rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (06/04/84)
The third Great American Beer Festival (largest beer festival in the U.S.)
was held in Denver on June 1 and 2, 1984. The top five beers at the festi-
val, based on votes of those who attended, are:
1. Russian Imperial Stout (Yakima Brewing and Malting Co.)
2. Grant's Scottish Ale (Yakima Brewing and Malting Co.)
3. New Amsterdam Amber Beer (Old New York Brewing Co.)
4. Anchor Christmas Ale (Anchor Brewing Co.)
5. Albany Amber Ale (Wm. S. Newman Brewing Co.)
Sierra Nevada, which had taken top honors at the previous two festivals,
was present and was well-received, but didn't make the top five this year.
The results are particularly notable in one respect: Although a fair
proportion of the beers present were American lagers (good but fairly
typical in character of run-of-the-mill beer), the winners were anything
but ordinary. The top two are particularly distinctive. They are both
brewed by a small brewery in Yakima, WA. Herbert Grant, owner and
brewmaster, has been quite successful in starting a brewery to make the
beers he likes AND sell them as fast as he can make them.
The "Russian Imperial Stout" is said to be brewed as this style was once
made by the British (for export to Russia, hence the name) around the turn
of the century. It is well-hopped and has a strong roasted taste (even for
a stout) from both roasted barley and black malt. With OG of 1.076 (19
Balling) and finishing at 8.75% alcohol by volume (7% wt), it has an
assertive character that won't let you equivocate on whether you like it.
Frankly, it was a surprise to see it win - but in these days of the
lighter-than-light trend in mass-produced beer, it's a reassuring reversal.
The "Scottish Ale" has the characteristic butterscotch/caramel taste of its
type, but this one is offset by substantial hops. (Grant claims that
almost all major brewers in the U.S. fail to hop their beers adequately.
An India Pale Ale that he presented at the AHA conference earlier in the
week was hopped at a rate reminiscent of the Anchor Christmas Ales of
bygone years, attesting to his love of the hop.) Anyway, the Scottish ale
is more rounded, lower alcohol (5.6% vol), but has a beautiful aroma and
good body. It starts at 1.054 SG, which means that the final gravity is
almost as high as the stout. The substantially lower alcohol content gives
a much greater apparent body.
--
Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086
...Are you making this up as you go along?