Oktoberfest 2012 ICOK Beer Event EXTRAVAGANZA Guide
Hello everyone! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at ICOK this year. I was sad to have been completely buried in work during EPIC to the point where I was too exhausted after wrapping up each day to do anything but go home and pass out.
I vowed that wasn't going to happen for ICOK, so I'm planning well in advance to make sure it doesn't happen.
First things first:
If you are coming to Detroit for ICOK, you are in town during an epic event - the Detroit Fall Beer Festival has, for the first time in its (now) 4 year run, been extended to two days. It runs Friday the 26th 5 to 9pm, and Satruday the 27th 1 to 6pm. Over 50 Michigan brewers and over 300 Michigan beers on tap. Tickets are $35 in advance. IT WILL SELL OUT.
I am planning on going on Friday. I have a Michigan Brewer's Guild Enthusiast Membership, so I will be getting in 1 hour early at 4pm. Nonetheless, if you want to join me there are a few ways you can kill an hour near the venue (Eastern Market, unless they change things), and then we can try all sorts of beer and then come back to ICHQ to drink more.
If you are interested in attending with me, either buy a ticket directly from the MBG website, or let me know ASAP - I can buy tickets locally at a few places. Did I mention these will sell out fast? Last year tickets were going for 50% above face value on Craigslist in the days leading up to it.
Next up:
If you're coming to ICHQ from out of state and you don't want to bring beer with you, but you also don't want to have to make the 10-15 mile jog to a decent (let alone GOOD) beer store, I would love to be able to lay in a supply of brews for you in advance that will be waiting for you at Icrontic. Contact me directly and let me know what you'd be interested in having available. I buy from stores with the lowest prices around, so you won't pay a premium when you have to hit some random corner store or, god forbid, Embassy or something.
Finally: BEER TASTING.
Since I will be attending the Detroit Beer fest on Friday night, the most logical time to run the tasting will be Saturday in the early afternoon. I'm thinking around 2:30pm or thereabouts. We'll nail down a more accurate start time in the week leading up to the date.
This time around I'm going to be featuring a very unique and classic style - The Flanders Red and Brown ales. These Belgian brews have a rich history and are quite unlike much mass produced beer. A hallmark of the style is that they're typically aged in oak, but not in the kind that ages bourbon or whiskey - these are large oak vats or used wine barrels that are often laden with bacterium that traditional brewers try and avoid for fear they'll spoil other beer. These beers take on interesting, uncommon flavors and can often be mildly to mouthpuckeringly sour. The beers we'll taste will run the gamut, and I promise that even if you don't like "sour" beers, you'll find something to enjoy.
These will be paired with a selection of meat, cheese, and other accouterments. 8 to 9 beers will be featured with at least 1.5 oz samples of each.
This tasting will be $20 and limited to 15 seats (myself included). Based on the response thus far, I know that interest will exceed my ability to seat it. I've debated whether to do a first-come response, as I have done in the past, but that favors those who spend more time online. I've decided it will be more equitable if I were to do a lottery.
So please enter your names here. They will be drawn at random when on October 13th, two weeks before the tasting.
If you reply with "in" and forget to fill out the form, please don't be sad when you find out your name wasn't in the hat.
That's all for now, I think. Cheers!
I vowed that wasn't going to happen for ICOK, so I'm planning well in advance to make sure it doesn't happen.
First things first:
If you are coming to Detroit for ICOK, you are in town during an epic event - the Detroit Fall Beer Festival has, for the first time in its (now) 4 year run, been extended to two days. It runs Friday the 26th 5 to 9pm, and Satruday the 27th 1 to 6pm. Over 50 Michigan brewers and over 300 Michigan beers on tap. Tickets are $35 in advance. IT WILL SELL OUT.
I am planning on going on Friday. I have a Michigan Brewer's Guild Enthusiast Membership, so I will be getting in 1 hour early at 4pm. Nonetheless, if you want to join me there are a few ways you can kill an hour near the venue (Eastern Market, unless they change things), and then we can try all sorts of beer and then come back to ICHQ to drink more.
