I have already mentioned the semiannual beer festival that has been established during the course of the past years. Last weekend, the November edition of this so-called Craft Bier Fest Vienna took place at the Marx-Halle, a former slaughterhouse in the 3rd district. The Craft Bier Fest was the grande finale of a whole week dedicated to beer with multiple tap takeovers in craft beer pubs across town, other beer tastings and home brewing workshops. Last Friday and Saturday, 96 different brewers and beer brewing companies from all over the world gathered at this gigantic venue and presented over 420 different beers. The brewers sold their beer at a countless of number of different stands and roughly 90% of their beers came fresh from tap. My mouth must have dropped when I set foot into that venue hall for the first time and the following two days I felt like being in a true beeradise. After entering the hall, each person received a beer glass and could exchange the money to CBF branded chips, with which you paid for your samples directly at every stand. Given the fact, that I wanted to try many different beers and also that many craft beers are quite high in ABV, I very much appreciated the fact, that the beers you bought were mostly of volumes of 0.1l. It was very convenient that the organizers of the event provided a list of all the beers and breweries available at Craft Bier Fest, which I kept carrying with me in order to keep track of the brews I was consuming. Naturally, breweries from Austria were the most present at CBF, but there was also a strong focus on breweries from Central Eastern Europe, such as Hungary, the Czech Rep, Poland or even Lithuania. I have been really crazy about their beers ever since having traveled to some of these countries for craft beer tastings last summer. Unfortunately, it has been almost impossible to find Eastern beers in the craft beer shops here in Vienna and I was thus super thrilled to have some of their brews again and as well as to discover new ones. In July, a friend and I spent a couple of days in Budapest and we fell in love with the absolutely fantastic brewery Mad Scientist. Their Mango Bay Milkshake Pale Ale is still one my all-time favorite brews and it was also my first beer to kick off Craft Beer Fest. It was still as good as I remembered. On Friday, I spent most of my time at the Hungarian stand Főzdepark, which was named after that complex in Budapest where not only the Mad Scientist beers are created, but also the guys from HopTop, Horizont or Monyo are brewing. What I really liked about CBF was the closeness between the brewers and the guests. I had the honor to talk quite a long time to the guys behind Mad Scientist and they are super cool and laid back people. I drank every beer they brought along, some of them I had already had before and some were completely new to me and I am not going to change opinion that I had not had a single beer by them that I did not like. Next to the Mango Bay and the Smooth Hoperator I especially liked their Egomaniac (a New England Double IPA) and the Funk Soul Brother (Barrel Aged Triple IPA). On the first day, I also hung out quite a long time at the stand of the two Czech breweries Pivovar Raven and Chroust Brewing Co. The latter one was unknown to me, but their 5$ Milkshake New England IPA was the freaking beer of the festival for me. That beer was so damn good, that I find it hard to describe. It was creamy, juicy and fruity at the same time and had a very full body, while the lactose in it made it taste both milky and smoothly. I do not think that this beer was actually made on Mother Earth. Maybe, there is another Czech Republic on a planet in a galaxy far away. The probably biggest stand at CBF was the one by BeerLovers, where you’d find beers from such great breweries like To Øl, The Wild Beer Co., Birra del Borgo, Naparbier or Oedipus. I again had the time to talk to Jens and James who I met at the To Øl and Wild Beer tap takeover at Mel’s before and James even gave me a Wild Beer hat, which I was consequently wearing the whole Friday night. Another brew, which I certainly have to state here and which was a new discovery I am stoked about, could be found at the Luxembourg stand. Craig, from Many Lands Brewing, is originally from New Zealand, but has lived quite some time in Europe now and the past five or six years in Luxembourg. He had only one beer with him that he sold at the stand he shared with Totenhopfen Brauhaus. The Many Lands’ Fresh Start APA was seriously amazing. It was another fruity and juicy pale ale that almost tasted like a NEIPA. It was full of flavor and wonderfully easy to drink. Many Lands is definitely a brewery, you should make a mental note about. In general, I tried to stick more to the IPAs and Pale Ales in the beginning of both days, before moving on to the stouts and porters as the night went on.
I had such an unbelievably great time at CBF. There were good people there, the atmosphere was fantastic and peaceful and I loved talking to the brewers and to learn about their stories and beers and how they come up with such fantastic recipes and ideas. Thanks a lot guys for being responsible for countless evenings of fun and great beers. I also loved to see how connections were built between the breweries. At some point, Mad Scientist and the magnificent Alefried from Graz started talking about a collab that they might do together. That would be in fact very, very cool. At the end of both days, I ended up having my backpack filled up with bottles of all kinds of different beers to bring home. CBF again proved my theory that craft beering is the ultimate social event. A big thanks to my friends for joining me these two days and another special thanks to The Wild Beer Co and Mad Scientist for giving me such cool merchandising goodies (in the end I also got the Mad Scientist hat, which he had been wearing on both days and which I am particularly proud of).
Anyways, here are my favorite beers that I tasted in the course of Friday and Saturday (alphabetical order).
