ACBF - What's on your list?

And why the hell isn't New Belgium going to be there?! GRRRR!!!

 

I'm a little surprised that New England Brewing won't bet there...

 

I am totally winging it this time- places with no lines at the top of the list. I've seen enough over the past few years that this time I just want to sample the unknown and see where it takes me.

 

No distribution this way. I mean I know some brewers outside of the distribution map make it to the fest, but I bet they're busy at other fests for people who can buy their beer.

I would love to see them there too, though!

 

Pretty Things has the best merch/coasters/stickers of the fest, too

 

Cambridge House (from CT - yes CT not MA) their IPA and Kolsch are excellent! And I want to try the Big Hoppy Double IPA - havent had this one in years.

 

They received an invite from the brother's but declined. I believe they just couldn't make it.

 

I like a well thought out plan. It almost never works out, but it is fun to plan it all out. In the last 5 or 6 years of going to this, the plan almost never works out. My friends also have different priorities than I, so sometimes someone calls an audible and we have to change tactics on the fly. But Lawsons, Tree House, Mystic, are all booths I need to get to early.

 

I made a google docs beer list of stuff I want to try. Here it is

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByXzM53c-9_3UVgyM2NjTk5DMWs/edit?usp=sharing

 

Yeah, me too! I went to school in Fort Collins back in the day, and now constantly crave their beer. They need to solve these distribution issues so we New Englanders can enjoy Fat Tire, Yeunglings, and other "unavailable" brews...

 

A buddy and I put together a list of our top 15 must try beers:

Intergalactic Acid Berliner Weiss - The Tap Brewing Company
§ Haverhill, MA Berliner Weissbier 2.70% ABV Booth 130

Mellow Gold - Cambridge Brewing Company
§ Cambridge, MA American Wild Ale 4.70% ABV Booth 122

Curse Of The Rye Wolf Roggenbier - The Prodigal Brewery at Misty Mountain Farm
§ Effingham, NH Roggenbier 5.40% ABV Booth 81

Ciel Rouge A Nuit - Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
§ Westerly, RI Flanders Red Ale 5.50%ABV Booth 113

Smoke Maple Lager - Jack’s Abby Brewing (Collaboration W/ Lawson's)
§ Framingham, MA Rauchbier 6.00% ABV Booth 46

Odio Equum - Avery Brewing Company
§ Boulder, CO American Wild Ale 7.10% ABV Booth 71

Breakfast At Tig's Before During & After Thanksgiving Morning Abbey Ale - Post Road Tavern
§ Ogunquit, ME Belgian Strong Dark Ale 7.80% ABV Booth 65

Barrel Aged Oud Bruin (Sour) - Beer Works
§ Boston, MA Flanders Oud Bruin 8.00% ABV Booth 62

Big Gruesome Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout - Spring House Brewing Company
§ Conestoga, PA American Double/Imperial Stout 8.00% ABV Booth 60

Double Sunshine IPA - Lawson’s Finest Liquids
§ Warren,VT American Double/Imperial IPA 8.00% ABV Booth 3

Le Mystique Magnifique - Martha's Exchange
§ Nashua, NH Belgian Strong Pale Ale 8.70% ABV Booth 75

Space & Time - Tree House Brewing Company
§ Brimfield, MA American Double/Imperial Stout 8.80% ABV Booth 52

Higher Ground - Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
§ Hyattsville, MD American Wild Ale 9.00% ABV Booth 53

On The Wings Of Armageddon - DC Brau Brewing Co.
§ Washington, D.C American Double/Imperial IPA 9.20% ABV Booth 59

Enlightenment Brut (Bière De Champagne) - Enlightenment Ales
§ Lowell, MA Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut 11.0% ABV Booth 124

Cheers everyone!

 

Really interested in trying Night Shift, DC Brau, and stopping at the NERAX booth.

 

I'm going to agree with High Horse here, but disagree on the selection. Their "Another Lover" IPA is really something special.

 

I highly recommend everyone add Bug Valley (American Wild Ale fermented in Peite Syrah wine barrels) by Trillium Brewing to their list. I just picked up a 32 oz on my way home from work and this stuff is amazing. This is Boston's newest brewery and it's just a 5-minute walk from the ACBF location.

 

How much was the growler fill and can you describe it?

 

I saw someone check in Bug Valley tonight at ACBF on Untappd, so hopefully it will be there tomorrow. Perhaps it is there instead of their "New England Red" Wild American Ale because they didn't have that one at the brewery.

 

They only have Bug Valley in 32 oz, not the usual 64 and it was $18. The bottle was either $5 or $3, I don't remember, so either $13 or $15 for the beer itself.

It was damn worth it. Such a drinkable beer..I wish I had a full 64 of it because the 32 oz disappeared in no time and I didn't spend the time to do a proper review. Ridiculously smooth...it has the buttery essence you sometimes find in a bourbon barrel aged beer, but this one was in wine barrels. The tartness is there at first..not enough to make you pucker - it's actually quite mild, but just enough to make you salivate for the smooth goodness that comes after. It's like drinking your favorite desert, but not sweet enough to make you sick so you keep drinking more and more until you pass out.

Supposedly the "wild" comes from the yeasty mix of the bottoms of Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Russian River, and Jolly Pumpkin - all blended together and allowed to do their own thing.