The Bistro -Bals Fest 2012

Surprisingly, last year was the first time I attended, and this year I'll be pouring.

A friend of mine showed me the biginning of a list, but many more beers are to be added. I do know Drakes will unveil some one offs.

 

Does this work like the Double IPA fest? IE: Just show up and buy individual pours?

 

Something like that. I believe last year it was something like $60 for the glass and a handful of tickets.

 

Heard of the IPA/DIPA/Fresh hop fests at the bistro but I haven't heard of this one. Looks like i need to take that saturday off!

 

Bumping the thread as it looks like I'm going to this. Anybody seen a line-up of any kind?

 

They've said $50 for a glass and 12 tickets this year. I'm just hoping that the Oregon State/Stanford game is a late game, otherwise I have a terrible decision to make.

 

Well I'll be pouring, sooooo......I'll double your ounces?

 

Mother fucker, the game is at noon. That means I can't even stop by quickly, though I could conceivably go after. How long do these things run?

 

Well the IIPA fest ended round 7, so that's my guess.

 

This should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

 

As much as it pains me to say this as a Stanford fan...

Oregon -17

 

Well, yeah we'll get destroyed by Oregon, this is Oregon State.

 

I think this weekend's game will be great and who knows what Stanford's record would be if they had gone with Hogan from the start of the season. Also, don't count them out of the Oregon game so easily. USC has great individual athletes but is undisciplined and their defense looked lost. Stanford's front 7 will at least attempt to make a tackle.

Moving on...anybody know who's going to be pouring at this event? Is it even announced before hand?

 

Ah yes. Should be a W for the Cardinal. Forgot that Cal gets the honor of being destroyed by the Ducks this weekend.

 

Maybe, I'm going with "lowered expectations" for that game. It worked against USC! As for starting Hogan, my gut is that he wasn't ready, he needed the extra few reps in games and extra few weeks of practice. I think if he had been better than Nunes he would've been in earlier, that they waited means he needed time. But I'm certainly a lot more excited for the remainder of our schedule than I was after the WSU game.

Moving on indeed. It depends on what you mean by "beforehand". A list will leak out at like 9-10 AM on Saturday. So if you count that, then yes! I doubt we'll know earlier.

Then again, the Bistro has gotten into Facebook, so maybe they'll release some hints. They didn't for previous fests though, as far as I noticed.

 

The Bistro has been pretty good with releasing beer lists about a week before each the past year+, but they haven't released a list yet for this event. I've seen a rough draft to the start of a list, but that's it.

I expect Drake's to place again.

 

Really? I don't think I've ever seen a list before the day of.

 

You work at Drake's?

 

Looking back, you're right. I thought the list for the IIPA fest was up before the day of, but it wasn't.

 

Not legally

 

Couple of questions. Do I need to buy a ticket ahead of time? It says cash-only on the website. I'm assuming that goes for the $50 entrance fee as well?

Also, anyone know a better method of public transportation from the peninsula than up and around on Caltrain/BART? Otherwise I'm going to be spending a lot of the day on a train...

 

No. Tickets are only on sale the day of, at the event. It'll be $50 for a glass and 12 taster tickets.

There's a dumbarton bus, I believe. But you're either going on a bus or hitching a ride with someone. Getting across the peninsula fucking sucks.

 

Right?

I'm in the same boat with the Nevada/Fresno St. game . . . but I think the weather will probably answer that dilemma for me, with a storm front coming in on Thursday.

Bottle share tailgating in the snow around a fire barrel v. leaving at 4am & putting on chains to get over the pass in time to make it to the Bistro. . .

I guess a key difference is that my team is gonna win on Saturday.

 

The AC Transit Transbay Express Line M will take you from Hillsdale Mall to the Hayward BART station. Takes about an hour.

BART takes just about 2 hours even from Millbrae to Hayward.

 

Wouldn't it be faster to just drive, then afterward go see a movie to sober up? You'd have to be trying pretty hard to ingest enough beer to not be able to sober up in a couple hours.

 

Frankly I'd rather take the two hours reading or playing on my Vita on public transportation than dealing with a possible dui. Not that I'm self-righteous about it, but there's a $10 alternate choice, I might as well take it.

 

It looks like all the of AC transbay buses are weekday only. Unfortunately.

 

Best to drive to Oakland, pre-game at Beer Rev, BART to Hayward. Then BART back to Beer Rev before getting into your car to drive to Toronado. What could go wrong?

 

Now you're talking

 

This sounds interesting as I will be up in the area around that time. Thanks for the heads up.

 

If the tupac12 and Boise can't beat us in Reno. . .Fresno A&M? Laughable.

Actually in this rebuilding year of the program, I'd hit up the Bistro if the pass wasn't going to be a mess, but getting up at 3am, and then likely putting on chains, on a weekend, isn't my idea of a good time. Sitting on my ass around a fire barrel drinking imperial stouts before kickoff sounds like my 'lock of the week'.

 

The Bistro posted a small preview on their Facebook. Mostly just what breweries will be there. 60+ taps.

 

It looks pretty good.

 

Hoping to see some impressive stouts on the list. Regardless I'll be there enjoying beer and I'm sure to like most of it

 

Here's the list for those not on the book of faces...

Craftsman Plum Sour
Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Gueze
Bear Republic Tartare
Russian River Consecration
Bruery Smokin Wood
Stone Suitable for Cave Aging
Mad River Le Apricot
Smaltz Funky Jewbelation
Firestone Velvet Merkin
New Belgium La Folie
DogFish Palo Santo
Deschutes Black Butte XXIV
Lost Coast Imperial Stout
Bison Bourbon Belgian Triple
Ballast Point Sea Monster
Ale Industries Generation 3
Sierra Knock on Wood
North Coast Grand Cru
Drakes
Triple Voodoo
Speakeasy
Black Diamond
21A
Thirsty Bear
Sainte Adarius
Highwater
Oakland Brewing
Widmer
Palo Alto
Moylans
Iron Springs
Marin
Shipyard
Anderson Valley
Ommegang

 

T minus 2 hours

 

Haven't seen the 'official' results posted, but...
First Place : Sante Adairius
Second Place : Ale industries Unity
Third Place: Ballast Point Sea Monster

 

I really must be the only one in the world who thinks Ballast Point's BA stuff tastes like acetone.