at_last_tipa.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionjGEGiSNuZvNJWQ0mkS0yfIWnvquCwSYdUgCkh7d02 _yPepFn40Ra_A-flaAg0-gscpprN26IHVqadh0w5VHzd1uLrpZSZRZjeUAEG1yALYMa6nrZ jfVqPjk-qwkfVV9ISya_cdVCFq3JiZ-ldCQ2g_MC5gXEB9ehGDzjZHgp1yJ96xY0TM/s3215/track_range_together_at_last_tipa.jpg)To ensure that ticket-holding festival-goers still managed to experience the all-important fear of missing out, several breweries had limited-release launches during the evening -- events you had to be prepared for and build into your drinking schedule, lest you be left bereft of a thimbleful of the really good stuff. Around the corner from where I was stood, Track had one of these, and Chris said I should check it out as the beer wouldn't last long. He didn't say what the beer was but I set off for Track anyway. And thus I found myself with the only IPA I drank all night: the aptly named Together At Last.
This is a triple IPA of 10.5% ABV, brewed in collaboration with Queensland's Range Brewing. It's pale, opaque and smells of garlic, vanilla and alcohol. Sweet to begin with, it finishes on a harder spring-onion bitterness. Lacking the clean burn which is triple IPA's only worthwhile feature, this manages to both fail the basic requirements and offer nothing new. The exception that proved the rule's worthiness left me content that avoiding IPA was the correct move for maximum enjoyment.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD2kxtd-mLVrOpNVEiVOBLfYyaZlovpZrPtz9_Dz-_tpNU_hWYW7ZwA1lbkTb-HvEFo4dCLxj0lDUa7Mfn8NSEPOJyQTOclgjTFgaYfD6rzMTB9h vUae5AsI95bXnoxVdR5cjTgR7rCaS6_ZE8Gi1EDzFcwHVYXBwm MGt339GULNWyW09bKk/w200-h147/finback_ba_grazing_on_the_ordinary_imperial_stout. jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD2kxtd-mLVrOpNVEiVOBLfYyaZlovpZrPtz9_Dz-_tpNU_hWYW7ZwA1lbkTb-HvEFo4dCLxj0lDUa7Mfn8NSEPOJyQTOclgjTFgaYfD6rzMTB9h vUae5AsI95bXnoxVdR5cjTgR7rCaS6_ZE8Gi1EDzFcwHVYXBwm MGt339GULNWyW09bKk/s2208/finback_ba_grazing_on_the_ordinary_imperial_stout. jpg)While that was cans, Finback's 10pm special was in a much more dramatic magnum bottle. Grazing on the Ordinary is a bourbon-barrel-aged imperial milk stout with added coconut and hazelnut. It's 12.8% ABV and every bit as thick and luxurious as one would expect from that. The aroma exudes coconut in huge doses, and while there's a little bourbon vanilla, I got an altogether more classy Rioja-like oak from that side. The barrel element is what really interested me in this one and I think the coconut gets in the way. Although it was highly enjoyable and deserving of its special status at the event, I'd like a version without the novelty add-ins.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCy_UaPv8uSyyZudSf_-1jqijBYLJztixjQyHtP-CtJRVLNFvkGz5LkfqEN-nEkc_qmpZxoYHDEl71K2npYpXME7LqWyR_BnzVNXgyK9CFgpxu IZxcBRg_BkotP0Ugxe7hHzIscm2il7Ntja7PbGz3OqQ0z9KYnB qOn-GQOMbp_RCy_JBkhc/w200-h162/beerbliotek_to_the_nines_barley_wine.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCy_UaPv8uSyyZudSf_-1jqijBYLJztixjQyHtP-CtJRVLNFvkGz5LkfqEN-nEkc_qmpZxoYHDEl71K2npYpXME7LqWyR_BnzVNXgyK9CFgpxu IZxcBRg_BkotP0Ugxe7hHzIscm2il7Ntja7PbGz3OqQ0z9KYnB qOn-GQOMbp_RCy_JBkhc/s2255/beerbliotek_to_the_nines_barley_wine.jpg)At the next stand over, Beerbliotek had a barley wine called To the Nines. Not a great example, as it turned out. It's very sweet and tastes more of sticky candy than beer. There's loads of caramel and not much by way of hop, an ingredient that should have been thoroughly ramped up to help balance 13% ABV. A note of coffee was tolerable but I gave up when it offered me banana. That's not right at all. Other barley wines were available so maybe I just picked the wrong one as my sole representative.
