2-4-T: Big Black Voodoo Daddy & Cigar City Guava Grove

1. Voodoo Brewing Big Black Voodoo Daddy

For some reason, it may be me, but I feel like Voodoo Brewing Co. has stayed under the radar considering it's in my homestate, over in Meadville, PA, even if it's on the other side of the state. So this was the first beer I've tried from them and it definitely won't be my last. It's an Imperial Stout at 12% that they age in oak staves, with the intention of not adding a bourbon taste to the stout. There's nothing out of the realm for the taste of this beer. It just has a smooth chocolate taste. But it's one hell of a beer with minimal alcohol taste, surprising for a 12% beer. It's not a beer that you need a fork for though; it has a pretty thin mouthfeel. Quite a first impression for a small brewery that I didn't know much about, so I'm eager to try their other products.

Overall Rating: A-

2. Cigar City Guava Grove

Cigar City out of Tampa, FL is another brewery that I've only recently been trying, and I definitely won't be stopping. I'm hesitant about fruit-based beers these days but this one sounded interesting: a saision using guava. However, it didn't taste like a saison as much as it tasted like a sour ale. It had some nice acidity but not overpowering. I didn't taste much guava but on the other hand, I don't think my palate is strong in its guava-detection. Ultimately, the best thing about this beer is that it's yet another example of why I shouldn't hesitate about fruit-based beers.

Overall Rating: B+

2-4-T: Avery Maharaja IPA & Mikkeller Coffee IPA

1. Avery Maharaja IPA

I recently read that Avery is pulling distribution out of a handful of states. Thankfully, Pennsylvania was not on that list. They have a few beers as part of their "Dictator Series." I've had the Maharaja IPA before and not only did having it again confirm that it is one of the best IPAs I've ever had, but it also confirmed that it's one of the most unique-tasting. Strong hop aromas and flavor are the common denominator in IPAs, but the malty flavor in IPAs is usually faint, if there at all. The Maharaja (by the way, try typing that after a few beers) has a strong upfront malt flavor, which is complemented by the hop presence you'd expect. I can confidently say that this beer has the most caramel flavor I've gotten from an IPA. Very carbonated. Very good.

Overall Rating: A-

2. Mikkeller Coffee IPA

I hesitate to say that a foreign brewery is becoming one of my favorites because I aim to support local or at least domestic, but it's hard to resist the stellar lineup that Mikkeller is putting out. I won't make a dumb analogy about this; I'll just get down to the beer. Coffee IPA. If I see a style of beer on the shelf that I've never tried, I'm most likely going to buy it, even if this beer could probably just as well be named a black IPA. Especially since the coffee flavor isn't very strong. However, I'm jumping on the black IPA trend train, and this one didn't slow me down. I would have liked to taste an extreme balance of hops and coffee but was surprised by the subtlety displayed by these crazy Danes. Subtlety isn't always a bad thing in beer though, especially if you're downing a 25 oz bomber solo. I might just name this one IPA (with "brewed with coffee" in small print) based on the taste though. This is the tricky thing about reviewing a beer when you have expectations and you're evaluating the name of the beer. Personally, I'm looking beyond it this time and judging this beer for how it tastes, which is very good. That said, I like the idea of a coffee IPA and hope that I see someone else take a stab at brewing it a little bolder.

Overall Rating: B+

2-4-T: Atwater Voodoo Vator & Weyerbacher Riserva 2010

1. Atwater Voodoo Vator

First of all, this brewery out of Detroit has a pretty cool feature on their website. You can click and drag your preference of either ABV content, color or hop strength and it will match it to one of their beers. I've had a couple beers from Atwater Block Brewery and wasn't overly impressed but thought this dopplebock, their strongest beer at 9%, had potential. It pours a nice dark color with a faint head. This beer could have used some more carbonation - it fell a little flat and syrupy. It also had some earthiness to it but ultimately, I wasn't big on the sweetness that dominated it. It was a harsh, alcoholic sweetness that made this beer a little too much for me. I'll probably pass on Atwater in the future. Sorry guys.

