240: Piledriver

Took the family over to Hopworks’ 2nd Annual BikeToBeerFest yesterday (inter-capitalization mine; they prefer the less-readable BIKETOBEERFEST) and had a great time. I didn’t attend the inaugural event last year, but after spending a few hours there yesterday, it’s officially in my “Top 10 Portland Beer Events” list. I like my beer festivals low-key, family friendly and short-lined, and this event was all three.

I don’t usually care much about music at a beer fest, unless that music is annoying (NAOBF, I’m looking at you!), in which case I’d prefer none at all. It’s a beer fest, after all, not a music fest. But this festival seemed to be a good combination event, with great beer, great music (I really dug the Ravishers, who seemed somewhat like a cross between the Old 97s and Pedro the Lion), and activities. I’ve always appreciated how the Park Blocks’ Portland International Beer Festival has a few games, and the Huffy Toss was fun for spectators and participants alike. I think it’s generally good to provide something beyond just drinking for attendees to do.

The food was the only let-down. I love Hopworks’ pizza and calzones, and we intentionally postponed dinner hoping we would get to experience them at the fest. In retrospect, I can see that was a somewhat delusional idea, as it’s difficult to cook things like that for a big crowd, but the brats and gardenburgers left a lot to be desired. I’m not sure what the answer is there (invite carts? include other vendors?), but it’s the one thing I felt didn’t meet my expectations.

But what about the beer? I really enjoyed my taster of Piledriver, noted below, but I think a full pour would have been excessive on a warm, sunny day. The surprising thing to me was how distinct each component flavor was: the tongue could easily pick out cherries, bourbon, wine and oak. These type of beers tend to muddle together flavors in my experience, often resulting in something delicious, if indistinct. This was delicious and distinct.

I also had a full pour of “Ace of Spades IPA,” which I reviewed a few months ago, which I’m told will be bottled again soonish. It was as delicious as I remember it, and went down almost a little too easy.

My final beer was the Radler (aka “Shandy”), a 70% beer/30% fresh lemonade concoction that’s historically popular with bicyclists. The lemonade was the tart, fresh kind, which paired well with the beer (HUB Lager), but paired especially well with the warm summer day. With its low alcohol (3.8%), it’s a perfect afternoon session beer.

Beer Name: Piledriver
Brewer: Hopworks Urban Brewery
Price: 1 ticket*
Sampled: August 28, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Big time sweet oak flavor. Some yeasty dryness with hints of both bourbon and cherries, even some wine. Interesting you can pick them all out.
ABV: 8.5% abv
IBU: 18 ibu
OG 17.7°
TG N/A
Serving Type: Draft.
* I received a VIP pass (which included free admission and 10 tickets) to the event as a member of Local 503: the Beer Bloggers Union.