Cheers to Belgian Beers 2010 Recap

This year's Cheers to Belgian Beers festival was my first.  And of all the beer events and festivals I've attended, Saturday's event has definitely earned a spot as one of my favorites. 

I like the idea behind Cheers to Belgian Beers: it's a brewing competition where all the beers share a common yeast strain.  This year, brewers were tasked with using  Wyeast 3726-Farmhouse yeast.  Having never attended the fest, I was impressed with the spectrum and diversity of choices among the 30+ beers brewed for the event.   The choices showcased a variety of ingredients from grapefruit peel to peppercorns, and styles from farmhouse table beer to Belgian dark strong ale.  There was something for everyone.  Evidence of this could be found in just about every conversation going on at the fest, and is reflected in the varying written opinions from Bill, Jeff, Angelo, Derek & Dr. Wort.

While many beer festivals quickly become chaotic and uncomfortable, Hopworks, the host for this year's event, offered an experience that was was refreshingly easy.  We were met with a line of about 20 people when we arrived around 3:00pm, but the volunteers were organized and friendly.  The line moved quickly and, with our pockets full of tickets and tasting glasses in hand, we reviewed our options.  We barely took one step towards the beer tent when we came across a group of friends who were eager to share opinions of what they'd already tasted.  This, and the fact that it was conveniently located at the beginning of the alphabetical lineup, prompted me to choose Block 15 La Ferme' de Demons as my first choice.