C & I made our way down to the Navy Yard for the International Great Beer Expo for the afternoon session. I initially rejected the idea, as the crowds and intention of concentrated drinking never feels like a good one. But, when Living Social sneaked in a half price ticket out of South Jersey, I figured I could get $23 worth of interesting beer and not feel the same pressure to get enough bang for my buck.
I started at the Blue Point tent since I have a soft spot for them and their Toasted Lager. Then, we bounced around a bit. Here’s the complete list of what I sampled:
- Blue Point Toasted Lager
- River Horse Summer Blonde (while waiting for #3)
- Ale Smith Grand Cru (little sour, really interesting. I want more!)
- White Birch Indulgence (this gets some love below)
- Ipswich Dark Ale (not a fair follower of WBI)
- John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale (memorable, boozy)
- Reaper Ale Redemption Red Ale (respectable)
- Cold Spring Honey Almond Weiss (could be a nice change of pace, out of a can, no ABV listed)
- Ithaca Cascazilla (surprisingly the most memorable beer of the day. I’m only disappointed because I already know this brewery.)
- Prism Shady Blonde (made with blood oranges, some summer-y potential)
- Leffe Blonde (I don’t know how I wound up in this line. I was hoping for Leffe Bruin.)
- Leavenwerth Altbier
- Wild Blue Blueberry Lager (very sweet. very.)
- Sugar Hill Golden Ale
- White Birch Dubbel
- Franziskaaner Weissbier
- Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale (we pretty much started from square one again)
- Ale Smith Old Numbskull
- Boulder Beer Mojo IPA (this one definitely had the friendliest pourer)
- Emilisse Imperial Russian Stout (would’ve gone back for seconds, but was so strong)
- Weyerbacher Merry Monks (I told this guy I’d be back. Not true.)
- White Birch Indulgence (yes, again)
- Tournay de Noel
- Tournay Necebur Belgian Ale
- Boulder Beer Mojo IPA (yes, he must’ve been the friendly one)
- Original Sin Hard Cider (a quick drink while heading back to the bus)
C & I definitely traded some sips along the way, but I didn’t write those down. Following the event, I told L that Ithaca Cascazilla and White Birch brewery stood out. I would throw Ale Smith in there, too. The White Birch Indulgence Ale (9.2% ABV) was thick, rich and chocolate-y. It was so strong that I literally had to wipe out my glass, not just swirl some water in it. It’s a black ale, not a porter or a stout. Curious.
