Gulfbrew....

[cajunhawk]

_ There is no middle ground with IPAs: they're either really bad or really good. Sadly, both of the IPAs they had at Gulfbrew (Harpoon IPA and Redhook IPA) were in the first category.

I liked both of the beers from Brooklyn Brewing. The Anchor Summerfest was also pretty good.

None of the beers in the craft tent were very memorable. _

Yeah the craft tent definetly wasnt where the magic was happenning. I tried some of Zea's beers they had and maybe they should stick to food. Admirable try but ultimately a failure.

[Tripple Threat]

_ Did any of you guys get out to Gulfbrew this weekend? It was a good crowd. Tents were packed. Beer was good, except whoever thinks India Pale Ale is good beer should be taken out and beaten in the street. Its like battery acid flavored beer. Cant wait till next year, gotta pace myself to enjoy more beer. _

I'm with you about the IPA's; I can't stand the extreme hoppiness (I have tasted many). I've had one IPA that I liked and it's brewed in Alberta (Keith's). I was glad to see they got rid of the punch cards...I've never been to a beer fest where the tastes were limited (yes, I realize some booths were giving more than the 15 last year).

My only thoughts for further improvement...Move the fest to Sept/Oct for an Octoberfest (mainly for the seasonal beers that come out and cooler weather) and give a little more room for Independent brewers.

Easily my favorite festival in Lafayette and I love Festival International...

Cheers

[jimbo]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale......was the absolute worst *&%$#@*&% liquid i put past my lips! I really thought i was gonna hurl after that one small taste. The Leininklugel Summer Shandy was excellent!

[awadelewis]

_ Sierra Nevada Pale Ale......was the absolute worst *&%$#@*&% liquid i put past my lips! I really thought i was gonna hurl after that one small taste. The Leininklugel Summer Shandy was excellent! _

I'm amazed how widespread people's tastes are when it comes to beer. I like the Sierra Nevada beers but I've always thought that the Leininklugel Summer Shandy was nothing more than a mix of bad beer and artificially flavored lemonade. But I've never been a fan of any of beer-based mixed drinks (of which the shandy is just one example).

As for the Sierra Nevada, it's a pretty heavily hopped example of a Northwest-style Pale Ale. Did you try Zea's pale ale over in the craft tent in comparison? I've noticed that a lot of people in this area don't like the astringent taste you get in a beer brewed with lots of hops in it.

That was why I was steering a lot of people over to trying Full Sail's Session beer. It's their attempt at creating a version of American-style lagers from before Prohibition. It's what the big brewery beers would taste like if they worried more about quality than quantity.

[jimbo]

_ I'm amazed how widespread people's tastes are when it comes to beer. I like the Sierra Nevada beers but I've always thought that the Leininklugel Summer Shandy was nothing more than a mix of bad beer and artificially flavored lemonade. But I've never been a fan of any of beer-based mixed drinks (of which the shandy is just one example).

As for the Sierra Nevada, it's a pretty heavily hopped example of a Northwest-style Pale Ale. Did you try Zea's pale ale over in the craft tent in comparison? I've noticed that a lot of people in this area don't like the astringent taste you get in a beer brewed with lots of hops in it.

That was why I was steering a lot of people over to trying Full Sail's Session beer. It's their attempt at creating a version of American-style lagers from before Prohibition. It's what the big brewery beers would taste like if they worried more about quality than quantity. _

I guess our tastes are the exact opposite, I like just about everything Leininklugel makes and very little of the Sierra Nevada makes, as well as any IPA. True, the Full Sail Session beer was good, as was the Backdraft Brown and I liked two of the Zea beers. I am also a HUGE fan of the Hofbrauhaus beers (especially after going to the Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas).

Lets hope that Acadiana Canter for the Arts keeps this going every year because its a great beer festival and it lets guys like us tell others about the beers that each of us liked and disliked.