Overall Rating: C-

2. Weyerbacher Riserva 2010

Holy tart Batman...this beer has a disclaimer noting that: "Though it's in the nature of a wild ale to be different each year, this year's vintage is exceptionally different, and may not occur again. Riserva 2010 is a very sour ale. Tarter than ever, the beer's acidity has inhibited carbonation, which is very low. The taste is fantastic! Notes of cider vinegar mingle with an assertive berry palate." Well, after drinking it, yea, they pretty much summed it up, except I'm not sure I would say the taste was fantastic. I've had some sour ales but this one was flirting with undrinkable. The 2009 Riserva definitely had more carbonation and was more balanced. I LOVE sour beers, but this was way over the top for me. Don't get me wrong, I finished it, but I was literally puckering. If you have a bottle of this, I'd strongly suggest setting it down for at least another year.

Overall Rating: B-

Get Real NY

Beer festivals are magical. Even the worst ones that I've been to have been a great time, but the good ones that I've been to have been some of the best times I've ever had. You may think, well what makes it so different from just going to a bar or somewhere else where drinks are served? Well, for one, these festivals serve up beer that you often can't find anywhere else because it's specially made FOR the festival, but it's also the crowd that makes these events enjoyable. You won't run into the frat boys knocking back jager bombs and bud lites, talking about what body parts they worked out at the gym that day and hitting on anything and everything that moves. Beer festivals may bring a predominantly male crowd, but the common factor among everyone, male and female, is that they are there to drink good beer and have a good time. It's also fun to pay a flat rate, be handed a glass and walk into a room full of quality beer at your disposal.

And that was certainly the case at Get Real NY, a craft beer and food festival, that I attended a couple of weeks ago in NYC. I expected no less considering this event was created and organized by an Irishman. Featuring both commercial and home brewers, there were over 80 cask-conditioned ales to choose from and by far the best food selection I've ever seen at a beer event.

Coincidentally, one of the home brewers at this event was Peter Kennedy of Simply Beer, who created and organized the event Iron Brewer that I was involved in last year (side note: the final Iron Brewer in "Batch #1" was just named with his winning beer, Loco Roja IPA, made with ancho chillies!) Peter brought two of his beers, a sorachi ace-hopped patersbier and a smoked pilsner, both solid brews. I was also excited to see a homebrewer with a Randall the Enamel Animal (see right, hanging from that guy's back), which is a Dogfish Head-invented device that allows you to run tapped beer through a chamber full of hops or other fruits and spices, stripping some additional flavor for the pour. I definitely have to say the beer they poured from this had the freshest hop flavor that I've ever tasted.

The commercial brewers there represented mostly the northeast but there were also a handful of midwest and west coast breweries as well as a few beers from across the pond in the U.K. Here were some standout beers:

• Brooklyn Brewery Irish Stout - This was a new beer from Brooklyn Brewery from their recently expanded brewery space and it was nice and refreshing.
• Blue Point Sour Cherry Imperial Stout - It's tricky mixing fruit with dark stouts but these Long Islanders pulled it off beautifully.
• Lagunitas Imperial Stout - I thought that Lagunitas was all about heavy hops like a cliche west coast brewery but it turns out these guys can make an amazing stout too.
• Kelso Quad Bock - They aged this beer in Jack Daniels barrels for this event and you could definitely tell, so it all depends on whether or not you're a JD fan (I am).
• Weyerbacher Double Simcoe with Mango - I sure as hell would not have guessed this to be the type of beer that Weyerbacher would bring, but don't worry: the mango was extremely subtle.
• Stone Brewing Smoked Porter with Vanilla - Ahhh, I could have drank this all day. DELICIOUS.
• Duvel Green - this Belgian pale ale is the draft-only version - very smooth and crisp. Plus they had free bottle opener keychains! Score!

There were obviously others consumed but recalling everything you drank at a 3 hour beer festival is an impossibility without a pen...and even then, it's tough.

I only wish I had taken more advantage of the food offered there...I crammed in a few angus burgers at the closing minutes, but also had some killer cheese, bacon and bourbon popcorn, mussels in white wine and duck pate.

How would I rate this against all beer festivals I've been to? Easily in the top 3. I will definitely attend more events from Get Real NY if given the chance. And there certainly are future events - check their site for updates soon.