Alefried x Wapplerzirkkus – Zirbe – Wild/Ale Sour – AT
ABV 7.2%. I am actually not into sour ales, but this one was absolutely mindblowing. Not too sour, but an explosion of flavors.
Bierol – Bomboclat – Imperial Stout – AT
ABV. 8.9%. brewed with coconut flakes and cocoa beans. Strong and sweet. Great dessert beer.
Birra del Borgo – CastagnAle – Spiced/Herbed – IT
ABV. 7.1%. nice and smoky ale brewed w/ chestnuts. Tasted like the roasted chestnuts you buy at the Christmas markets. Slight bondfire taste, that was not too overwhelming. Absolutely brilliant.
Brewdog – Make Earth Great Again – Imperial Strength Saison – UK/SCO
ABV. 7.5%. lots of spices, citrus and orange flavors.
Chroust Brewing Co. – 5$ Milkshake IPA – NEIPA – CZ
ABV 7.0%. My favorite festival beer. Absolutely phenomenal. Creamy, juicy, fruity and milky at the same time.
FiftyFifty – Eclipse 2016 Apple Brandy – Apple Brandy BA Imperial Stout – USA
ABV 11.9%. Full black color with a smoky apple tast. Very strong.
HopTop – Midnight Express – Foreign Extra Stout – HU
ABV. 8.0%. Classic stout. Nice and creamy. Full bodied and lots of full of flavor.
Horizont – Gentle Bastard – West Coast IPA – HU
ABV 6.5%. Very hoppy and bitter. Slight citrus flavor.
Horizont – Night Shift – Russian Imperial Stout – HU
ABV 9.0%. Strong Russian style stout. You smelled the alcohol, but did not really taste it that much.
Horizont – Pilot Series #2 – New England IPA – HU
ABV. 4.4%. Light NEIPA. Went down really smoothly and easily. Fruity aftertaste and sweetened with milked tea.
Mad Scientist – Funk Soul Brother – BA Triple IPA – HU
ABV 10.7%. Very strong IPA with a slight whiskey note. Another one of their masterpieces.
Mad Scientist – Mango Bay – Mango Milkshake IPA – HU
ABV 5.2%. Made with real mangos. One of my favorite beers of all time. Not too milky and the Mango scent can deeply be inhaled. Marvelous beer.
Mad Scientist – Egomaniac – New England Double IPA – HU
ABV 8.2%. NEIIPA. One of the best beers that Mad Scientist ever made and one that they are exceptionally proud of. Fruity and strong. Super delish.
Many Lands Brewing – Fresh Start – APA – LU
ABV. 5.2%. One of the highlights at CBF. An explosion of flavors. Almost an NEIPA.
Monyo Brewing Co. – Mahna Mahna (Bidi Bidibi) – Vanilla Milk New England IPA – HU
ABV 7.9%. Fruity beer brewed with vanilla extract and lactose. Creamy and milky. A masterpiece.
Monyo Brewing Co. – Franky Four Fingers – HU
ABV. 13.0%. Traditional English Barley Wine. No beating around the bush. Straight-forward and strong flavor. Fantastic beer.
Naparbier – The Cromson Bird Saison Raspberries – Saison w/ Raspberries – ES
ABV. 6.1%. Blonde, yet cloudy color. Raspberries made it taste a bit sour, although no sour beer at all. Very, very good.
Pivovar Raven – Hay-z-Daze – New England IPA – CZ
ABV. 6.1%. Regular, fruity East Coast IPA, but extremely tasty. Dance of flavors on the tongue.
Pivovar Raven – Vanilla Kiss – Vanilla Imperial Porter – CZ
ABV. 7.2%. Fantastic porter. Creamy and the hint of vanilla cannot be denied.
To Øl – California Blizzard – West Coast IPA – DK
ABV. 6.2% One of my highlights. Bitter, yet fruity flavor. Citrus aroma. Going down super easily. Had four of them altogether.
Totenhopfen Brauhaus – Six Hands & The Lying Dog – English IPA – LU
ABV. 6.8%. Three people brewed that beer, while a dog was lying around most of the time, hence the name. Traditional IPA. Bitter and hoppy. Very tasty.
Wild Beer Co. – Jumbo – Imperial Chocolate Stout w/ Raspberries – UK
ABV. 8.5%. OMG. Jackpot, baby. Tasted like a liquid black forest cherry cake that has been spiced up with rasperries. No milky chocolate flavor, but like the one of a very dark chocolate bar, which was filled with liquid raspberries. Totally crazy.
Wild Beer Co. – Evolver – Belgian IPA – UK
ABV. 5.8%. Citrus taste. Full body. One of Wild Beer’s best
I had such an unbelievably great time at CBF. There were good people there, the atmosphere was fantastic and peaceful and I loved talking to the brewers and to learn about their stories and beers and how they come up with such fantastic recipes and ideas. Thanks a lot guys for being responsible for countless evenings of fun and great beers. I also loved to see how connections were built between the breweries. At some point, Mad Scientist and the magnificent Alefried from Graz started talking about a collab that they might do together. That would be in fact very, very cool. At the end of both days, I ended up having my backpack filled up with bottles of all kinds of different beers to bring home. CBF again proved my theory that craft beering is the ultimate social event. A big thanks to my friends for joining me these two days and another special thanks to The Wild Beer Co and Mad Scientist for giving me such cool merchandising goodies (in the end I also got the Mad Scientist hat, which he had been wearing on both days and which I am particularly proud of).