If you are interested in attending with me, either buy a ticket directly from the MBG website, or let me know ASAP - I can buy tickets locally at a few places. Did I mention these will sell out fast? Last year tickets were going for 50% above face value on Craigslist in the days leading up to it.
Next up:
If you're coming to ICHQ from out of state and you don't want to bring beer with you, but you also don't want to have to make the 10-15 mile jog to a decent (let alone GOOD) beer store, I would love to be able to lay in a supply of brews for you in advance that will be waiting for you at Icrontic. Contact me directly and let me know what you'd be interested in having available. I buy from stores with the lowest prices around, so you won't pay a premium when you have to hit some random corner store or, god forbid, Embassy or something.
Finally: BEER TASTING.
Since I will be attending the Detroit Beer fest on Friday night, the most logical time to run the tasting will be Saturday in the early afternoon. I'm thinking around 2:30pm or thereabouts. We'll nail down a more accurate start time in the week leading up to the date.
This time around I'm going to be featuring a very unique and classic style - The Flanders Red and Brown ales. These Belgian brews have a rich history and are quite unlike much mass produced beer. A hallmark of the style is that they're typically aged in oak, but not in the kind that ages bourbon or whiskey - these are large oak vats or used wine barrels that are often laden with bacterium that traditional brewers try and avoid for fear they'll spoil other beer. These beers take on interesting, uncommon flavors and can often be mildly to mouthpuckeringly sour. The beers we'll taste will run the gamut, and I promise that even if you don't like "sour" beers, you'll find something to enjoy.
These will be paired with a selection of meat, cheese, and other accouterments. 8 to 9 beers will be featured with at least 1.5 oz samples of each.
This tasting will be $20 and limited to 15 seats (myself included). Based on the response thus far, I know that interest will exceed my ability to seat it. I've debated whether to do a first-come response, as I have done in the past, but that favors those who spend more time online. I've decided it will be more equitable if I were to do a lottery.
So please enter your names here. They will be drawn at random when on October 13th, two weeks before the tasting.
If you reply with "in" and forget to fill out the form, please don't be sad when you find out your name wasn't in the hat.
That's all for now, I think. Cheers!
5
Comments
Beerfest sounds awesome, but I'll probably be arriving in Detroit right at 4pm, so it might be tricky to coordinate with people. I'd really prefer to carpool after I saw the parking disaster last time.
Edit: Can't access GDocs from the office. I'll have to remember to do it this afternoon.
Edit: Bought my beer festival ticket!
I'd be more than happy to put you on an "alternates" list if you are worried about bumping anyone in the lottery.
I can appreciate them for what they are, but do not enjoy them.
I too don't like mouth-puckering beers (and man, I've tasted some doozies), but some of the Flanders Red ales can be nicely balanced. I'm sure some of the stuff for this tasting will be too sour for me. I hope so, even - I like pushing my boundaries. But don't write this off too quickly.
My apologies all, I've been beyond swamped the last couple weeks and couldn't get a few things (like announcing stuff about this) done in time.
So I got a total of 19 entries and I can only seat 14 besides myself. Rather that first-come like last time, decided to randomize things.
The 14 people who are getting first dibs:
So attention to @Lershee @CannonFodder @Gargoyle + GF @UPSLynx @GnomeQueen @primesuspect @tiberiuslazarus @annes @Lincoln @Mertesn @Dunigan @Soda @ickybodclay
If any of you decide you no longer want in, alternates will be offered seats in this order:
@Tushon
@Jboogaloo
@Susurro
@Bandrik
The tasting is going to be aiming for between 2-3pm start time on Saturday. As a reminder, it will be $20 and will include a pairing of snacks. If you would like to paypal me in advance, hit me with a PM. I'll also email/text everyone about this post to make sure you've seen it.
Also, could everyone who bought a ticket to beer fest for Friday message me? I want to coordinate our expedition.
Cheers!
EDIT: I edited your post due to typoness - you had JBoog as a winner, and he was not, it was icky
Good times.