Barleywine Bacchanal & Hard Liver On The Way

I'm currently into the first week of my dry January, but I'm already thinking ahead to two of my favorite annual events coming up in February and March, respectively: The Barleywine Bacchanal at Beveridge Place Pub and the Hard Liver Fest at Brouwer's Cafe.  These are two of the most popular annual barleywine events in Seattle and I usually try to attend both events each year. 

You can read about the details of last year's Barleywine Bacchanal HERE, and about last year's Hard Liver Fest HERE.  This year will be the 10th year for both events, and I'm eager to see this year's lineups.  This year's Barleywine Bacchanal will start on Saturday, February 25th, and the Hard Liver Fest will kick off on Saturday, March 3rd. 

Thankfully and for obvious reasons, these events offer smaller pour sizes.  This allows you to try a greater number of selections from the menu than would otherwise be possible (without needing a wheelchair to get home, 'cuase you can't walk straight). 

In fact, I believe the best way to experience each of these events is to attend with a few friends.  For example, if you attend either event with two other friends, plan carefully so that you don't double-order and share your selections, you can sample up to three times as many barleywines as you would be able to on your own, without drinking a greater volume. 

No matter how many selections you have or friends you attend with, however, drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

My Trip To Portland

This past weekend was my birthday; and for my birthday I wanted to continue my quest to visit several different breweries.  This time, however, I decided to leave the confines of WA, leave the motorcycle at home and head down to Portland for a day trip with my wife, Lynn. 

On the agenda was Gustav's (an excellent German restaurant in Vancouver, WA, where we stopped for lunch), Hair of the Dog Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery and Laurelwood Brewery.  I'd like to take this opportunity to again thank my wife, Lynn, for being my designated driver for this little adventure. 

Gustav's:
If you're a German food fan, Gustav's is worth the trip!  Their menu includes schnitzels, spaetzle, red cabbage, lamb shank, sauerbraten, fondue and more; it's all here and all done very well.  They also have a full selection of German beers to accomapny your meal: Hofbrau Delicator, Aktien Zwick'l Kellerbier, Spaten Munich Helles, Radeberger Pilsner, Hacker Pschorr Dunkel Weisse, Ayinger Celebrator, Paulaner Oktoberfest, etc. etc. etc. 

The Stained Glass Behind the Bar at Gustav's

In fact, they have such a great selection of German and other European beers that Gustav's owner is strongly considering opening up a separate, German style pub in Portland in the near future. 

My Radeberger Pilsner

For my first meal of the day, I opted for the veal Jaegerschnitzel with Spaetzle and a Radeberger Pilsner.  The Jaegerschnitzel was done perfectly and I've always been a fan of Spaetzle over potatoes as my side with German meals.  The Radeberger Pilsner was spot on, with the traditional German Pilsner notes of flowery/spicy hops and a nice pilsner malt character.  It was the perfect accompaniment to my meal. 

No One Can Pick Just One (Volume 1)

Welcome to the first in a series of articles, where I will search my soul to share with you some of my favorite brews.  Every few months, there will be another volume, where I'll keep adding to the list of my all-time favorite beers. 

Pick Just One?  Good luck!

It's a question I get asked a lot: What is your favorite beer? or What is your favorite brewery? 

Really?  Do I have to pick just one?  I mean, isn't one of the joys of craft beer the fact that there are so many choices? It would be a pretty boring World if you were only able to select a single beer to drink for the rest of your life.  Most people I know have an extremely difficult, if not impossible time answering this question. 

I know, I know.  Some people aspire to just that: finding the one beer they consider barley & hop Nirvana, and then never stray.  Unfortunately, most of the beer drinkers I know with this mentality are those who drink Bud, Coors, Pabst or another similarly watered-down, mass-produced American lager.  A couple of weeks ago, while at the Dog & Pony Alehouse in Renton, WA, I saw one of the 'regulars' come in.  His usual oder is Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap, but they had run out or were having a problem with the Pabst tap that day.  He sat there, looking at the menu and tap handles (which included plenty of beers from breweries such as Stone, Fremont, Firestone Walker, Deschutes, Odin, Laurelwood, etc. etc.), for nearly 5 minutes before deciding that he'd have to settle for a can of Ranier Beer. 

That's definitely not me.  While I do have a favorite beer style (IPA - though Pale Ale, Stout, Barleywine, etc. are all a close 2nd), I couldn't stand being limited to just a single beer or even just a single brewery.  I have occasional favorite beers, but the answer is always changing because I'm always on the hunt for new beers and breweries to try.  With all this in mind, however, the question has gotten me thinking about what some of my favorite beers are.  What are the ones I've had over the years that really stick in my mind as what I might call 'favorites'? Let's see what comes to mind.