Savor in D.C.: Beer drinkers paradise
Over the weekend I went to Savor, the dressed-up pairing of American craft beers and fancy fare in Washington.
It was a scene that thrilled American beer lovers. Sixty-eight breweries from around the nation were pouring two beers each in the great hall of the National Building Museum just off the Judiciary Square Metro stop. Some 1,700 sippers, I would say 40 percent of them women, paid the $95 entry fee. There were also seminars held in rooms off the main hall. I will cover the seminars later. Today, I will write about sipping and eating.
The hall was spacious, the serving stations well spaced. There were some long lines, but as one fellow said to me as he waited at the Dogfish station, "Everyone seems to be polite."
Some new (to me) brews that pleased: Saison Rue from The Bruery (Orange County, Calif.), Deschutes (Oregon) Black Butte Porter, Double Barrel Ale from Firestone (Paso Robles, Calif.), Dragon's Milk Oak Aged Ale from New Holland (Michigan) Brewing Co., and Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from the St. Louis Brewery.
The Maryland breweries were well-represented. Hook & Ladder poured its Backdraft Brown Ale, Flying Dog had ever-impressive Gonzo Imperial Porter, and Clipper City delivered its killer Loose Cannon IPA.
There were a ton of "sliders," those small sandwiches that look like upscale White Castle offerings. They came in crab cake, pork and steak versions. There were also ample supplies of Maytag blue cheese, which to my mind pairs well every beer on earth.
The food and beer pairings that worked the best for me were the Boulevard (Kansas City) Unfiltered Wheat Beer with the skewers of grilled tomato and haloumi cheese, and the Saison Rue with an open-faced tenderloin panini.
The one beer I went back to get again was the Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Wow!
Any other takes on this event or on the beers?
Comments
Rob,
I was unable to attend Savor but I read your review of the Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. I picked up a bottle of the 2008 vintage at Wells last month and I'm just awaiting the right opportunity to uncork it. I'm glad you liked it so much.
Posted by: Chippewa29 | June 1, 2009 12:18 PM
The Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is amazing. Their barley wine style ale is also good, but the Imperial Stout makes you stop what you are doing and take notice.
@Cheppewa29 - You don't need a special occasion to open it. The day you open it will become a special occasion.
Cheers!
Posted by: Captain Hops | June 1, 2009 4:56 PM
The oysters from Choptank were awesome. The beer from Lost Abbey and Russian River flowed nicely. Metro could not have been closer. Great cheese display from the state of Wisconsin. Cannot wait until Savor 2010!
Posted by: Duane S. CArr | June 2, 2009 12:41 AM
Agreed, the Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout was excellent. Stone's two offerings (Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and Cali-Belgique IPA), as well as Russian River's Consecration are a few others that stick out in my mind. It was a great event this year, as was last year!
Check out my two-part review. Part 1: http://bit.ly/yhYrh Part 2: http://bit.ly/qi5zM
Posted by: Steph Weber | June 4, 2009 3:00 PM