Barrel Beers

A week ago I attended the Bistro's Inaugural Barrel-Aged Beer Festival. There were beers aged in barrels formerly containing whiskey, bourbon, madeira, wine, you name it. And there were about 50 of them. Some brewers there, including Roger from Drake's. He keeps talking to me about opening a brewpub in Oakland. Apparantly there are a few others already in the works.

It's like that old saying in Texas, well I know it's in Texas, but probably Tennessee too... fool me once, shame on...shame on me...fool me won't be fooled again.

Wait, not that saying, the other one. I think pops said it, that if I've come up with an idea, someone else has already thought of it, and is probably doing something about it.

I digress. The tasting was great, tasted 13 beers, reanging from sticky sweet, puckery sour, sherry flavored, woody vanilla, stouty, hoppy, malty. So many different flavors, unrefutable evidence that beer is not a one-note tune.

The Winners:
Pizza Port Old(er) Viscosity Strong Ale. Best in show, a barley-wine styled sweet beer.
Glacier Brew House Ukrainian Imperial Stout. People's choice, a tasty toasted stout.