Blue Palms 4th Anniversary Party

I am not proud of that fact.

 

I thought that might have been be you.

Congrats Blue Palms on #4, here's to many more. Cheers.

 

So far...I'm glad I didn't go
Not a good time? Last year was incredible; I just couldn't swing it this year.

 

I have mixed feelings about the event. Obviously they cannot control the weather, but it was way too hot inside the bar, so hot that part of my group preferred to stay outside rather than come in to a table. The lack of water was crazy too. It wasn't so much that people were drinking it so fast due to the heat, but rather they had no good system. There were no self-serve water stations, even at a table with a waitress it was hard to get water because they didn't have enough containers.

They also needed more servers inside. The people at the bar and serving the tables busted their asses, but they needed help.

Overall the beer was great. Nothing super rare, but plenty of awesome beer to drink. Since it is the interwebz, here are a few side notes on the beer. I wish the "special" tappings by the band happened more frequently, unless I just kept missing them. I was hoping to grab some supplication for some friends that were new to sours, but not that big of a deal, they just kept drinking Oude Tart and Red Poppy. Due to the heat, some of my favorite beers were the lighter ones. I was very happy with the Avery Liliko’I Kepolo. Some of the ones I was most looking forward to / interested in re-trying, didn't show (or I couldn't find?), like Stone BB IRS, NB Cocao Mole, Firestone Special Sour, Southern Tier Crème Brulee. Also, what was the special offering by LA? Red Poppy?

And like always, one of the best things was hanging out with other beer fans and BAers.

 

Fwiw, that one was most definitely there; I saw a ton of check-ins to it on Untappd.

 

damnit, oh well it was more for the people I was with rather than me as I have had the opportunity to have it a few times. I only saw their IPA.

 

The Creme Brulee was one of the 'special' ones - they tapped in at 530 if I recall correctly.You're right there was no FW special sour - but there was a FW Little Opal that was a special keg they tapped mid-afternoon that was a farmhouse saison I think. As for the Stone BBA RIS, their recent bottling of this was a complete failure so I wouldn't be surprised if some kegs that were supposed to make it out to the public never did.

As for the party, I agree with the sentiment that the lack of easy access to water and the weather made the party rougher than it needed to be. Otherwise it was well organized and fun...so fucking hot tho.

 

I left a little before 5pm, so that is why I didn't see the Creme Brulee. I figured the same thing about the BBA RIS, but I was hoping the kegged version was still good and going to make an appearance as it has a past events.

Also, I would like to add a big thank you to Blue Palms for the Sandwiches. They were very good and hit the spot with all of the beer.

 

the weather was unbelievably hot yesterday & the pickings for water very scarce, which made for a dangerous situation when 60oz of beer is involved. didn't stop us from staying hydrated & having a good time trying out different beers. it was really nice running into familiar faces & meeting new ones, cheers!

 

I had a fun time but I agree with all the above posts. When we first sat down inside (man was it hot) we ordered food and asked for a glass of water. Our server said they're not providing free water and we would have to buy bottled water for $2. She then comes back and says she can provide a carafe of "free" water but once the water runs out she can't provide any more free water. How the hell would you run out of water unless you didn't pay your water bill?!

 

That doesn't sound very smart considering how hot it was.

 

Yeah, the water thing was definitely a problem given the weather and, you know, the copious amounts of high ABV beer consumption. It was a bit of a drag that BB Stone RIS and some others I was anticipating didn't show up, but still a fun time and more than enough tasty beers. I missed the Creme Brulée, but I'm sure I can imagine what simultaneously experiencing heat stroke and diabetes feels like.

Also, I hate to complain about this since the food that Blue Palms provides is more of an "extra" rather than something included in our ticket price, but it'd be nice if there was a non-meat option available. Given the theme of the anniversary party food the last three years I wasn't expecting it, so I wasn't particularly bothered, but just putting it out there; I'm sure having that option would be appreciated.

 

+1 on the veggie option. It's hard to complain, but it would have been nice.

 

AHHHh great event! Good people, great beer, awesome pics

 

Link?

 

Panama Esmeralda Geisha Black Tuesday for the muthafucken win.

 

Mind blown when I drank your concoction. Simply brilliant.

 

The Anniversary Festival is always a great event because of the beer selection.

I was surprised at the number of beers that were off and possibly infected:
Ivan the Terrible
Ballast Point Barrel-aged Sea Monster 2010 Nitro

Oskar Blues Barrel-aged Ten Fidy Nitro was flat. That was disappointing.

For me, the real standouts were:
LadyFace Blue Belly Maker’s Mark Barrel-aged Barleywine
Stone Anniversary 15 with Espresso Beans
Stone Anniversary 16 IPA
Lost Abbey Bourbon-barrel Angel Share
Pizza Port Dusk till Dawn Porter
Avery Samael's Oak Barleywine

 

Brian, congrats on the 4th. You did what you could and definitely cannot please everyone. We had a good time and if it wasnt a school night, would have opted for the full 12. This bar remains the best one around, happy to have been a patron for years and glad you made it through the dark days. Big cheers to the bar staff, especially Erin, Eli, Bix (sp).