Grizzly Growler

Not all beer adventures are adventurous.

And some are.

The Big Wood Fest at Brouwer’s in Seattle was an adventure because an adventure always should teach you something, build character and satisfy your soul.

Big Sky brewer Matt Long and cellarer, Charlie Brodell, and I set out Thursday morning as a fine snow fell on our road. No matter, we drove Long’s 2006 Jetta TDI, which performed just like the feat of German engineering it is.

Packed snow gave way to slushy roads, which gave way to clear roads all the way to Seattle. At 3 p.m., Pacific time, we pulled up in front of Brouwer’s.

It didn’t take long to start working my way through the list of wood-aged beers on tap for the festival, though, when Matt, Charlie and Brouwer’s general manager, Matt Bonny, showed up again, I found myself with a set of Belgian sour beers in front of me and a whole new taste experience.

I decided to bag out early Thursday night in hopes of connecting with some close friends I was staying with, but tiredness and an ample amount of bigger-than-average beers sent me to my bed without much conversation.

The weather was better on Friday, so I rode Seattle’s public transportation around the city trying to find Brouwer’s from my friends’ house in Redmond.

When I finally located Bottleworks, a beer store owned and operated by the fellows who own Brouwer’s, I decided to abandon my search for Brouwer’s for the time being.

Matt and Charlie, who were staying at Mr. Bonny’s house, showed up, and we all did some beer shopping. The beer selection at Bottleworks is truly amazing, and with the guy who does all the buying for the company placing must-have bottles in your grocery cart, well, you end up with a great start for your cellar, and a whopping credit card bill.

After settling on a few beers that I really wanted to learn about, Bonny took us all to his place where we sampled a Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux from 2006 and 2007 vintages. I got a peek at what is one of the finest personal collections of cellared beer I’ve ever seen. Mr. Bonny’s personal collection is, to the beer lover, what it must be like for a wine lover to see the private collection of Dr. Nils Stormby.

Later we decided to visit the winter brew fest at Hale’s Ales, which is a 10-minute walk from Brouwer’s.

While the winter beers were enjoyable, they paled in comparison to the wood-aged and sour beers at Brouwer’s. That’s a hazard of drinking huge beers that have been aged, they tend to blot out anything less.

Back at Brouwer’s we sampled several of the thousands of bottled beers available. One that stood out was the Malheur Brut Reserve – Michael Jackson Commemorative Selection 2006. You won’t find this at Worden’s, or anywhere in Missoula for that matter, but if you’re made of money, look here, and you just might find it.

I finally got to sample Matt Long’s wood-aged offerings at the festival, including Big Sky’s Belgian Dark Strong Ale and Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout. These beers were awesome, with a perfect balance of wood and malt connected by good alcohol warmth and carmel, roasty, nutty and dark fruit flavors.

Unfortunately, Matt and company didn’t do Ivan the Terrible this year, so you’ll have to drive to Brouwer’s to find it. But the Belgian Dark Strong Ale, in both wood-aged and off the wood, has been available at the brewery’s tasting room for several months.

Matt and Charlie and I decided to check out Brouwer’s roof, where there is a great circular view of a skylight to look into. Hmmm, beer tasting + roof could = disaster. Fortunately we stayed away from the edge.

And finally, a very good friend of mine joined me for a round of sour beers late Friday evening, a chance for remembering our shared childhood and our fondness for Belgian beers. Eventually we found our way to a hotel overlooking one of Seattle’s many lakes for some needed rest.

By Saturday morning I was fairly beered out. I had tasted numerous beers from the list, but I was nowhere near the complete Big Wood Fest selection. I spent Saturday catching up with old friends while Matt and Charlie checked out the seasonal release of Big Time Brewing’s barley wine.

Saturday afternoon I found myself again holding a beer, but it was for the simple pleasure of filling my hungry belly.

Trevor Carnahan, a good friend, made a batch of beer-soaked bratwurst. I enjoyed an Alaskan Amber with my brat, and it brought me completely back to ground zero, that place from which all beer enjoyment stems.

Yes, their are amazing beers out there, and the sky’s the limit as far as style goes. But beer is essentially enjoyed individually. It is the experience of the individual that makes beer as unique as it is, but it is sharing it with others that makes beer a conversation.

The food we ate this weekend at Brouwer’s was, in my mind, some of the best food to match with the big beers at the festival. From Frites (Belgian fries) to braised ribs, every bite was matched with the power inherent in a strong ale fortified with oak.

But why go to a brewfest in Seattle when I live and write in Montana?

Because what’s happening in places like Seattle, in terms of beer trends, ultimately will find their way here to our little hamlet in the Rockies.

The truth is that Montana has one of the best communities of micro brewers anywhere in this country, and guys like Matt Long are making great production beers like Moose Drool and Powder Hound, while producing smaller beers of extraordinary quality, and, in some cases, hard-to-find rarity.

Take Big Sky’s Trippel. This fantastic Belgian legend has been brewed in Montana for some time now, but you won’t find it in bottles at your favorite store, in fact, and I’m really going to regret this next statement, the only place you can find it is at the Red Bird Restaurant in Missoula.

Matt has been aging beer on oak for many years, and unless you visit the tasting room at Big Sky, you wouldn’t know many of those beers because Big Sky is a large production brewery with a need to sell a lot of their staples.

I’m glad Matt is producing smaller beers of different varieties, if for no other reason than it gives us a chance to say that we’re not back woods, and we sure know our Saison Fantôme from our Oude Gueuze.
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All that to say I went to see how Big Sky fared in Seattle. And I’ve got to say that both of Matt’s beers went head to head with just about any beer submitted, and the comments from festival goers and the bars ownership left no question as to whether Montanan’s can brew great beer.

Thanks Matt and Charlie, it was a great trip. And thank you Mr. Bonny. You’re an inspiration.

Prost,

GG