I am not much of a beer drinker or even a drinker at all
, so a beer fest would be the most unlikely place for me to end up but it turned
out to be so much fun and I learned a lot. Now I know you are thinking, “who
learns at a beer fest" because it is supposed
to be about drinking a lot of beer, but for me it was about asking
questions, taking notes, learning about beer and making new friends.
My blog inspiration new book, “Everything I Need to Know I
Learned From a Disney Little Golden
Book,” states, “Warning: your journey may take you out of your comfort zone! Do
it anyway.” Thus, I accepted a last minute invite to my first Brewfest, the 9th Annual Millvale Event. (10th annual Brewfest is Aug 16,2016)
Reflection
Last Saturday I had nothing to do but my “do nothing day” turned
into a full day of action and play. My neighbor and I biked along the river
trail and as we passed tents we learned about the event. At first I
contemplated just getting the
food ticket to socialize with my friends and avoid sitting at home on a Saturday
night but I was convinced to try the whole experience.
There were over 180
beers at this thing! I wonder if there is a number that changes an event from a “tasting” into a “fest
“or maybe drinking beer is always a “fest” and drinking wine is always a
“tasting”? I should have asked someone at the beer festival that question.
In any event, I enjoyed tasting a lot of beers and I was surprised how different they tasted. I learned that “hoppy beer” is more bitter
and a “lager beer” is aged 6 weeks to 6 months using a colder temperature in the
process. There were beers with coffee and strawberry tastes (Lancaster Brewing Co.), some with crazy names like “Stinky Hippie” (North Country Brewing Co.),
many had a “Firehouse Ale” (Shu Brewing Co.) and IPA’s from 4% to 11%. I tended to
like the low IPA beers and my two favorites were “Sharpshooter” (Great Lakes Brewing Co.) and “Block House Summer Break” (Pittsburgh Brewing Co.)
These “fests” can be a lot of fun in moderation and the food was great. I made new
friends and bumped into old friends (commonplace wherever you go in
Pittsburgh). I now know a little more about the art of beer making. My friends said that I was a nerd for asking so many questions and taking notes but I was given
all kinds of free gifts from the venders so who is laughing now.
Spiritual Reflection
So go ahead. Eat your food and drink your wine with a happy
heart ..(Ecclesiastes 9: 7)
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.
..(Ephesian 5:18)
Other Sources