So What Was Stone Sourfest 2010 Like?

A year ago, I was invited to Stone Sourfest, and was unable to attend due to a previously planned family engagement.  It’s the life I lead as a decent husband and now a decent dad.  Family first, then beer, unless I can combine the two.  This year, I called up Dr. Bill Sysak and told him, I would be making the trip down this year.

Over the past few years, I have grown quite fond of Sour beer, especially those made by Russian River, The Bruery and Lost Abbey.  The list Stone put together for this years event blew my mind, as I’m sure it did yours.  The event this year opened at 10am, with an unannounced 9am soft opening for the super-geeks.  I made a deal with my wife that she could be my designated driver, and visit the Wild Animal Park while I enjoyed a day of sours. With that said, I didn’t make it to Stone World Bistro and Gardens until 12PM, 3 hours after the big time sour heads got first pick of all the good stuff. I even got texts from friends who stated certain kegs were already kicked within 30 minutes of it being tapped.

The Scene

When I arrived, it was probably already a breezy 80 degrees. There outside patio and gardens were already fairly full, and there were lines for the first outdoor bar.  I hopped in line to get my first taste.  The first thing I observed was the type of crowd.  Stone has a loyal fanbase I see at every event.  Then I see what I would refer to as walkups or walkins.  People who stumbled upon this “microbrewery” and heard an event was going on. Within my first 20 minutes there, I heard plenty of newbies exclaiming “oh my god, this beer is toooo sour.” Yes, the name of the festival was Sourfest, with the theme being Sour beer.   You’d be surprised how many strangers were handing us their tastes after taking one sip. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It was amusing, and awesome at the same time.  Some folks take years to work their way into something as fancy as sour ale, gueuze, lambics, and these folks, being at the right place at the right time, got to dive head first into it.  While I saw a fair share of newbs, there were also plenty of well seasoned connoisseurs, as well as some die hard “tickers.” As a few hours went on, the temperature got hotter, and more people showed up and didn’t start filing out until about 5-6PM.

The Beer

People like to use the 80’s phrase “blah blah blah from hell.” The lineup at Sourfest was a “Beer list from heaven.”  There were tons of classic gueuzes and lambics from Belgium in bottle and tap, there were stateside favorites from Russian River and Lost Abbey, some future classics from New Belgium, and a great deal of new experimental sours and funk bombs from US breweries that haven’t gotten into this style too much.  Not every beer I tried was good or great, but my palate was definitely on a journey.  The biggest star of the day, from my perspective, was Cascade Brewing from Oregon.  Everyone was a buzz about their beer, with good reason. They are making some really incredible sours.

The Verdict

It was an amazing festival, in an amazing outdoor setting, hosted by amazing people. The price was spot on, especially considering how expensive sour beer is.  I usually have something to complain about or a suggestion for next time, but I don’t at the moment.

The Bonus Footage (On a Flip Cam, mind you)