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On Saturday I visited the State College Brew Expo for the second year in a row.  This thing has turned into something that I look forward to all summer long, it’s really that good.  I would venture to say that it’s THE best brewfest in the northeast.  The location is perfect to draw in all the great breweries from both ends of the state, plus those from New York and one in particular from… Delaware!  They even have brewers from as far as California, Oregon, and Quebec, so it’s really a great place to try all kinds of beers.  In total there’s 60 brewers and 150 beers on hand, even though I think that’s a low estimate.

One thing I noticed this year was that this thing is really taking off… it was much, much busier than I remember last year.  People were really packed into the beer hall by the time we got there around 12:30 (we hit the early session).  Big crowds meant longer lines, especially at Unibroue… and their lines were already long last year.  We took it in stride and by about midway through the session things died down a bit…  I guess the college kids who came to get smashed got what they wished for a little sooner than they expected…  they don’t call it La Fin Du Monde for nothing…

Read all about the good, bad, and ugly after the jump…

Some highlights:

• The “mysterious” brewer from Delaware, better known far and wide as Dogfish Head, was in attendance with their pal, Randall the Enamel Animal.  For the uninitiated, Randall is basically a cartridge filter filled with whole hops, which is then connected to the tap line to give you a fresh infusion of hop aroma and flavor right on the pour.  They were pouring their 60 Minute IPA through the Randall and let me tell you, was it good.  This was a first for me and I definitely hope it wasn’t the last time I’ll see ol’ Randall.
• Sam Adams was pouring two beers, but not from their commercial products.  They had an Irish Red Ale and a Dunkelweizen on tap and tasters could vote which they preferred.  The winner when it’s all said and done will be included in their Brewmaster’s Collection cases later this year.  Going in I thought Irish Red for sure but I ended up going the other way and voting Dunkelweizen.  I’m not usually a fan of the style but if that comes to market, I’ll be grabbing a case.
• Stawski Imports was pouring a Polish mead (or honey wine) which I was excited to see.  There was a pile of people around the table but I waited and got a taste… and I have to say that I’m glad I didn’t pay for a bottle of it somewhere.  Mead is really not my thing… it really does taste just like you’d think… strong honey flavors plus alcohol.  I went back to the beer.
• The biggest standout for both my brother and I was Abbey Wright Brewing from Duboistown, PA.  Yeah, I didn’t know where the hell that was either… turns out it’s south of Williamsport.  They had four beers pouring and they were all fantastic, but my hands-down favorite was the Bittersweet Porter.  I had four glasses of that stuff, and I usually don’t even like porters.  I plan on making a stop by there some day soon.

Disappointments:

• Mysteriously absent from the fest:  Appalachian, Clipper City, Great Lakes, Brooklyn, Oskar Blues.  Here’s hoping they show next year.
• Too many brewers showing up with their same old stuff… just their flagship brews and nothing more.  I’m looking at you Stoudt’s, Stone, and Victory.
• Some beers on the fest website didn’t end up at the show… in particular was Unibroue’s Ephemere Cassis.  I did get to try their Quelque Chose though so I’ll call this one a wash.

Once again, though, they managed to pull off a great show.  I’ll definitely be there again next year!