Strange Brew

An intimate group was on hand for Beer Versus Beer last night. Our panel of tasters included Joltin' Joe Carey, Brian (Primary), "other" Brian and his wife Jeanine, Vince and of course, yours truly. Servin' up brew in support of Jaclyn, our Head Beer Wench were Kathleen and Melissa.

My dad (that's Mr. Dykas to you) was also on hand, which was most excellent since it had been awhile since I had seen him. He, along with Joe's friend, Gerlinda, made for an excellent peanut gallery.

My buddy Josh showed up earlier in the  day with some Saint Arnold Divine #5 (thereby cementing his "Friend Forever" status), so we added that to the mix at the last minute. Since I know most people are only concerned with the results, that's where we'll go.

Hefeweisen Category

An all-German affair, that was a tad disappoint for some.  The Franziskaner took first place, follwed by Weihenstephaner and then Hofbrau.

IPA Challenge

Three contestants stepped up to the challenge. Widmer Broken Halo, Redhook Long Hammer and Stone IPA. The taste buds definitely woke up for this round. In the end the Longhammer took first, with the Stone IPA nudging into second, leaving the Broken Halo at the back of the bus.

Imperial Stout Battle Royale

The most intersting round of the evening. Saint Arnold Divine #5 took on two Oak-Aged entries from Left Hand Brewing and Great Divide (Old Yeti). Although Jaclyn set the Imperial Stouts out at the beginning of the tasting, they still had some warming to do. This was apparent as this tasting took the longest and different tasters changed their minds as each beer warmed up. When we finally got around to casting our final votes, Left Hand took top honors. The Divine #5 took the runner-up spot and the Great Divide, although it was Joe's favorite, brought up the rear.

This turned out be an excellent evening of friends and beer. Good friends; good beer; how can one go wrong!

Listening to: Oldest Story in the World - The Plimsouls

Comments

[Crosstrain]

Lol, Gerlinde is my friend but she is also my wife. Thanks for the evening, you have a great abode and great taste in beer and friends.

[Tiggs]

LOL! I was going to leave the same comment- Gerlinde is Joe's wife! LOL!