The 2015 #bendbrewfest brought 71 fermenters of nature’s bounty from traditional beer (malt, barley, hops) and hard cider (apples) to mead (honey) and even a vintner (grapes). With so many choices it was not possible to taste them all…but I gave it the old college try. I learned a few things along the way too.
- IBU: You will see this on craft beer labels along with alcohol content. It stands for International Bitter Unit. MangiaTV has gone ahead and renamed this as ISFU (International Squinchy Face Unit). I learned that the human pallet can only taste up to around an 85 ISFU. Anything over that is just macho brewing BS.
- Speaking of alcohol content: Some of these craft beers have names that are a warning in and of themselves… like Conviction (Bridgeport Brewing) and Comatose. Ty from Good Life Brewing assured me that 6 comatose brews will do the trick.
- Wine…at a beer fest?: I was pleasantly surprised to see and talk with Jacob from Willamette Valley Wines and of course taste some of their Pinot Noir. I was told some people don’t like beer…weird eh
- Gluten Free: Did you know one of the oldest fermented drinks is Mead…from honey. I chatted with Jake and Brooks from Stung Fermented and got the low down. “I thought honey was naturally anti-bacterial?” We dilute it and send in supercharger Arnold like beer yeast!” I am a new big fan of Mead !!
- Gluten Free 2: As Paxton from Ground Breaker Brewing told me…our gluten free fans want BEER. That is what they deliver. Fermented using lentils and Chestnuts their IPA ran the taps dry on day 3! Since we had technical difficulties during our great interview segment I will have to go and redo segment in person. Can you say road trip?
The craft brewing movement is alive and well, and #thebendbrewfest is the best showcase of craft beer around. I can’t wait until next year! Do us a favor and share these great fermenters with your crew.
Check out our videos from Bend Brewfest 2015 HERE and our Cooking Vamp episode on Craft Beer HERE.