It was deep into the final hour at this point and I took a break from notetaking to enjoy some Æblerov cider and Superstition mead, the latter having two especially fun tricked-out examples, a surprise to someone who likes their mead very much on the dry and plain side. But there were some further strong and dark offerings in the vicinity so while no kicking out was taking place yet, I grabbed a couple of nightcaps.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK6U15AJezIoqaNUW7Qi84wLOlTIGnsnZS23vvVJKHO dcJCauB6PYkgp8Ic-adRLr4-CF5iEfIcu_D4OZPqJoxaq29QMshUcuHobzeAZNSsKrDtEvYZxM 0SftRXrrC8jeMvd9xH-jDH7BZmQ3Kvtmi66Klkaa_Wj3o3-jTrrWiiaHTwC5Gf0/w200-h154/lervig_stillwater_times_8_imperial_stout.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK6U15AJezIoqaNUW7Qi84wLOlTIGnsnZS23vvVJKHO dcJCauB6PYkgp8Ic-adRLr4-CF5iEfIcu_D4OZPqJoxaq29QMshUcuHobzeAZNSsKrDtEvYZxM 0SftRXrrC8jeMvd9xH-jDH7BZmQ3Kvtmi66Klkaa_Wj3o3-jTrrWiiaHTwC5Gf0/s2265/lervig_stillwater_times_8_imperial_stout.jpg)First was Times 8, an all-in pastry stout by Lervig and Stillwater. Vanilla, cocoa, coconut, maple syrup and actual butterscotch ramped up to 16% ABV means it should have been a mess but it wasn't. Everything dovetails neatly together to create a smooth and warming affogato dessert. Coffee seems to be the one item they haven't included in the recipe but strangely it's a sharp jolt of espresso that I got most prominently. Regardless, this is a wholesome and classy take on big and silly stout.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rIEFyL5d3IAbZT5oyd8XGMbMK5MqKwG3sgYaW-YWcB9O18MOVwlvi381yFfYqo14NRR9Y9R90RmiGYW1kLeQ0LI0 35LXV3iy6O7WAIYN5NjjQj76BmmVwhzg2KWj53zFV38avLPVSA punmjfCmQzwh4JmGrBRIMO6eTi0tou-Uoo6qwxfk/w200-h193/pohjala_pinta_bison_in_the_barrel_room_baltic_port er.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rIEFyL5d3IAbZT5oyd8XGMbMK5MqKwG3sgYaW-YWcB9O18MOVwlvi381yFfYqo14NRR9Y9R90RmiGYW1kLeQ0LI0 35LXV3iy6O7WAIYN5NjjQj76BmmVwhzg2KWj53zFV38avLPVSA punmjfCmQzwh4JmGrBRIMO6eTi0tou-Uoo6qwxfk/s1730/pohjala_pinta_bison_in_the_barrel_room_baltic_port er.jpg)While literally heading for the exit I noticed a Baltic porter I had overlooked, from Põhjala, and one does not walk past Baltic porter. It's called Bison in the Barrel Room because there's bisongrass in the recipe and it was aged in apple brandy barrels. So it's not a typical Baltic porter by any means but it's still delicious, starting on warming Tia Maria coffee liqueur vibes and adding in topnotes of cherry and raspberry. Perhaps my palate had become completely detuned at this point, but it didn't taste like all of 13.5% ABV to me. 10% tops. Still an excellent place to finish, with the satisfaction that I'd made a decent dent in the strong and dark options. No need to tell me what I missed.
As I mentioned on Monday I went to the afternoon session of Fidelity 2019 and I was a little apprehensive of an evening gig, but it was all extremely civilised as far as I saw, not too crowded and with general good vibes all round. I'm sure a lot of effort goes into making sure it looks so effortless: congratulations to the teams from Whiplash and The Big Romance who organised it, as well as the crack team of ground troops who made everything go smoothly. Same again next year, please.
And for other opinions on how the event went, see Thandi (https://www.craftgeeksa.com/blog/fidelity-2022), Simon (http://simonsaysbeer.com/2022/07/18/fidelity-2022/) and Lisa (https://www.lisagrimm.com/2022/07/19/a-beer-festival-in-this-economy/).
