Boonville seriously represented for the 12th annual brew fest! We did not expect quite so many people to descend on the Arbanovellas' fair berg, but beer aficionados from across NorCal were in effect. (Alana was also in effect, though not pictured in this shot of our crew.) Carlee was the trooper of the weekend, making it out with her broken ankle, enduring the interminable restroom line on her crutches. We were honored to fetch brews for our gimpy sensei.
The discovery of the day in terms of beer was Ninkasi Brewing from Eugene, OR. Chunk touts the Total Domination IPA, and Mr. A and Gagner were big fans of the Believer Double Red. Too bad they don't distribute down here, and that we missed them on BrewTour '07. Gotta love that the brewery is named after the Sumerian Goddess of brewing, and several of their beer names give it up for the female deities: the seasonal Ceridwen Harvest Dortmund Lager, Goddess Helles Lager, and Lady of Avalon Munchner Dunkel Lager.
We also wept with joy to see that Deschutes was in the house, and one of the three beers they were pouring was the BrewTour 2007 Beer of the Year award winner, Green Lakes Organic Ale. And there was a 22-oz bottle of it sitting out. Meaning... available at our local BevMo? The man at the tap said it should be available down here by now, so keep an eye out, beer lovers!
The crowd was so exceedingly classic that we almost focused more on people watching than beer, if you can believe that. This photo largely sums it up. We also have some great video footage of top-notch hippie dancing that I am hoping to post. Folks definitely came out of the gates fast -- many taps were tapped out by 4, and the staggering/snogging quotients increased exponentially over the course of the afternoon. Scott loved the spontaneous waves of cheering that swept the crowd, glasses raised to a general drunken "WWWWOOOOOooooooooo......" Alana noted many a bad tattoo, from Slayer to Warner Bros. And since when have rednecks started rocking the mohawk? Somehow the punk aesthetic has infiltrated the guns 'n' ganja scene up there.
Best beer t-shirt of the day: Jesus was a homebrewer. Also rans: Beer is the reason I get up every afternoon. I TAPPA KEGGA. (So bad it's good.) And though not technically a beer t-shirt, had to love the Oakland A's style jersey that said Oaksterdam.
In other news, since we had a brew crew quorum up there, BrewTour dates for 2008 have been set! We head to taste the beers of the central coast on August 28 - 31. Mark your calendar! It will be our first Tour with a baby in tow, since the Twiglet will have arrived. Never too early to start appreciating good brew, even if imbibing is a few years down the line, right?
