We met up with Coreen at Havana Hideout. She gave us our equipment of small plastic cups to delve into the world of home brewers. There were 16 different brews to taste and judge and I, your intrepid blogger, tasted them all...heheheheheee.
Before I go any further I want to congratulate fellow Gulpers Cheryl and Craig for winning the People's Choice for favorite brew as well the award for best booth! Woo Hoo!!! You go Guys!!! Doing the wave!!!
On to the rest of the Event!
I must be honest. I didn't do the booths in order. I chose my targets when they were less busy so I started at the end of the line while everyone else was crowded at the beginning. I know tricky, right?
So in the order of visit:
Booth #9 was Sunset Pale Ale, (Craig and Cheryl's): This low alcohol brew was bright and refreshing with a lovely citrus taste to it. I thought of citrus zest with just a touch of bitterness for interest. I could totally see myself at the beach or picnic and drinking this... a lot!
Booth#14 was Abner's Pale Ale. This was another citrus infused brew. It didn't do a lot for me. I didn't get the baseball theme either. 
Booth#13 was called Kismet, an India Brown Pale Ale that was very roasty, toasty. The initial flavor was dark and carmelly but the finish was way to bitter for me. I couldn't wait to get to the next tasting to clear my mouth.
Booth#1 was a booth of a professional brewer, Sierra Nevada. This brew was called Summerfest. It was a VERY pale ale. I found it bland and actually kind of soapy.
Booth#2 was Raspberry American Wheat. A lot of our group liked this one. It was good but I found the raspberry a little overpowering. I wanted a little sweetness, more like...what is the one....framboise.
Booth#16 was a Belgian Farmhouse Ale. This booth was a little snooty. These guys took their brewing too seriously but I guess that was not a bad thing since I really liked it. It was a pretty amber color with a floral aroma and hoppy flavor. Light finish with great carbonation.
Booth#3 was the Cool Ranch. They called their ale Cool Ranch, cool, huh? This citrusy ale was a lovely amber color, zesty on the tongue with a really light finish. Another one I could drink a lot of on a hot beach day. (note: I evidently missed this booth in pictures so here is Krystina enjoying a tasting instead...hehehehee)
Booth#5 was the Parking Lot Beer at the Tikki Bar. This brown ale was high alcohol at 19%. It smelled like molasses and tasted like honey and lingered in the mouth. Not bad at all.
Booth#4 called itself "Orange you Glad Heffewiezen." It was ok. The strange thing was I didn't like this until I ate a piece of orange and then I did. I had to take a bite of orange and then a drink. I think all the orange should have been put in the brew. Keeps a hand free for snacks.
Booth#6 had a cute moniker, "Pickle Me Elmo. I pretty much hated this brew. It was very pale in color and smelled like Hawaiian Tropic. It tasted like piss.
Booth#8 was the Low Key Lager. Very light, and floral. Not much to talk about. (Another booth missed but a good picture of Deb!)
Booth#7 was the Sassy Saison. This Belgian ale was a nice change of pace. It head a big foamy head with a refreshing ginger taste and lingered on the tongue nicely. I wanted to keep drinking.
The final booth produced 3 different brews. #10 was called the "Kinder Gentler Imperialist." It was very stouty and roasted coffee. #11 was "Weizen Up". This nicely carbonated ale had a real banana note with a light finish. #12 was "Meltdown IPA. WOW! The color was esspresso and the flavors were spicy coffee. I liked it but not to drink a lot of it. One of these were the winner of the Brew Off. If you remember which one please add it as a comment on this post.
Well there you have it my friends.
I know that everyone had their own favorites and I, your humble blogging friend would love to hear from you so comment damnit! In the meantime enjoy the last of my pictures from the day...
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