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJzTqyPnNN2xM36aiMbqJ7rU3qyqfG-O6kCJdlB8jCsUaJ2uvwW1GKCE6VMDdmleaua_EvxFy7dmGBt0X gRkVbafaXzZoseI1bOwnB-8G36AfZbeFk-vV8fLJmsrYxlkAKfnXQNRecPIfjRL3Pnlk5QFIuUph24Jj7SrN jYF5bl-99QcJvZo/w640-h204/fidelity_2022_panorama.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJzTqyPnNN2xM36aiMbqJ7rU3qyqfG-O6kCJdlB8jCsUaJ2uvwW1GKCE6VMDdmleaua_EvxFy7dmGBt0X gRkVbafaXzZoseI1bOwnB-8G36AfZbeFk-vV8fLJmsrYxlkAKfnXQNRecPIfjRL3Pnlk5QFIuUph24Jj7SrN jYF5bl-99QcJvZo/s4029/fidelity_2022_panorama.jpg)
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/07/big-night.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddNCFWnuVpv_RNJEQvRncac-haBUMOqhAQoDrEqCq0qR8b-JJtJ4FWDMIUAiTbz5kf83HCo363TsDludSO2d4oktRb_SB1LAN oILcOJnU-R5PAbYt3XL7jYNJAt2eM7el138E3uirKV9bKqeyc-HI2D7OKl8-f5kTMEpaL8OUKkDRPjTQz68/w200-h174/andrew_and_chris.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddNCFWnuVpv_RNJEQvRncac-haBUMOqhAQoDrEqCq0qR8b-JJtJ4FWDMIUAiTbz5kf83HCo363TsDludSO2d4oktRb_SB1LAN oILcOJnU-R5PAbYt3XL7jYNJAt2eM7el138E3uirKV9bKqeyc-HI2D7OKl8-f5kTMEpaL8OUKkDRPjTQz68/s2607/andrew_and_chris.jpg)For the second post from Fidelty 2022 it's time for the dark beers, the strong beers, and the answer to the question if I drank any IPAs at all. Mostly, I drank them vicariously in the company of Andrew (https://twitter.com/AMcGwinn) and Chris (https://twitter.com/reaymondez), visitors from Coventry and haze-loving hopheads to a man. If anyone was going to steer me to the right part of New England, they would. In the meantime, I got on with things.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0afNFG6mIuE7x7WFwVPurO5ZLPudRXTHF-4jwCe3u3x_quZ2_inpdPPgA83yYm5Iz3-inaXRA_LSBHUI1odAIOJHLGryPqcCzUeMVeOpk7Y8TWXHu4h4A 6IUHDnOyT3htVZshCZoaB3mT2m7XHpUnjAgz0mEqzvPh8SxcGb SyxRCIcOftkvA/w200-h136/trouble_brewing_harrys_nut_butter_brown_ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0afNFG6mIuE7x7WFwVPurO5ZLPudRXTHF-4jwCe3u3x_quZ2_inpdPPgA83yYm5Iz3-inaXRA_LSBHUI1odAIOJHLGryPqcCzUeMVeOpk7Y8TWXHu4h4A 6IUHDnOyT3htVZshCZoaB3mT2m7XHpUnjAgz0mEqzvPh8SxcGb SyxRCIcOftkvA/s1325/trouble_brewing_harrys_nut_butter_brown_ale.jpg)Yo u don't go to a gig like Fidelity and expect brown ale, but Trouble brought one, a new entity called Harry's Nut Butter, the magic ingredient being peanut butter. There is a certain nuttiness to this one, but allied with a big chocolate flavour from the malt, it came across more as hazelnut to me. The chocolate manages to be both candyshop milk variety and also more grown-up bitter dark chocolate. Though a relatively modest 5.8% ABV there's lots going on here and I found it quite busy. While I'd be willing to give it another go, I think a measure much larger than the festival tasters might be hard work.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU5bYckwBcf6JKIGyBR78VPc5VB4jClgFbk5YsmSN9U 1LAH9ywnBVvD63r58fFWtOFdPtDSrhEcXRXfdUGLPZlzeuPdJh LcV9UX6KEbXDf_q8FQ_V2KOzh_PP9ujy6EdWI4svn48yaBpu5u 4vTAv2-3heRnIvx_cMbQuUj6gF9N-Y_Tx0-z0/w200-h117/cloudwater_donzoko_low_and_slow_smoked_baltic_port er.