Snallygaster 2016 - September 17th

VIP tickets bought. The Hunt for Founders CBS begins!

 

Anybody volunteer last year? Are you able to "sample" the beers as a volunteer?

 

Thoughts on the beer list so far? I've only been once before (last year), and while the top whales seem to be on par with that event (Cantillon, CBS, BA Abraxas, etc.), it seems like the next tier isn't quite as strong. Maybe that will change once they reveal the rest of the list.

 

I see at least a dozen others I would love to have (including a few I've already tried). A good number of those are BA stouts, so only a finite amount I'll be able to consume anyway. Only question is how long it all lasts.

 

Last year was my first Snallygaster as well. With another 250+ beers still to be announced, I'm pretty sure I'll see a few beers I will want to try. I agree there's been a number of not-so-unique beers announced, but I do applaud the emphasis on local breweries as validation of DC/Maryland/Virginia as an important craft beer brewing region.

 

There are a decent amount of rarities to go along with some of the standard stuff you can see. While I've noticed a uptick in American Doubles/Imperials, there has been a major swing towards either sours or American Wild Ales (wild yeasts) this year.

Also, last year was my 1st year and it was amazing to see how quickly certain beers ran out during the VIP only hours.

 

Pro-tip: if you attend the VIP session, don't line up. Last year people just bum-rushed the site as soon as it opened and the people standing in line were the last to get to the beer tents.

 

Updated beer list so far 200. Final tally will be 352 . List also available as PDF or spreadsheet. I've been using the spreadsheet to add BA grades. http://snallygasterdc.com/beer-list/

 

Mine sharing the spreadsheet? I doubt I'm going but I'm curious what the top rated BA beers are at the event are.

 

88 Beers have no ranking (not enough grades)
50 Beers have grades 89-80
41 Beers have grades 90-94
21 beers with a 95 rating or better:

Cantillon Fou' Foune Lambic (w/ Apricots) 5.0% Sours 100
Founders CBS Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 10.6% Barrel-Aged Brews 100
Perennial Barrel-Aged Abraxas Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 11.0% Barrel-Aged Brews 100
Founders KBS Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 11.2% Barrel-Aged Brews 100
Prairie Bomb! Imperial Stout 13.0% The Dark Side 99
Deschutes The Abyss (Vintage 2013) Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 11.0% 99
J. Wakefield Miami Madness Berliner Weisse 3.5% Washington, DC Debut Sours 98
Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout 9.0% The Dark Side 96
Maine Beer Lunch American IPA 7.0% Hopheads 96
North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve: Bourbon Barrel (Vintage 2014) 13.2% 96
Allagash Farm to Face Sour Blond Ale (w/ Peaches) 5.7% Sours 96
Maine Beer Another One American IPA 7.0% Hopheads 95
New Belgium Le Terroir Barrel-Aged Sour Blond Ale (Dry-Hopped) 7.5% Sours 95
Foothills Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout10.0% Barrel-Aged Brews 95
DC Brau On the Wings of Armageddon Imperial IPA 9.2% Hopheads 95
Sierra Nevada Narwhal - Rum Barrel Aged Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (Rum) 11.7% Washington, DC Debut Barrel-Aged Brews 95
Terrapin Wake-n-Bake (Vintage 2015) Imperial Stout 9.4% Vintage Brew The Dark Side 95
North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout 9.0% The Dark Side 95
Ballast Point Bourbon Barrel-Aged Victory at Sea Barrel-Aged Imperial Porter 10.0% 95
Alpine Hoppy Birthday: Citra & Centennial Session IPA 5.3% Cask Cask Ales 95
Victory DirtWolf: Mosaic Imperial IPA (Dry-Hopped w/ Mosaic) 8.7% Cask Cask Ales 95

 

I saw on another post that when VIP opened everyone just rushed the gates last year. Is that true? The organizers better get their shit together and prevent that stuff if they want to offer whales like those top 3.

 

Yea I've heard countless reports of that as well. Given the grumblings on many social media sites I would think they'd have to improve that by necessity. I also heard they were allowing certain people two pours of the rarer beers as well

 

The issue last year was that there weren't any real gates. The line just ran alongside the parking lot. When the event started, the line collapsed into the parking lot instead of winding through the gate. It was as if everyone was standing on the sidelines of a football field and then everyone was supposed to walk along the 50-yard-line to get onto the field. It just wasn't going to happen. I would guess they'll put a fence up along the perimeter of the parking lot this year but who knows.

 

Based on my experience there last year, the thing about the lines is 100% accurate. And rumor has it the same thing happened the year before, so I wouldn't be too optimistic that they feel the need to change entry procedures. The "two pour" beer was BA Abraxas, and, in addition to giving out two pours, they were also pouring full pints rather than sticking to their purported 4 oz limit. That's how it kicked in about 5 minutes with just a small number of people getting any. Needless to say, I am not returning this year.

 

I went once a few years ago. It was a bit of a show and I don't mean in a good way. The line to get in was a mess. Let me know when they get their "stuff" together and I might consider going again. But not this year.

 

The link to the spreadsheet (Google Sheet) is on the beer list page:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...R7wtKV1--d36wyVfc2KJlHQBhQ/edit#gid=553149470

 

Last year, there was a long line on the bigger side that collapsed at the start and caused chaos. On the less popular side, a bunch of people didn't realize that we shouldn't go in and simply lined up well in advance at the tents we wanted (mostly Grey Monday). No one kicked us out and it worked so well that I think they should just let people line up at the taps once they have their tickets. They would never do that, but it would mean less running and chaos.

 

i really don't want to have to run to try the beers I want, especially after paying $60. Someone please tell me I won't have to run.