Beer Event; Sampling at Kai's

Last Thursday (July 17) after softball; while drinking beer at BW; we invited everybody over to Kriddy's for a drinking evening. That plan was changed to have it a couple of miles away at Kai's and we'd be grilling out also. I offered to provide beer for the tasting session.

I looked through my stock and saw that I didn't really have the makings of a great evening, so I went to Friar Tucks to stock up.

As I walked through the store, I started to think of how much we would need; and what styles would be good. The people we'd be out with aren't necessarily "beer" people; but they all seemed willing to try things. It was Kriddy and I; Kai and his wife; Tyler and Lindsay; Josh; his sister and her fiance (or boyfriend).

Kai's wife isn't "doesn't like beer" to which I obviously replied "you just haven't found the right beer". She does like cider, so I picked out a mix 6 of cider for her to try. She didn't really like the pear (I think) but some she seemed to enjoy.

As for the beers that were picked out; we had about a dozen lined up for the evening.

The beer Ty orders every time we go out is Newcastle; so we went with a Rogue Hazelnut Brown. This beer was well received by the group, and Ty seemed happy to polish off the bottle.

The first beer that everyone seemed to really enjoy was the Chimay Blue Grande Reserve. This 750 ml bottle (wine size) went pretty quick.

The next favorite, that all the girls (except Kriddy) and especially Kai's wife liked was the Lindeman's Framboise. This kiddie koolaid beer, is always a fun one to give to someone who "doesn't like beer". It's definitely a beer that can expand a persons concept of what beer can be. I chose the Framboise as it's the lambic that is most available in bars.

The beer that was the least liked was Avery the Czar Imperial Stout. I'm not sure why, but this one just didn't seem to be right. Normally, when I bring out an imperial stout, it's the highlight of the evening. The Czar just didn't captivate everyone like I'd expected. Had I the opportunity to present a different Imperial Stout to the crowd, I'd pick a Hoppin Frog Boris the Crusher.

Other beers we had for the evening included: Summit Maibock; Moylan's Kilt Lifter; Avery Collaboration (batch 2) Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale; Fullers Vintage Ale '05; Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter. There was also a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere Farmhouse, but we didn't quite make it to that one. (I swear there was a barleywine, but I don't see it on the receipt, I'll check the bottles later today)

The festivities started around 6, and we finished up around 11:30. Everyone (except the drivers) got pretty tanked. We took the empty and half full bottles back to Kriddy's.

Last night (July 23) while watching the Cubs game, I finished off the Fullers, Summit, and Avery bottles. They were un-capped, so it was a flat beer evening.

It was a good selection of styles: fruit, IPA, brown, scotch, old, imperial stout, strong porter, trappist, and maibock. Again, there were plans for a farmhouse style too, but that one didn't get opened.

Thanks to all who went, and I hope we can do it again.