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU5bYckwBcf6JKIGyBR78VPc5VB4jClgFbk5YsmSN9U 1LAH9ywnBVvD63r58fFWtOFdPtDSrhEcXRXfdUGLPZlzeuPdJh LcV9UX6KEbXDf_q8FQ_V2KOzh_PP9ujy6EdWI4svn48yaBpu5u 4vTAv2-3heRnIvx_cMbQuUj6gF9N-Y_Tx0-z0/s1990/cloudwater_donzoko_low_and_slow_smoked_baltic_port er.jpg)Scottish lager specialists Donzoko had a smoked Baltic porter that they brewed with, and I think at, Cloudwater in Manchester. Low & Slow is 10% ABV, so a gentle introduction to the double-digit beers of the evening. It's fully compliant with the style's requisites, being clean and chocolatey with a liquorice bitterness which could have been stronger but worked nevertheless. Then the smoke was merely a seasoning on top of this, adding a subtle extra complexity which didn't overpower the rest. I wouldn't have minded a bit of overpowering but fully respect the balanced line they've taken here. It's a better beer for it.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhayfOicpUQr0tPVlO6XFoUz9e33H3jQjR-fVbbTwBHvJCKs1B4r8DUMmXT5qjzYWmjcaTOQS1InPu1pqfEbI kAyiOndeeovopKyOiAl72UVIEuEa6_khIWEWj1Xq-g6u3PFkf6HA_xDikAvCPac_alz4mr3Pg2s4F3noY_FCkDxD2st qK8/w200-h174/verdant_every_day_is_a_different_dose_american_whe at.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhayfOicpUQr0tPVlO6XFoUz9e33H3jQjR-fVbbTwBHvJCKs1B4r8DUMmXT5qjzYWmjcaTOQS1InPu1pqfEbI kAyiOndeeovopKyOiAl72UVIEuEa6_khIWEWj1Xq-g6u3PFkf6HA_xDikAvCPac_alz4mr3Pg2s4F3noY_FCkDxD2st qK8/s2265/verdant_every_day_is_a_different_dose_american_whe at.jpg)Not an IPA, but an American wheat beer came from Verdant. I really just liked the name: Every Day Is A Different Dose. Isn't it just? This has a pleasing wheaty softness while the flavour blends sweet New-Englandish vanilla notes with a harder grass bitterness from the hops. It's only 6% ABV and manages to be refreshing with that, though there's an edge to it, making clear it's no lightweight.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionjGEGiSNuZvNJWQ0mkS0yfIWnvquCwSYdUgCkh7d02 _yPepFn40Ra_A-flaAg0-gscpprN26IHVqadh0w5VHzd1uLrpZSZRZjeUAEG1yALYMa6nrZ jfVqPjk-qwkfVV9ISya_cdVCFq3JiZ-ldCQ2g_MC5gXEB9ehGDzjZHgp1yJ96xY0TM/w141-h200/track_range_together_at_last_tipa.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionjGEGiSNuZvNJWQ0mkS0yfIWnvquCwSYdUgCkh7d02 _yPepFn40Ra_A-flaAg0-gscpprN26IHVqadh0w5VHzd1uLrpZSZRZjeUAEG1yALYMa6nrZ jfVqPjk-qwkfVV9ISya_cdVCFq3JiZ-ldCQ2g_MC5gXEB9ehGDzjZHgp1yJ96xY0TM/s3215/track_range_together_at_last_tipa.jpg)To ensure that ticket-holding festival-goers still managed to experience the all-important fear of missing out, several breweries had limited-release launches during the evening -- events you had to be prepared for and build into your drinking schedule, lest you be left bereft of a thimbleful of the really good stuff. Around the corner from where I was stood, Track had one of these, and Chris said I should check it out as the beer wouldn't last long. He didn't say what the beer was but I set off for Track anyway. And thus I found myself with the only IPA I drank all night: the aptly named Together At Last.
