There is something classically American about the summertime beer festival. These large, outdoor, events are the grown-up equivalent of the weekend camping excursions or long road-trips I used to take as a youth and then throughout college. This time, however, you are taking that trip with a few hundred of your best, new-found, beer friends. Held annually at Ommegang Brewery, Belgium Comes to Cooperstown is pinacle of the east-coast’s summer beer festivals.

Now in it’s eleventh year, the 2011 Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event was part camp-out, part beer festival, and part live concert. It kicks off with a few hundred people camped out on the 140 acre Ommegang property… an old hop farm that now produces some of the finest Belgian-style beers in America. Then, of course, there is beer… over 75 breweries from around the world came and shared some of their finest, and rarest libations. Standouts included rare bottles of both Rosso e Marrone and Cuvee de Castleton from New York’s Captain Lawrence Brewery, Chardonay-Barrel-aged Stateside Saison from Stillwater Ales, a hoppy-session ale from Vermont nanobrewery Lawsons Finest Liquids and Scratch #44, a massive Belgian quad brewed with Black Currants from the Tröeg’s Brewery, and many, many more.

Vermont’s rising-star nanobrewery, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, proves a favorite of the festival with their citra-infused Session in the Rye Ale

But beyond the beer, the festival also featured a full on music stage with live blue and rock bands throught the day and well into the night. After sundown, the brewery sparked up a giant fire pit for festival-goers to gather around, and there was even a midnight screening of Spinal Tap projected on three screen on the side of the barn. Top that off with a rousing fireworks display and you have one jam-packed 24hr festival.

Early attendees made short work of one of the festival’s highlights… rare bottles of Chardonay-barrel aged Stateside Saison from gypsy brewery Stillwater Ales.

But one of the more enjoyable aspects of the festival was in the people. Often times, festivals of this magnitude and with beer of this caliber are either (a) overcrowded or (b) overly chaotic. But Belgium Comes to Cooperstown was neither of these. The beers flowed freely, the festival was not oversold, and the whole crowd was both friendly and inviting… of course, four hours of strong Belgian beer will put just about anyone in the right mood! Overall, however, we walked away from BCTC 2011 with great memories and more than a few new friends. Mark this one down on you calendar as on of the great not-to-be-missed festivals and we’ll see you there in 2012!

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A group of revelers celebrate Gnommegang, the collaborative brew between Ommegang and La Chouffe

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So there it was… a Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak Gift Pack just sitting in the corner of my apartment. It wascooingly calling to me while I type away on my laptop… tugging at my tastebuds. Thus far, I have been a fan of all the Captain Lawrence limited releases… Golden Delicious, Rosso e Marone, Cuvee de Castleton… so I could not wait to rip into these 75 ounces of smokey goodness. But then I got to thinking… 75 ounces of 10% ABV beer… that’s like drinking half a case of Brooklyn Lager which is a bit much – even for me – on a weeknight. And on an empty stomach? That’s madness.

There was only one solution… call up a bunch of foodies and beer geeks (aka my friends over at Serious Eats), order up a giant pot of Barbeque goodness, and dive in to the smokiest culinary Royal Rumble yet on IDrunkThat… Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak vs. Hill Country Barbeque.

“Rum barrels are a new one for me. I’ve never tasted a beer that was aged in rum barrels before I tasted the same beer you have in your hands. And let me tell you, it was no easy task tracking down freshly emptied rum barrels and getting them up to the brewery. But I think you will agree it was worth the extra effort. To create this beer we took our Smoked Porter and let it slowly age in barrels that once held 12 year old Virgin Island rum. Straight from the Captain’s cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy.”

The evening was a Barbeque lover’s dream. The three bottles of Captain Lawrence imperial smoked porter (awesome on its own) was aged in three different types of oak barrels – rum, red wine and apple brandy. Each beer aged nicely in the barrels and took on its own characteristics. The wine-barrel aged porter developed a nice, tart finish and classic oak character. This was our favorite for food pairing. The Rum aged bottle was complex and dusty. It reminded me a bit of the complexity and earthiness of a good scotch ale. This was my favorite overall for its layers of flavor. Finally, the apple brandy aged bottle was the most balanced with the flavors of smoke, brandy, and oak perfectly intermingled. These were still a bit young and they would be amazing with six more months in the bottle. If you want to get into the finer points, check out Maggie Hoffman’s analysis of the evening over on Serious Eats.

Then there was the meat and, oh, what a pile of meat it was. Beef ribs, pork ribs, lean brisket, moist brisket, and even a Barbecued half chicken. Usually I’m one to go straight for the ribs but this brisket was amazing… moist, smokey, and even a bit peppery. The chicken was also surprisingly moist and flavorful but did not beat out my favorite chicken in the city over at Dinosaur BBQ. Still, in all, the folks over at Hill Country sure can cook up a mean pile of grub. I suggest you check out Hill Country All You Can Eat Mondays to understand the full scope of their smokey mastery.

Overall, this was an awesome way to enjoy the three amazing beers from Captain Lawrence. Through the combination, the overall smokiness of both the meat and the beer was mellowed to elevate the more subtle notes in the beer and meat. If you have these beers sitting around in your house, I suggest cellering them for a few more months to let the flavors combine. After that, grab a few friends, some of your favorite barbecue, and enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM SMOKE FROM THE OAK VS HILL COUNTRY BARBEQUE ON FLICKR

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Style: Wild Ale, Barrel Aged Brown Ale
Brewery: Captain Lawrence (Pleasentville, NY)
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: unknown
Availability: single brew, limited release

Appearance: The Barrel Select pours a hazy, amber brown with aggressive carbonation and ecru head. The pour leaves slight lacing on the glass that fades away quickly.

Smell: The nose here is a blast of sour cherry that almost overpowers the other scents. As I get accustomed to aroma, notes of chocolate and oak come forward along with the traditional hints of wild yeast (barnyard funk, horse blanket, etc.)

Taste: There is quite a blast of acidic bitterness here as the Barrel Select leads with a puckeroushly sour hit of unripened cherries, tart green grapes and – in a throwback to my childhood (or last trip to the movie theatre) – Sour Patch Kids. Once you dig through the sea of sour, you get more flavors of Hershey’s chocolate bar mixed with lactic acid and a bit of musty malt. There’s also a hint of astringent tannins and oak notes but they are bonded well with the acidic overtones and don’t really stand out on their own.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is pretty straightforward for a bottle aged brew… fine carbonation, medium body and a nice, dry finish from the barrel aging.

Drinkability: While the mouthfeel and finish are easy on the pallet, this is an abundantly sour beer that may be overwhelming for some people. For such a complicated, blended brew, the flavor is surprisingly straightforward which may keep you from reaching for another glass. Splitting (and sipping) the bottle amongst two people, however, should fair quite well.

Overall: The Captain Lawrence Barrel Aged Select #1 is another milestone for the brewery. It’s incredibly tart and and unlike any of their other offerings. While it was a bit over-acidic for my taste – which is a rarity so non-sour beer drinkers be warned – but it would pair really nicely with a farmhouse cheese and it is a great non-traditional brew to help open people’s eyes to the potential of beer. People who like Flemish sours such as a Rodenbach should take notice and seek this one out.

All 20 draft lines will be dedicated to New York State brewed beer, with Southern Tier, Empire, Keegan, Great Adirondack, Lake Placid, Saranac, C.H. Evans, Captain Lawrence, Blue Point, Chatham and, of course, Southampton.

Our “finest kind” happy hour starts at 4:20pm with $1 off all draft beers for one hour. Good beers, good tunes and good times