A guy walks into: The Beer Dabbler Showcase

Photos:

The look: The Beer Dabbler Showcase is a touring beer festival and Burnsville was the first stop. The setting for the first Minnesota showcase was the Burnsville Center parking lot; and that left a lot to be desired. The fact it was a chilly, windy day didn’t help make the atmosphere as inviting as it might have been, but that couldn’t be helped.

The crowd: I felt like I was tailgating before a Twins game where children would not be allowed. Sporty couples, young men and women in caps and shades and solitary beer geeks mingled jovially amidst the small but happy crowd.  Entertainment was provided by ELnO, a local band that plays the music of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), and there was something so fitting about their fake afro wigs, the rock anthems of the 70’s and 80’s, and the windy parking lot. We are seemed a little surprised by how much fun it was to be singing along to songs we didn’t know we knew while sipping on teeny-weeny glasses of beer.

The beer: The Beer Dabbler Showcase is the brainchild of Matt Kenevan. The idea is to bring beer festivals to smaller cities and suburbs that haven’t had the chance to enjoy the variety and fun of beer festivals that occur annually in the Twin Cities. The beers and breweries represented will change at each of the showcases, but they will all offer brews from local brewpubs, Minnesota breweries, other popular American breweries and a few from Europe and beyond.

The beer at this event wasn’t what I expected.  I thought I would find a decent selection of local craft beers with a few of the bigger names from the Midwest. What was actually there was a very well-balanced selection of beers from all over the country, a few from other countries and some of my favorite (very) local brews. When I think of beer festivals, I think of beer made for beer fans, but this festival had beer for every type of beer drinker and I applaud them for that. I sampled beers from Colorado, Barcelona, Vermont, Wisconsin, Denmark and New Brighton, MN to name just a few and I drank most of them more than once. Whether you’re a beer snob or just someone who likes to drink beer but doesn’t seek out strange and new brews, the Beer Dabbler has got something for you.

I feel obliged to name some of the standouts. Barley John’s Brewpub offered at least six different beers that they serve at their brewpub and, as I have said before, they are worth a visit. When I stopped by Barley John’s at the Beer Dabbler for a review they were out of the "Wild Brunette," an amber/brown ale brewed with wild rice. The Wild Brunette isn’t as earthy as it sounds, but it has a delicious nutty, vanilla flavor that is unique without being weird. And everything else they make is top notch. The other beer that kept me coming back for more was the Minnesota's Flat Earth "Angry Planet Pale Ale." Flat Earth has an affection for Belgian-style beers that I don’t share, but everything they make still tastes good to me. The "Angry Planet" is a very solid pale ale that has all the body, hoppiness and flavor that craft beer drinkers are looking for without over-doing it in any way. When so many American microbrews try too hard, it is refreshing to taste a pale ale that is everything I want and nothing more. Cheers, Flat Earth!

While the Beer Dabbler did a nice job enlisting quality breweries. But I need to ask you to indulge me for a minute while I air out one of my strongest opinions. The Magic Hat #9 Ale sucks! It’s a pale ale with a distinct apricot flavor.  As I was getting settled into the festival I heard a bunch of people commenting positively about the Magic Hat beer. I had tried the #9 years ago when I was in New York for a concert and I wasn’t impressed, but I thought I should give it another go after all the hoopla. But I was right the first time. It’s not that it tastes bad; it has a decent flavor, but it tastes like they used artificial apricot flavor in their brew and there is just something unsavory about that. I gave it a second chance and still don’t buy what they are selling. To me, it’s like Blue Moon; I get why people like it, but I can’t approve. 

The verdict: The Beer Dabbler Showcase felt like it was thrown together at the last minute. The physical set-up was a little shoddy, but as a beer drinker I have to say that I enjoyed what they offered. It’s hard to say whether it will be as successful if the band at the next one isn’t as fun-loving as ELnO, but if they can amass a collection of beer as diverse and satisfying as the Burnsville festival, then there is a lot of potential for this touring beer festival.

The next stop: There will be ten more Beer Dabbler Showcases this summer and early fall all over Minnesota (with one in Sioux Falls, SD). Tickets run about $25-30 for all you can drink with free local music.

Add a comment