This is a triple IPA of 10.5% ABV, brewed in collaboration with Queensland's Range Brewing. It's pale, opaque and smells of garlic, vanilla and alcohol. Sweet to begin with, it finishes on a harder spring-onion bitterness. Lacking the clean burn which is triple IPA's only worthwhile feature, this manages to both fail the basic requirements and offer nothing new. The exception that proved the rule's worthiness left me content that avoiding IPA was the correct move for maximum enjoyment.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD2kxtd-mLVrOpNVEiVOBLfYyaZlovpZrPtz9_Dz-_tpNU_hWYW7ZwA1lbkTb-HvEFo4dCLxj0lDUa7Mfn8NSEPOJyQTOclgjTFgaYfD6rzMTB9h vUae5AsI95bXnoxVdR5cjTgR7rCaS6_ZE8Gi1EDzFcwHVYXBwm MGt339GULNWyW09bKk/w200-h147/finback_ba_grazing_on_the_ordinary_imperial_stout. jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD2kxtd-mLVrOpNVEiVOBLfYyaZlovpZrPtz9_Dz-_tpNU_hWYW7ZwA1lbkTb-HvEFo4dCLxj0lDUa7Mfn8NSEPOJyQTOclgjTFgaYfD6rzMTB9h vUae5AsI95bXnoxVdR5cjTgR7rCaS6_ZE8Gi1EDzFcwHVYXBwm MGt339GULNWyW09bKk/s2208/finback_ba_grazing_on_the_ordinary_imperial_stout. jpg)While that was cans, Finback's 10pm special was in a much more dramatic magnum bottle. Grazing on the Ordinary is a bourbon-barrel-aged imperial milk stout with added coconut and hazelnut. It's 12.8% ABV and every bit as thick and luxurious as one would expect from that. The aroma exudes coconut in huge doses, and while there's a little bourbon vanilla, I got an altogether more classy Rioja-like oak from that side. The barrel element is what really interested me in this one and I think the coconut gets in the way. Although it was highly enjoyable and deserving of its special status at the event, I'd like a version without the novelty add-ins.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCy_UaPv8uSyyZudSf_-1jqijBYLJztixjQyHtP-CtJRVLNFvkGz5LkfqEN-nEkc_qmpZxoYHDEl71K2npYpXME7LqWyR_BnzVNXgyK9CFgpxu IZxcBRg_BkotP0Ugxe7hHzIscm2il7Ntja7PbGz3OqQ0z9KYnB qOn-GQOMbp_RCy_JBkhc/w200-h162/beerbliotek_to_the_nines_barley_wine.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCy_UaPv8uSyyZudSf_-1jqijBYLJztixjQyHtP-CtJRVLNFvkGz5LkfqEN-nEkc_qmpZxoYHDEl71K2npYpXME7LqWyR_BnzVNXgyK9CFgpxu IZxcBRg_BkotP0Ugxe7hHzIscm2il7Ntja7PbGz3OqQ0z9KYnB qOn-GQOMbp_RCy_JBkhc/s2255/beerbliotek_to_the_nines_barley_wine.jpg)At the next stand over, Beerbliotek had a barley wine called To the Nines. Not a great example, as it turned out. It's very sweet and tastes more of sticky candy than beer. There's loads of caramel and not much by way of hop, an ingredient that should have been thoroughly ramped up to help balance 13% ABV. A note of coffee was tolerable but I gave up when it offered me banana. That's not right at all. Other barley wines were available so maybe I just picked the wrong one as my sole representative.
