Big Boss Brewing’s Casktoberfest – Recap W/ Pics

Casktoberfest was, surprisingly, my first trip to Big Boss Brewing. Their brew tours, held on the first Saturday of every month, are always a hit.  I have always wanted to attend one, but somehow, I just never got around to it. However, after last Thursday, I have no regrets. I cannot imagine a better first impression than Casktoberfest.

The event gets its name from two famous celebrations from the other side of the pond: National Cask Ale Week in the United Kingdom and Oktoberfest in Germany. Big Boss decided to combine the two into a unique beer hall inspired event. Rows of tables were set up in Big Boss’ brew house, and a few local food trucks (e.g. Porchetta, Café Prost, Baguettaboutit) created Oktoberfest-themed menus while Lusty Monk was selling spicy mustards. There were 14 unique Big Boss cask conditioned beers on tap:

• Night Knight – Black IPA
• V for Victory – Vienna Lager
• High Roller IPA – High Roller IPA Citra wet hopped
• Belgian Harvest Time – Pumpkin Ale
• Blanco Diablo – Wit beer with Ginger Root
• Chipotle Hell’s Belle – Belgian style with Chipotle peppers
• Bad Penny – Bad Penny brown ale with M&Ms
• Smoked Bad Penny – Smoked brown ale
• Bockscar – Bock
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Knight IPA
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Operator
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Harvest Time

    

Other than those Big Boss beers, there were a handful of other breweries’ creations including but not limited to a casked version of New Holland Ichabod pumpkin ale, Heavy Seas’ Pumpkin Ale, and Terrapin’s Hopsecutioner. There was quite a selection. I was fortunate enough to bring a friend with me to help sample as large a representation of these beers as possible.

Upon arrival at Big Boss, I was immediately surprised by the number of cars in the parking lot. I assumed that they belonged to people there for the final Big Boss Run Club run of the season. I was very mistaken. Walking up to the brewery, we saw small groups of event-goers milling around, beers in hand, and the visiting food trucks that were parked and ready to serve. Once we passed the ID tent, there was no question as to the owners of the cars in the parking lot. What greeted us was a line from the front door to the back of the warehouse, all for the bourbon aged beers.

Because of the long lines, we decided to stop off at the front of the warehouse first where the line was shortest. Our first beer was the Bockscar made with honey and mint, the mint being the more prominent flavor and honey appearing in the mouth-feel and a little in the scent. V for Victory, our next sample, was conditioned with mace. For those unfamiliar with mace (such as myself), it is used largely in the creation of pies. By itself, mace has an interesting and aggressive flavor, but in this case, it leant itself well to the light flavor of the lager.

Next up were the Chipotle Hell’s Belle and Blanco Diablo with ginger. These two could not be more opposite. From previous experience, I am typically wary of beers made with chipotle peppers (the last one reminded me of burned rubber). This Hell’s Belle was only slightly better than my last brush with chipotle. It didn’t’ taste solely like tire tread, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. On the other hand, the Blanco Diablo with ginger root smelled strongly of the spice and tasted like a more mild pickled ginger. We used it to chase the Hell’s Belle. I would definitely drink this one again.

By the time our glasses were empty, we had waited in line and made it to the back of the warehouse. The bar along the back wall had all of the bourbon barrel aged beers. The Big Operator came off like a slightly fruity coffee stout and was probably my favorite beer that evening. The Night Knight Black IPA was thick and syrupy with a pleasant yet slightly bitter roasted flavor. The Ichabod and Heavy Seas Pumpkin Ale were both amazing. It was like drinking a pumpkin pie that was just a bit heavy on the spices.

Sadly we were unable to experience the awesomeness of every beer there, totally due to the amount of supply and demand. Casks were kicking 30-45 minutes into the event, and lines were too long to allow seconds. People-watching was top notch, though, and there was a photo booth sponsored by Glover Printing. All of the pictures have been uploaded to Big Boss’ Facebook page. The evening was topped off with an amazing sandwich from Porchetta: pulled pork, caramelized onions, and spicy beer mustard on a ciabatta roll. I was in pulled pork heaven. Casktoberfest was a great experience, and I feel that the crowd present shows how important craft beer has become in the area. Sign me up for next year’s event!