It's Beer-cation time!

[Jester]

Yes, kids, I am off this whole weekend, and I am on beer-cation. "What the hell is beer-cation?" It's a beer vacation. To wit, I have the next three days off for the sole purpose of a road trip to Fort Lauderdale for Saturday night's Beer Fest there, at which they purportedly will have 125 or so different beers on draft.

This is going to be a blast!

[RavenStarr]

Have fun Jester. I know you'll be in beer heaven.

[Greenday]

I'm such a nerd. I thought you were talking about cations like ions of atoms...

I approve of Beer-cations!

[Jester]

I thought you were talking about cations like ions of atoms...

Um.....HUH?

I have no idea what you are talking about. And even if I did know normally (which I don't), I would definitely have trouble processing it from my hangover in my jammies at the business center at my hotel. (Seriously.)

Oh, my....what a night. And that was just the preview.

(Little Red gave her number to a bouncher who texted her later....I didn't see any girls that were really worth a fuck...we are both hungover this morning. Thank the gods for hotels that are walking stumbling distance from the bars!)

[Evil Queen]

This sounds like an expensive vacation.

Have fun Jester! Let me know if there are any "new" stouts I should be aware of!

[Jester]

Not too expensive.

Got my Beer Church t-shirt and my "Got Beer?" hat which is shaped like a beer mug. I am ready, and shortly, we are off! (Just waiting on Little Red.)

[JustaCashier]

....I didn't see any girls that were really worth a fuck...

Literally, or figuratively?


Mike

[Andara Bledin]

Literally, or figuratively?

I'm guessing a little of column A and a bit of column B, here.

^-.-^

[Jester]

Beer Fest was LEGENDARY. No, seriously, it was amazing. Little Red and I had the greatest time, and actually remember quite a bit of it. Great beers, great food, great people, great bars, great everything. We are SO doing this again next year.

Have fun Jester! Let me know if there are any "new" stouts I should be aware of!

I took notes. (Really.) And I know there was at least one great stout and one great porter. I'll go through my notes when I get back to Key West and report back to y'all.

Literally, or figuratively?

Both. But that was before Beer Fest.

At Beer Fest, there were almost no girls worth a fuck. But I did meet one.....wow. Just WOW. (Insert swooning smiley here.) I may marry this woman. (Yes, she's single. Yes, she's a redhead. Yes, I got her number. No, she lives nowhere near me (Tennessee).)

Wow.

[Spiffy McMoron]

On a completely related note, I really like beer.

I had one after work today and it was delicious.

[Jester]

As promised, my “report” from Beer Fest in Fort Lauderdale. If you are not a beer enthusiast, ignore this. Likewise, if you don’t agree with my taste in beer, move on. These are merely my thoughts, reflections, and opinions on what I sampled.

Since I sampled so many, this is only a list of what I considered the All-Stars, the best of the best. In no particular order:

*Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery (Boca Raton, FL), Piti Porter (may not be available outside the establishment): a little sweet with a slight coffee taste, but overall an extraordinary porter.
*Black Art Brewing (Germany), Gold: Excellent light beer with a slight honey taste.
*Magic Hat (Vermont), Vinyl: Awesome spring ale, slightly malty and very tasty. I actually liked the Vinyl more than their popular (and very tasty) #9.
*Avery (Colorado), The Reverend: A very special Belgian-style quadruple ale. I am not normally a huge Belgian beer guy, but this beer was lovely!
*Estrella (Spain), Damm Lager: a somewhat sweet but very tasty combination of barley and wheat malts with hops. Unexpected deliciousness.

(As the Fest went on, some of my notes became less descriptive as I sampled more and wrote less. But these beers were still ones that I thought worthy of noting as far superior to the norm..)

*Shipyard (Maine), Summer Ale: Excellent!
*Dark Star (U.K.), Stout: Awesome! (EQ, you wanted to know about stouts....here ya go!)

*Holy Mackerel (Florida), Special Golden Ale: Absolutely tasty!
*Summit (Minnesota), Extra Pale Ale: Excellent!:
*Flying Dog (Maryland), In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen: Excellent!

Winter Hook (New Hampshire), Winter Ale: An absolutely extraordinary beer. My favorite beer of the entire Beer Fest, hands down. Not only do I remember how much I liked this beer, I STILL remember the actual taste of it. Worth seeking out, special ordering, and sharing with loved ones. This beer is simply amazing!

[Jester]

As soon as we get them developed, I'll post pictures and tell the rest of the story of one of the greatest vacations ever, beyond just tasting beer.

[Jester]

Okay, sometime tonight or tomorrow I am going to post the full story of Beer Fest 2010, with pictures. And I am talking beyond just the beers, but the entire inspired insanity of all that went down.

Until then, here are a couple of pictures to tease you with.

First, an all time classic sign the organizers had posted at Beer Fest, telling you where to go for the two most necessary things.

Secondly, after the official Fest ended, a picture of my friend Little Red, myself in my "Got Beer?" hat, and some hot Bud Light girl at a bar in downtown Lauderdale.

Fun was had by all....and free Bud Light hats, too!