Clink! A victorious, but tamed, cheer arose from the far side of the West Chester Elks Lodge where Reese’s Drunk Cousin Stout, a peanut butter beer, received yet another plastic coin vote.
Their popularity among the crowd was very apparent, perhaps because of the quirky story behind their participation. The brewing couple, Shireen and Tim Dastis (pictured below), were married two days earlier and postponed their honeymoon in order to compete in this year’s Chester County Homebrew Fest. Their beer, a truly unique specimen, didn’t just pass the “they tried something risky and didn’t totally flop” test. It was an all around, great imperial stout with subtle chocolate notes throughout and a smooth peanut butter finish. But was it the people’s first choice that evening in a room filled with 13 competitive homebrewers and 22 original, small batch beers?
I was careful in my latter statement to include “competitive” homebrewers, since the room was certainly filled with far more than 13 people who practiced the art of creating original, from scratch beers at home. Even event organizer Ken Delise—whose partners in coordinating crime included Owen Winkler and Troy Vogt—admitted to being an avid brewer for many years. All three possess a serious passion for the art, while still remaining light hearted and keeping their number one priority in sight: great people getting together and having a great time with great beer. It sounds simple and, although they might not use that adjective when talking about the event planning, the entire affair unfolded Saturday, June 1 without a snag.
In addition to the event organizers dabbling in homebrewing activities, I managed to strike up conversations with a few others throughout the crowd, one of which was an elder woman who kept at the hobby for more than five years because it required “a little bit of science and a lot of heart.” It was clear that the guests appreciated good beer and were there to not only support their fellow brewers from the community, but also to educate themselves and, perhaps, keep an eye on the competition. And what a talented competition it was.
Since my own homebrewing experiences had a few mishaps, I went into the event slightly skeptical, but after my first sip of Kathy DiDomenico’s Orange Kiss American Cream Ale, I realized that there wouldn’t be any “mishaps” that evening. This was Kathy and her brewing partner’s first time brewing without a kit, and as two of the less experienced among some repeat contenders, they still nailed it and on a ninety-something degree day, it was a citrus dream. Light yet flavorful, I could have went through quite a few had it not been for my driving responsibilities later. Still, I commended them for their creation, and promised to revisit for vote consideration after more samples and moved down the line.
Lock & Key Brewing was next up, slinging two widely popular brews with titles, “Dr. Jekyll” (an American Honey Wheat) and “Mr. Hyde” (a Black Honey Saison). Their names remained a bit of a mystery until taking a closer look at the ABV’s, which were the inverse of one another—Dr. Jekyll at 5.8% and Mr. Hyde at 8.5%. Being a bigger saison fan, I reached for an American wheat sample first and was blown away before even taking a sip. The team’s decision to use all-grain and a locally sourced honey paid off as the aroma’s still etched in my memory.
The saison from Shawn Dutkiewicz, Keith Doyle & Jon Myers, who were in their third year of competing and owned bragging rights to the 2011 title, managed to wow the crowd once again. It was this particular brew (not the Reese’s Peanut Butter Stout I teased at earlier) that took home the People’s Choice Award on Saturday. The people weren’t dumb. It was a grand beer living up to it’s Mr. Hyde name with a firm profile and barnyard punch. In fact, it ended up taking one of my tokens before the end of the night, as I evenly distributed them to my Top 5 beers.
Sure enough, the Best of Show (Judge’s Pick) also nabbed a token—and perhaps more than one sample—from me, too. This beer came from John Wible of Five Mile Brewing, who named his at-home operation after the Bucks County woods near his house that played a crucial part in his childhood, and maybe even served as a great spot for consuming alcoholic beverages as well.
Five Mile’s Citra IPA was a favorite of mine right off the bat. Always down to enjoy a great IPA, I spied it immediately and began my tasting routine. Even with a 7.6 ABV, the IPA drank light and felt hardly filling. There was a fruity tone that refreshed considering the season and weather that day, but nothing too overpowering. I assured John and his wife—who got him into homebrewing when they were still boyfriend and girlfriend and she suggested “get a hobby”—that I wasn’t a weird stalker and I just felt magnetized toward them, and felt the need to ask questions after tasting such a magnificent craft creation. They were pleasant, happy to answer and modest beyond belief. I felt the future of their hobby might turn into something more one day. We’ll see.
It seems nearly impossible to pick a favorite five or even top ten among the 22 craft sips that evening. However, Telegraph Brewing Company did make a mean saison that received my sincere compliments. They served all of their entries from a homemade tap system, including an Old Brandywine Ale which was an English Barleywine toting an 8.1 ABV, brewed with English pale malt and English hops. This was good mind you, but not for the faint of heart.
From Monty Leach’s Cocoa Cayenne Porter that tingled the tongue to Rossbrau’s Groundskeeper Willie’s Scottish Ale, there was no concern for lack of variety at the 2013 Chester County Homebrew Fest. I was even able to pair a few of my samplings with the hearty, homemade buffet offerings of pulled pork, salad, macaroni-n-cheese and more. With classic tunes from The New Kings of Rhythm keeping the crowd alive (okay, a nice buzz from the homebrews helped as well) the event carried on full of laughter and high spirits. Certainly there were some beers who weren’t for everyone but, after taking at least a sip of each offering, I could honestly say the beers were all respectable and easily made the mark for beers I would sip every Saturday.
As Ken and I chatted, we agreed that a blind tasting event, with well-known, national brewers would be an interesting twist to add for future events. Although Ken’s mind was a little more focused on Homebrewer Dinners, a new concept that is in the very early planning stages. Keep your eyes peeled for details down the road. If it’s anywhere near as successful as the Homebrew Festival, you’ll want to save the date.