It was deep into the final hour at this point and I took a break from notetaking to enjoy some Æblerov cider and Superstition mead, the latter having two especially fun tricked-out examples, a surprise to someone who likes their mead very much on the dry and plain side. But there were some further strong and dark offerings in the vicinity so while no kicking out was taking place yet, I grabbed a couple of nightcaps.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK6U15AJezIoqaNUW7Qi84wLOlTIGnsnZS23vvVJKHO dcJCauB6PYkgp8Ic-adRLr4-CF5iEfIcu_D4OZPqJoxaq29QMshUcuHobzeAZNSsKrDtEvYZxM 0SftRXrrC8jeMvd9xH-jDH7BZmQ3Kvtmi66Klkaa_Wj3o3-jTrrWiiaHTwC5Gf0/w200-h154/lervig_stillwater_times_8_imperial_stout.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK6U15AJezIoqaNUW7Qi84wLOlTIGnsnZS23vvVJKHO dcJCauB6PYkgp8Ic-adRLr4-CF5iEfIcu_D4OZPqJoxaq29QMshUcuHobzeAZNSsKrDtEvYZxM 0SftRXrrC8jeMvd9xH-jDH7BZmQ3Kvtmi66Klkaa_Wj3o3-jTrrWiiaHTwC5Gf0/s2265/lervig_stillwater_times_8_imperial_stout.jpg)First was Times 8, an all-in pastry stout by Lervig and Stillwater. Vanilla, cocoa, coconut, maple syrup and actual butterscotch ramped up to 16% ABV means it should have been a mess but it wasn't. Everything dovetails neatly together to create a smooth and warming affogato dessert. Coffee seems to be the one item they haven't included in the recipe but strangely it's a sharp jolt of espresso that I got most prominently. Regardless, this is a wholesome and classy take on big and silly stout.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rIEFyL5d3IAbZT5oyd8XGMbMK5MqKwG3sgYaW-YWcB9O18MOVwlvi381yFfYqo14NRR9Y9R90RmiGYW1kLeQ0LI0 35LXV3iy6O7WAIYN5NjjQj76BmmVwhzg2KWj53zFV38avLPVSA punmjfCmQzwh4JmGrBRIMO6eTi0tou-Uoo6qwxfk/w200-h193/pohjala_pinta_bison_in_the_barrel_room_baltic_port er.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rIEFyL5d3IAbZT5oyd8XGMbMK5MqKwG3sgYaW-YWcB9O18MOVwlvi381yFfYqo14NRR9Y9R90RmiGYW1kLeQ0LI0 35LXV3iy6O7WAIYN5NjjQj76BmmVwhzg2KWj53zFV38avLPVSA punmjfCmQzwh4JmGrBRIMO6eTi0tou-Uoo6qwxfk/s1730/pohjala_pinta_bison_in_the_barrel_room_baltic_port er.jpg)While literally heading for the exit I noticed a Baltic porter I had overlooked, from Põhjala, and one does not walk past Baltic porter. It's called Bison in the Barrel Room because there's bisongrass in the recipe and it was aged in apple brandy barrels. So it's not a typical Baltic porter by any means but it's still delicious, starting on warming Tia Maria coffee liqueur vibes and adding in topnotes of cherry and raspberry. Perhaps my palate had become completely detuned at this point, but it didn't taste like all of 13.5% ABV to me. 10% tops. Still an excellent place to finish, with the satisfaction that I'd made a decent dent in the strong and dark options. No need to tell me what I missed.
As I mentioned on Monday I went to the afternoon session of Fidelity 2019 and I was a little apprehensive of an evening gig, but it was all extremely civilised as far as I saw, not too crowded and with general good vibes all round. I'm sure a lot of effort goes into making sure it looks so effortless: congratulations to the teams from Whiplash and The Big Romance who organised it, as well as the crack team of ground troops who made everything go smoothly. Same again next year, please.
And for other opinions on how the event went, see Thandi (https://www.craftgeeksa.com/blog/fidelity-2022), Simon (http://simonsaysbeer.com/2022/07/18/fidelity-2022/) and Lisa (https://www.lisagrimm.com/2022/07/19/a-beer-festival-in-this-economy/).
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJzTqyPnNN2xM36aiMbqJ7rU3qyqfG-O6kCJdlB8jCsUaJ2uvwW1GKCE6VMDdmleaua_EvxFy7dmGBt0X gRkVbafaXzZoseI1bOwnB-8G36AfZbeFk-vV8fLJmsrYxlkAKfnXQNRecPIfjRL3Pnlk5QFIuUph24Jj7SrN jYF5bl-99QcJvZo/w640-h204/fidelity_2022_panorama.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJzTqyPnNN2xM36aiMbqJ7rU3qyqfG-O6kCJdlB8jCsUaJ2uvwW1GKCE6VMDdmleaua_EvxFy7dmGBt0X gRkVbafaXzZoseI1bOwnB-8G36AfZbeFk-vV8fLJmsrYxlkAKfnXQNRecPIfjRL3Pnlk5QFIuUph24Jj7SrN jYF5bl-99QcJvZo/s4029/fidelity_2022_panorama.jpg)
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/07/big-night.html)