2012 Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Fest

This year my friends Todd, Cara and I went on Friday night, which was a lot less crowded than it was on Saturday the previous year. We arrived via Light Rail and listened to a great two-man cajun band as we waited for our tasting glasses and lanyards. I split from my friends to get some food while they chased booze. I had brought a yarmulke with me to adorn one of the roasted pigs with.

There was a lot of beer, and since I had already tried most of them in the past and was more interested in bourbon, I only tried about a dozen beers. Anyway, here is a list of breweries/cideries/wineries in attendance:

  1. Leinenkugel
  2. Samuel Adams
  3. Flying Dog (their Wildeman was great)
  4. Stoudt's
  5. Blue Moon (Coors)
  6. The Raven
  7. Tommyknocker
  8. Moosehead
  9. New Belgium
  10. Sprecher
  11. Yards
  12. Spaten
  13. Harpoon
  14. Duclaw
  15. Sierra Nevada
  16. Jeremiah Weed (not really beer but a malt beverage)
  17. Gordon Biersch
  18. Estrella Damm (from Spain)
  19. Ommegang
  20. Duvel
  21. Mike's Hard Lemonade
  22. National Bohemium
  23. Pabst
  24. Palm
  25. Anchor
  26. Saranac (their White IPA was great)
  27. Guinness
  28. Magic Hat
  29. Pyramid
  30. Evolution
  31. Magner's Irish Cider
  32. 16 Mile
  33. Dogfish Head
  34. Widmer Brothers
  35. Oskar Blues
  36. Woodchuck Cider
  37. Heavy Seas
  38. Shiner
  39. Lancaster
  40. Old Dominion (their Gigi's Farmhouse Ale was great)
  41. Crispin Cider
  42. Long Trail
  43. Buffalo Bill's
  44. Barefoot Wines
As I mentioned earlier, it was not at all crowded. In fact, the only thing one had to wait in line for was to get one's glass dipped in wax at the Maker's Mark station. It was surreal walking right up to Duclaw and getting served immediately, since at most beer fests they are mobbed.

Before getting to the bourbons, you might be interested in a fun item I tried called Bumper Bubbles. As you can see in the photos, they are large, clear, soft plastic balls that you climb inside and can then bump into things. You can see a video of my test flight here.

Okay, on to the bourbons. You might be wondering: what is the difference between whisky and bourbon? Well, I'll tell you. Whisky (alternative spelling: whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting grains, then distilling the liquid, and finally aging the distillate in an oak vessel. There are several types of whisky, each one named according to the grains used. For example, rye whisky is made from at least 51% rye. Wheat whisky is made from at least 51% wheat. Malt whisky is made from at least 51% malted barley.

So, what is bourbon? It is whisky made from at least 51% corn. "But wouldn't that be corn whisky?" you ask. No. Whisky has to be made from at least 80% corn to be called corn whisky. In addition to the 51% corn minimum, bourbon must meet some other specifications: it must be aged in new, charred-oak barrels; it must be distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% ABV); it must enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof; and it must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. There is no minimum time for which bourbon must be aged in oak; however, it must be aged for at least 2 years to be called straight bourbon.

Now, here are the bourbons and other spirits I tried:

  1. Highwest Silver (clear; never went into a barrel)
  2. Highwest Double Rye
  3. Highwest Bourye (mixture of rye and bourbon)
  4. Highwest Rocky Mountain Rye (21 years old)
  5. Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack
  6. Jack Daniels Woodford Reserve
  7. Makers Mark Red Winter Wheat
  8. Makers Mark 46
  9. Basil Hayden 8-year
  10. Knob Creek 9-year
  11. Knob Creek 9-year single barrel
  12. Baker's 7-year
  13. Booker's Small Batch
  14. Jim Beam Red Stag Spiced (cinnamon)
  15. Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry (my favorite of the fest)
  16. Jim Beam Red Stag Honey Tea
  17. Jim Beam Black
  18. Jim Beam Devil's Cut
  19. Buffalo Trace Blanton's
  20. Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare
  21. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
  22. Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon
  23. Heaven Hill Evan Williams Cherry Reserve
  24. Heaven Hill Evan Williams Honey Reserve
  25. Heaven Hill Elijah Craig 12-year-old Premium Bourbon
  26. Heaven Hill Elijah Craig 18-year-old Single Barrel Super-Premium Bourbon
  27. MB Roland Strawberry Kentucky Shine
  28. MB Roland Lemonade Kentucky Shine
  29. Parker Heritage Collection 10-year
  30. Willitt (which product I didn't record)
  31. Redemption Riverboat Rye
  32. WhistlePig Rye
  33. Louisville Angel's Envy
  34. Buffalo Trace Pappy Van Winkle's 23-year-old Family Reserve
That last bourbon was named "Spirit of the Year" for 2010 by Wine and Spirits magazine. I heard that it sells for $200 per bottle. It just tasted like bourbon to me.

Some of the people working at the beer and spirits stations were young women who were, um, let's just say not the sharpest knives in the drawer. At the Maker's Mark station there was a woman standing behind one product and next to her was a guy standing behind another. I asked her, "What are you serving?" She held up the bottle and answered, "This one."

There was a "tasting theater" where a speaker educated people about bourbon. The only new piece of information I was able to gather was that Knob Creek named their distillery after a creek that runs by Abraham Lincoln's childhood home. We tried 5 bourbons and also some pear moonshine.

After the fest we walked back to wait for the Light Rail. Cara snapped this lovely photo of me.

Quote of the day: "Drunk people are cool when you're drunk."