Sunday, July 24, 2011

A firkin' good time

Yesterday was the 2nd annual Milwaukee Firkin Fest. The beer makers of Milwaukee, along with selected breweries from throughout the state, gathered in Cathedral Square to share their craft.

There were close to 100 beers being served on this humid Saturday. For some it was a trick to keep the beer cold. For others, it made a huge difference in how the beer tasted. But all in all, it was a good time to walk around and sample a good number of beers.

I don't know if there was a single "best" beer. There were a number of very good ones. For example, Potosi had a very nice oatmeal stout. Chameleon- a shoot off of Sprecher- had a nice fruit infused wit, and Vintage Brewing had a very nice weisse. Lakefront brought along their Cherry Lager which is very solid.

There were a couple of beers that fell short. St. Francis Brewery had a coconut brown ale that was flat. It may have been harmed by the heat. This needed to be colder to taste better. Not sure what was up with the Sprecher cherry lambic. It was too sour and just didn't taste good.

What may have been the best part of the event was speaking with the guys from Potosi. They explained how the brewery is set up as a non-profit organization and how they must distribute any profits to the charities of their choosing. These guys believe in making their beer help others. Plus it didn't hurt that they have a good lineup to serve.

I did notice one thing that will help prepare for any future beer samplings. The pretzel necklace. People were walking around with pretzels draped around the necks. It was a simple but effective idea to cleanse the palate and soak up some of the beer in the belly. One couple explained how they get their kids to string up the pretzels for them. This is an idea I will need to use in the future.

1 comment:

xl pharmacy said...

Oh man It had been so great for me, specially because I love festivals and beers it's the perfect combination to spend a good time