FoBAB 2018

Sorry, let me amend my review. Fobab was a waste of time, money (wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too expensive) and I will never attend again. That's what I meant to say.

 

had a blast this year. drank plenty of great stuff and actually managed to drink what might have been the worst beer i've ever had at a festival as well... mixed culture open fermented coconut stouts .. woooof.

 

Lived up to hype:
-Chemtrailmix
-Horus deepest shade
Favorite not mentioned here yet:
-Dosvidanya Coconut

I thought Prop18 is garbage and I would willingly purchase regular over this any day of the week if I had the option of the two. Vanilla is meh, orange is polarizing and I did not like it one bit. Wheatwine/CoffeeBW good but forgettable. Reserve was good. Last year I left FOBAB with every intention of going to Binny's LP and followed through with no regrets. This year I am not even debating making the trip, not worth it one bit.

 

I have to wonder whether GI is shooting themselves in the foot by allowing the rabid public to sample this stuff first because there are a lot of misses (though everyone has different views on what the hits and misses are, but most agree there is something they don't like). They could sell this stuff out sight unseen if they didn't allow pre-release tastings (odds are they will still sell it out). I too went from planning for Binny's release to easy pass.

 

Ah I regret that I missed out on Horus.

Oddly though, I really didn't like the Dosvidanya Coconut, I much prefer regular and rye.

And unfortunately I completely agree with you on the BCBS lineup. What a disappointment.

 

I 1000% know why they are making so many variants now, but I really wish they would cut back on it and just crush 1-2 each year.

 

i don't think they're shooting themselves in the foot at all. They're gonna sell pretty much every drop of it to their wholesalers, and they'll sell it to retail.. and yadda yadda.

It's gonna sell regardless of whether or not a bunch of fobab/prop day attendees say it's not worth it.

 

I prefer if GI followed the K.I.S.S. principle by perfecting 2-3 variants along with regular. Their lineup expansion reminds me of Ratatouille where the evil chef planned on slapping the Gusteau name on every style of frozen food.

 

Yes, but if they only made 2-3 variants then more people would be able to purchase them....

 

With each variant tasted, I cued Phil Collins in my head.



Prop was decent, Orange weird but OK, Vanilla was the equivalent of drinking vanilla extract straight, no chaser.

Heard Reserve was good, didn’t get a chance to sample. Still upset w the fact they messed with my favorite variant, coffee. I hope they revert to their standard coffee releases next year.

Last year I was a definite no for future LP Binnys events due to the absolute debacle that occurred. With the good forecast and broadcast changes to be implemented, I was willing to give it a shot, but after FOBAB I have zero intention of hitting Binnys. I will pick up a few regulars and will try Reserve at a draft event.

 

I found that I like prop way better after some kind of acid pallet cleanse, at prop day it was the hot wings, at fobab, a sour. The choco went up 100% for me.

 

Prop was the only one we missed out on unfortunately, I'll have to find a pour somewhere.

 

Just dump some bakers cocoa on a nestle crunch bar

 

Top Three:
1) Horus - Deepest Shade
2)Surly - Pancake Party
3) Bottle Logic - Fundamental Observation

Round out the top 10:
Transient - Canuckley
18th Street - Saturday
3F - Chemtrail mix
Fremont - The Rusty Nail
BCBS - Bramble Rye
More - Henna
BCBS - Reserve

I tried fundamental observation before and after 3F chemtrail mix and it tasted more bland the second time because my tastebuds were oversaturated from the cinnamon/pink peppercorns in Chemtrail mix. That oversaturation may have also made More's Henna cinnamon flavor seem more mild than I remember and Mehndi seem underwhelming. I definitely rushed through the whales and didn't cleanse the palate often. Got their an hour and 15 min early and the guys behind us said Hours - Deepest Shade had the gold stolen from them so I seeked it out and was very impressed. Ran into the same guys later and they seemed to think it was too hazelnut forward and thin. I only picked up the coffee and unique sweetness and smoothness. Surly pancake party kicked right after i grabbed it and it was very sweet (I like it more than CBS). Definitely made the next beer taste bitter. Thought midnight orange was ok but every sip i took the orange peel bitterness seemed to build on itself. I tried one quick tiny sip of the BCBS vanilla from a stranger and don't remember any vanilla but it was the end of the night and I had palate fatigue. Bramble Rye is more tart than last year's Northwoods and I wonder how it will age. Tried Reserve and their mango ale concoction and both were pretty good.

Dissapointments:
Central Waters - Twenty: Had a woody/ashy aftertaste
Half Acre - Benthic: Seemed overly aggressive and not balanced
Haymarket - Clare's Thursty: had a bizzarely sweet berry syrup flavor

My buddy had a funny quote: "Henna is Chemtrailmix's little brother and Benthic is Henna's eccentric friend".