Anyways, here are my favorite beers that I tasted in the course of Friday and Saturday (alphabetical order).
Alefried x Wapplerzirkkus – Zirbe – Wild/Ale Sour – AT
ABV 7.2%. I am actually not into sour ales, but this one was absolutely mindblowing. Not too sour, but an explosion of flavors.
Bierol – Bomboclat – Imperial Stout – AT
ABV. 8.9%. brewed with coconut flakes and cocoa beans. Strong and sweet. Great dessert beer.
Birra del Borgo – CastagnAle – Spiced/Herbed – IT
ABV. 7.1%. nice and smoky ale brewed w/ chestnuts. Tasted like the roasted chestnuts you buy at the Christmas markets. Slight bondfire taste, that was not too overwhelming. Absolutely brilliant.
Brewdog – Make Earth Great Again – Imperial Strength Saison – UK/SCO
ABV. 7.5%. lots of spices, citrus and orange flavors.
Chroust Brewing Co. – 5$ Milkshake IPA – NEIPA – CZ
ABV 7.0%. My favorite festival beer. Absolutely phenomenal. Creamy, juicy, fruity and milky at the same time.
FiftyFifty – Eclipse 2016 Apple Brandy – Apple Brandy BA Imperial Stout – USA
ABV 11.9%. Full black color with a smoky apple tast. Very strong.
HopTop – Midnight Express – Foreign Extra Stout – HU
ABV. 8.0%. Classic stout. Nice and creamy. Full bodied and lots of full of flavor.
Horizont – Gentle Bastard – West Coast IPA – HU
ABV 6.5%. Very hoppy and bitter. Slight citrus flavor.
Horizont – Night Shift – Russian Imperial Stout – HU
ABV 9.0%. Strong Russian style stout. You smelled the alcohol, but did not really taste it that much.
Horizont – Pilot Series #2 – New England IPA – HU
ABV. 4.4%. Light NEIPA. Went down really smoothly and easily. Fruity aftertaste and sweetened with milked tea.
Mad Scientist – Funk Soul Brother – BA Triple IPA – HU
ABV 10.7%. Very strong IPA with a slight whiskey note. Another one of their masterpieces.
Mad Scientist – Mango Bay – Mango Milkshake IPA – HU
ABV 5.2%. Made with real mangos. One of my favorite beers of all time. Not too milky and the Mango scent can deeply be inhaled. Marvelous beer.
Mad Scientist – Egomaniac – New England Double IPA – HU
ABV 8.2%. NEIIPA. One of the best beers that Mad Scientist ever made and one that they are exceptionally proud of. Fruity and strong. Super delish.
Many Lands Brewing – Fresh Start – APA – LU
ABV. 5.2%. One of the highlights at CBF. An explosion of flavors. Almost an NEIPA.
Monyo Brewing Co. – Mahna Mahna (Bidi Bidibi) – Vanilla Milk New England IPA – HU
ABV 7.9%. Fruity beer brewed with vanilla extract and lactose. Creamy and milky. A masterpiece.
Monyo Brewing Co. – Franky Four Fingers – HU
ABV. 13.0%. Traditional English Barley Wine. No beating around the bush. Straight-forward and strong flavor. Fantastic beer.
Naparbier – The Cromson Bird Saison Raspberries – Saison w/ Raspberries – ES
ABV. 6.1%. Blonde, yet cloudy color. Raspberries made it taste a bit sour, although no sour beer at all. Very, very good.
Pivovar Raven – Hay-z-Daze – New England IPA – CZ
ABV. 6.1%. Regular, fruity East Coast IPA, but extremely tasty. Dance of flavors on the tongue.
Pivovar Raven – Vanilla Kiss – Vanilla Imperial Porter – CZ
ABV. 7.2%. Fantastic porter. Creamy and the hint of vanilla cannot be denied.
To Øl – California Blizzard – West Coast IPA – DK
ABV. 6.2% One of my highlights. Bitter, yet fruity flavor. Citrus aroma. Going down super easily. Had four of them altogether.
Totenhopfen Brauhaus – Six Hands & The Lying Dog – English IPA – LU
ABV. 6.8%. Three people brewed that beer, while a dog was lying around most of the time, hence the name. Traditional IPA. Bitter and hoppy. Very tasty.
Wild Beer Co. – Jumbo – Imperial Chocolate Stout w/ Raspberries – UK
ABV. 8.5%. OMG. Jackpot, baby. Tasted like a liquid black forest cherry cake that has been spiced up with rasperries. No milky chocolate flavor, but like the one of a very dark chocolate bar, which was filled with liquid raspberries. Totally crazy.
Wild Beer Co. – Evolver – Belgian IPA – UK
ABV. 5.8%. Citrus taste. Full body. One of Wild Beer’s best
cbfwhe17-bierliste.pdf |