July 27th, 2010
2010 Yankee Homecoming Brewfest
Event Recap: 2010 Yankee Homecoming Beer festival was a success
2010 Yankee Homecoming Beer festival was a huge success!!
After a year or so in hiatus, the Yankee Homecoming Beer Festival was back in full force. With a tremendous number of tickets sold before the event, only a small number of tickets were available at the gate – which quickly sold out. The beer selection was well rounded, with a great selection of local and regional beers – fit for the summer session.
Cheers to Libby and her group of volunteers for this wonderful success. Bring on 2011!!
During the festival, Ryan and I had the opportunity to chat with old friends and met some new friends – which brings me to the point. Today, we have a special guest review of the festival, written by Suzanne. Suzanne is finding her way in the craft world and her passion for craft beer speaks for itself. We hope to showcase more of Suzanne’s thoughts on our blog.
I hope that you enjoy Suzanne’s review.
Sean
2Beerguys.com
Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!!
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YANKEE HOMECOMING BREW FESTIVAL IN REVIEW:(Recap of the event by Special Guest writer Suzanne)
The Yankee Homecoming Brew Festival this past weekend in Newburyport was a great success – good beers, friendly crowd and nice enough weather to enjoy the scene, the sun and the beautiful Newburyport waterfront. Fifteen breweries attended, most with two brews to showcase. The beers were served primarily on tap, with a few brewers choosing to serve from bottles, and one brewery employing their “Tap Mobile” as the means of serving their beer. Yes, that’s right, Mercury Brewing Company, owner of both Ipswich Ale and Stone Cat, owns a “Tap Mobile” (looks like a little bus with taps on the outside), and will allow you to rent it for your wedding, graduation party, backyard barbecue, or what have you. You can fill ‘er up with any of their beer or soda products, but really, if you’re going to drive about in a bar on wheels, why mess around with the soft stuff?
Out of the 30+ beers served at the festival, a few stuck out as being really excellent. This brew fest was a little different than others I have attended, mainly in that it showcased only local beers and breweries, and was definitely accessible to non-craft beer drinkers. The crowd was diverse, but very energetic and excited, and the guys manning their brew stations were, for the most part, full of good information about their beers.
My two favorite beers of the evening were Clown Shoes Black IPA and Cape Ann Fisherman IPA – I honestly could not get enough of the juicy, fruity and citrusy Sorachi Ace and Sonoma hops in the latter. T.J. Peckham, representing Cape Ann Brewery and a brewer himself, was really friendly and able to tell me lots about both the beer and the brewery. Make sure to look for Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout, coming out August 1st (next week!) and Cape Ann’s Homebrewing series, starting in the fall. Every Tuesday, T.J. and his partner Tom Ryan will be putting on “The Deadliest Batch: Homebrewing with T ’n T”, where they’ll help anyone who shows up brew way out there and delicious beers such as sweet potato stout and cucumber ale. Definitely look for me there, that sounds like a can’t miss. As far as the Clown Shows Black IPA is concerned, I found it to be a great example of the style, though there is a big controversy about whether calling something a “Black IPA” is an oxymoron. However, while some may ask, how can a Pale Ale be black, I ask, how can I get more of this stuff? I thought it was great with a very nice balance being struck between the dark, roasted malts and the crisp, bitter hops. Both beers mentioned I highly recommend and would certainly pick up again.
Other beers served at the fest that you should check out are Gritty McDuff’s Pub Style Pale Ale (amber colored malty brew with a dry, crisp, light bodied finish), Duvel Green (crisp and light golden colored Belgian ale) and Victory Sunrise Weiss (tangy, lemony Hefeweizen with great carbonation).
About Suzanne:
I’m just a girl who loves beer. I recently graduated from college with a BA in English and am now living, learning and drinking in the Boston Area. I enjoy going to beer festivals and I try to write about the majority of beers that I drink.