We arrived with one goal: taste everything. It was a lofty goal for two first-time attendees to Strange Brewfest in Port Townsend, Washingtion, but we had no idea what we were in for when we set forth to sip hard on the most bizarre bevs made by more than 35 breweries.
Our strategy was methodical and dogged, getting tastes from every vendor, in a row, clockwise. We shared sips, we discussed, we swirled and ultimately, we realized that not every flavor goes super well with the next. Here’s what was noteworthy.
Best Brew Name That was Also a Good Beer: Boundary Bay’s Asalt with a Caramel Weapon ||
The Boundary Bay creation consisted of a beer base made from 70 percent oatmeal stout and 30 percent scotch ale, with caramel and salt added in the process. The sweetness fell off just in time to keep it fairly balanced, considering the concept of a salted caramel beer, and the flavors of the base brews came through nicely.
Most Innovative Beer Concept That Actually Worked: Bainbridge Brewing’s Phuket, I’m Going to Strange Brewfest ||
The overall winner of the Fest, Bainbridge presented a complex concept with fun, interactive elements. Brewmaster Russell Everett was inspired by a Parmesan water and agar creation of El Bulli legend Ferran Adria, and decided to make noodles for his beer. Starting with stout and agar, he created a “noodle” to bring out a texture you don’t normally get while drinking beer. Everett also wanted an element of crowd participation, so he brought in bottles of Sriracha for guests to squirt into their Thai beer, and cilantro to sprinkle over top for a distinct Thai take-out aroma. (Bonus points for the beer descriptions, which included things like “Refreshing Seasonality,” “Pretention” and “Water.”)
Best Beer We’d Actually Drink Normally: Propolis‘ Wild Woods ||
Propolis just opened a new tap room over the weekend of Strange Brew, but still had a strong showing at the fest. Despite charging two tokens for a beer taste (versus the one requested by most others), it was probably the most drinkable beer there. A sour-style beer brewed with spruce and birch, it was also a favorite of many of the other brewers in attendance.
Beer We Were Most Excited for, and Then Most Disappointed By: Slippery Pig Brewery‘s Chicken & Waffles ||
Despite the elaborate presentation, complete with syrupy waffles, the beer fell flat, without a lot of flavor and a distinct burnt flavor. It was a pretty big bummer, and to top it off, the waffle was a squishy, flavorless affair.
Most Unnecessarily Spicy Kick in the Mouth: Brickyard Brewing‘s Lava Lounge ||
A blonde ale made with ghost peppers, scorpion peppers, and 9 million scoville extract, it was impossible to take more than a sip and not immediately regret it. The owners even posted a warning sign which read, “This beer is hot. Not like funny hot but really f*cking hot! You have been warned.”
Most Polarizing Beer: Dungeness Brewing‘s Crabby Stout ||
While my guest hated this beer with the power of a thousand suns, I found the brininess of real Dungeness crab added during the boiling process to be pleasingly refreshing. In their third year brewing the beer, the Dungeness folks sought to include an even stronger crab flavor than ever before.
Biggest Trends:
1) Pickled/Fermented:
–Outlander Brewing made a sauerkraut sour, which was a sour ale made with red cabbage added post-fermentation for a bit of sweetness.
–Fremont Brewing made a pickled gose, which was actually delightful, though not palatable for more than a few sips.
–Island Hoppin’ Brewing made a pickle kolsch shandy, with a pickle and all.
2) Chai:
–Odd Otter Brewing Co. made a ODDiTea brown ale with fellow Tacoma artisan Mad Hat Chai and coconut, which was the mildest mix of beer and Chai flavors.
–Silver City Brewing blended Chai and cold brew into their porter for a beer that was heavily soured in flavoring, and overpowered by the coffee.
–Georgetown’s South Vale Dirrty Chai Porter was a take on the “Dirty Chai” coffee drink commonly ordered at Seattle coffee shops. A combination of masala chai spices and Georgetown porter, it was the most successful of the bunch.
3) Spice:
-Brickyard’s Lava Lounge and Tora, Tora, Tora were both hugely spicy and not for the faint of heart. The latter was a bit more drinkable, with fresh ginger and wasabi.
–Sea Pine Brewing’s La Diablo Bruja was evocative of mole, with Sea Witch milk stout infused with five types of roasted chilies, plus cassia chips, smoky black pepper, anise, vanilla, and Valrhona chocolate.
–West Seattle Brewing’s Habanero Mango Pale would be a lovely pairing for fish tacos.
