What were your Top 5 EBF Experiences?

So many great beers it's tough to choose 5. Off the top of head from my blurry memory:

Carton - Golden Lily
Funky Buddha - French Toast
Rare Barrel - Forces Unseen
Surly - Pentagram
Element - Citromnium

That is one of my all time favorite beers. I'm so glad they brought it back into production.

Other Half is currently my favorite brewery, so I'm very happy to see people really enjoyed their beers. So glad they are only a 15 minute subway ride from my apt. Yeah I noticed that AGE was kicked when I got to the table. Funny the OH crew was yelling at me for showing up late to the booth, but I told them I had to let everyone else who can't make to NYC to try some first!

 

We really enjoyed,
Map of the Sun (Rare Barrels)
Oro Negro (Jackie O's)
Chemdawg (Otter Creek)
Bean Porter (Night Shift)
Tempus (OEC)

What a great line up for this event
I have to add
Ensorcelled (Rare Barrels)
Cheers

 

In the order I tried them:

Tree House - Good Morning
Lost Abbey - Veritas 015
The Bruery - Tart of Darkness with Cherries and Vanilla
Green Man - Snozzberry
Firestone Walker - Stickee Monkee

Seeing all the love for All Green Everything makes me regret having it in the middle of the day with no context just to basically remind me what hops taste like in the middle of a sour and strong ale assault.

 

Da Un Besa A La Botella was worth the wait for me but I agree about Huna. Either bring enough for everyone or don't bring any at all.

 

Top 5 in no specific order

Last Buffalo in the Park- Funky Buddha
Black Tuesday- The Bruery
CBS- Founders
Hunahpu- Cigar City
MBCP- Funky Buddha

So upset Tree House kicked completely before i could get to them. I mean they only brought 2 beers, i assumed they would have brought enough. Clearly not the case. But i guess it should have been expected because they cant even make enough beer to last 2 days at their brewery.

 

At least they brought it. A couple of my most wanted beers were "misprints in the guide" according to the pourers and brewers....even though they were listed on the site all month. I know - Lineup subject to change.

 

Jackie O's Oro Negro
Kane ANTEAD
Kane Sunday Brunch
Tree House Good Morning
Tie between OEC and Rare Barrel beers.

 

Tree House - Good Morning
Funky Buddha - MBCP
Founders - KBS
Kane - ANTEAD
Carton - Irish Coffee

I also thought Java Power was really well done.

 

Hunahpu
Good Morning
CBS
Last Buffalo
Cuvee de Tomme

Also props to The Rare Barrel for showing up with some great sours!

 

They actually only brought one beer (good morning), claiming they never had time to brew the other. I don't know if that makes it better or worse, but either was I was annoyed that they ran out of beer. I don't really understand how you show up to a beer festival without enough beer to go around.

 

Good Morning
Veritas 015
CBS
Kane - Sunday Brunch
Tart of Darkness - Cherries & Vanilla

 

That's nothing compared to some of the breweries last year that ran out in about a half hour. I believe Cascade was one of them, and even firestone walker was packing up super early last year so I was very happy that most places seemed to have plenty this year.

Anyway...Tree House is in the process of completely revamping and upgrading their operation as you probably know. This has been a major project for them that has been consuming almost all of their time presumably and they barely have enough beer to sell at the brewery the past few weeks. I bet you next year will be a whole different story for them. Personally I was surprised that Good Morning actually lasted most of the session with that crazy neverending line.

 

The full pours of The Bruery Chocolate Rain, Melange #9 and Oude Tart w/ Cherries at Row 34 was a great way to pregame prior to Session #3. And yes, I had all 3

 

Hardywood- Bourbon Sidamo Coffee Stout
Hardywood- The Great Return w/pineapple
Other Half- All Green Everything
Surly- Abrasive
Banded Horn- The Mountain

 

In no particular order, and there's some tough omissions.

All Green Everything - Other Half
Good Morning - Tree House
Night to End All Dawns - Kane
Jackie O's Cucumber Ginger Berliner Weiss
Everything at the Rare Barrel table - they won the fest for me I think

 

Jackie O's - Oro Negro
Night Shift/NERAX - SoPool
Rare Barrel - Map of the Sun
Bruery - ToD w/ Cherry and Vanilla
Tree House - Good Morning

Honorable mentions - 4 Hands Madagascar and Green Man Snozzberry

 

So tough, but in no particular order

Funky Buddah - Last Buffalo in the Park
Due South - Mexican Standoff
Surly - Abrasive
Hidden Cove - Jali
Hardywood - Great Pineapple Return
The Rare Barrel - Forces Unseen
Other Half - Green Diamonds
Tree House - Good Morning

Other great ones (Funky Buddah - MBCP, French Toast, Key Lime Berliner, Dark Horse - Rain in Blood, Cascade - Cherry Bourbonic Plague, Due South - Calling all Cars, Element - Citronium and Dark Vanilla, Firestone Walker - Bretta Rose, Green Flash - 12th Anniversary, Ithaca - JAVA POWER, Night Shift - El Lechedor, Oskar Blues - Oska the G'Rauch)

Wanted to try but either forgot or they ran out (Rainbow Licker for curiosity's sake, Founders - CBS, Ithaca - Flower Power with Grapefruit, Other Half - All Green Everything) But even though I missed out on those I got to try a lot of others that weren't on my list

Totally forgot about Toppling Goliath, DOH! King Sue, anyone have it? Didn't see anyone post on it.

Disappointments (DFH - Choc Lobster, Shorts - Joyous Almondo)

Best booth setup (Shorts!)
Best people behind the counter (Wigs from Dark Horse, Funky Buddah peeps, TreeHouse peeps, Due South peeps, and of course Sam Calgione from DogFish Head)

Thanks for a great, well-run, experience. I have been to VT Brewers Fest in Burlington, the Worthy Brewfest in Springfield,
The Rising Pint Beer Fest in East Hartford CT, and Mohegan Sun's Beer fest. This was by far the best event.
I will be returning next year. I will need to go to the GABF in Colorado eventually.

 

TG was not there. They pulled out a few weeks ago

 

Ahh thanks. I feel a little better now ;-)

 

Just to pull you back down from your feeling better, they were there last year and everything they brought was ridiculously good