The Beer Dabbler at Highland Fest introduced 49 breweries (most with multiple beer selections) to a crowd of sweaty, happy beer-lovers yesterday. Advance tickets were available at a few area liquor stores and we managed to acquire ours at the Ale Jail and Wine Thief in St. Paul. I'm sure they have their reasons, but why the insistence on paying in cash? Very 1987, I think. Time to get crackin' with the charge card. That minor annoyance aside, I'd never been to the Ale Jail and it definitely looks like a locale worth revisiting. I poked at the wines (at the connected Wine Thief) longer than the beers and was impressed by their selection. My being impressed probably doesn't mean a whole lot as I tend to go for wine with pretty labels, but I admire shops that ooze happiness with their product and a desire to teach. I saw signs up for tastings, classes, etc., and that is what will bring me back.
Back to the Dabbler...
For $30 (in advance, $40 at the door), you received a handy dandy quarter pint glass (right? bigger than a shot glass? less than half a pint?) and a map that listed all the breweries. The booths themselves were shaded so it was a crowded mess at points as people took a break from the 95 degree heat to refill their glasses. One lesson we failed to pick up prior to attending: pretzel necklaces. Genius. Evidently everyone ELSE knew that the proper way to enjoy the dabbler was to make a necklace out of pretzels (and fruit loops and beef jerky, according to some pretty emotionally invested attenders). Next time, we will be prepared.
There were some brewery inclusions that seemed a bit out of place. Sam Admas? Such a small, up-and-comer, to be sure. And I was surprised not to see any Surly representation given the plethora of local brews, but Surly has a well-established local following and may be focusing their attention elsewhere for good reason. I was thrilled to see my dear Abita, my favorite beer while living in New Orleans, but sad to note they didn't bring any of their seasonal strawberry Harvest with them. A girl gets lonely for certain things while living Up North, the least they could have done was visit with my favorite beer in hand.
That disappointment notwithstanding, the day was great. I tossed out a couple tastings, which my companion noted probably gave someone license to attack me but luckily I avoided the Thou-Shalt-Not-Dump-Beer police. We were given beads to hand to our favorite brewery for the coveted Lord Dabbler's Cup. My friend's beads were given to the good people at Harriet Island Brewing, and I don't think he was very conflicted about it. We tasted Harriet Island early on and it inspired enough affection to stay at #1 after several rounds of other yummy things, which says a lot of this local brewer. After tasting several I enjoyed, notably Cold Spring Brewery's John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale and Boom Island's Hoodoo, I handed over my beads to Third Street Brewhouse for their Lost Trout Brown Ale. Having done a bit of reading about Third Street, I found out that they're actually a new craft beer brand owned by Cold Spring Brewery, home of the John Henry that so impressed me. So I suppose my tastebuds enjoy whatever is coming out of Cold Spring.
The winner this year of the Lord Dabbler's cup, however, was not either of our picks. Stone Brewing Co., out of California, took home the cup and I don't even think I tried anything from their booth. *smacks forehead* Add one brewery to the shopping list, I suppose...
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