It’s been a few weeks since Big Pour 5 and now that the dust has settled it’s time to reflect. Big Pour has come a long way since it’s beginnings 5 years ago. Unfortunately, TDY has not been there from the start. However, we did get several opportunities to talk to 5 year participants. The one common theme was just how massive Big Pour has become. The sheer number of beer and food vendors was pretty incredible. By my count, 43 breweries were represented; making for some great selection of beers. The food vendors covered a wide range from perennial favorite Point Brugge to newcomers BRGR and Pino’s Contemporary Italian (out of this world vegetarian pasta fagioli). TDY can definitely attest to the growing smoothness of the Big Pour ticket purchasing experience. There have been some debacles in the past and last year was a positive nightmare, but Showclix ran a very smooth operation this year. I was in and had tickets in about 10 minutes. Now to the important part, let’s talk beer!
All 3 TDY in attendance
There is one very simple truth that I realized at Big Pour: the amount of “new” beer available is becoming somewhat more limited. This is one of the unforeseen circumstances of writing about beer and thus trying any new beer we can get our hands. (Although, this is hardly a job hazard!) There are a few new entries as always but this is one of the first beer festivals that I felt I was struggling to try all new and different brews. This doesn’t mean that Big Pour was full of sub-par beer. Big Pour is and will continue to be the penultimate Western PA beer festival for the wide variety of beer and fun vibe/unique character that is present. There were many good surprises:
Helltown Brewing Co. out of Mt. Pleasant, PA was a great surprise, especially being the first stop at the festival. We had noticed a few of their beers popping up around town at the usual spots such as Piper’s, D’s, Bocktown, Smokin Joe’s etc. We got to try the IPA at Piper’s Pub just days before Big Pour and were pleasantly surprised.
Helltown IPA – This is just a well balanced IPA, great when you want a classic bitter flavor without going completely over the top in IBU’s. The beer is crisp and clean in the mouth with some notes of citrus at the beginning and the bitterness shows up in the middle of the taste and accelerates to the finish. Yet the aftertaste often left from aggressively overhopped beers is not present. Helltown also manages to avoid the sweet, overly malt-ridden base that many East Coast IPAs fall into.
Helltown also makes a tasty brown ale : Mischievous. An interesting interpretation of a traditional English brown ale, there is an additional fruity sweetness on top of the traditional brown base to really make it stand out.
East End brought a Honey Heather on Cask. This delightful beer was light but with just a dab of sweetness from the honey that brings out the wheat characteristics in the malt. This was a nice surprise. Trying the Honey Heather on Cask leet more of the flavor come out but I’d like to try this one carbonated. I have a feeling this would be a great late summer beer.
East End’s special Big Pour Brew was the Nunkin Ale. I guess you can describe this as a pumpkin-style beer. All of the spices you know and love in a pumpkin beer were present but no pumpkins of any kind were harmed during the brewing process. You don’t even miss them! This is genius! Scott was able to replicate the taste without using any costly pumpkins. I love this idea!
Founders Brewing Co. featured a limited tapping of their Backstage Brown. This is the beer that may give Helltown’s IPA a challenge for “Best Beer Here”. Notes of chocolate and roast malts combined with a creamy head and overall smoothness. It reminds us of Voodoo’s Wynona Brown Ale but slightly more intense flavors particulary the rich creamy chocolate flavor.
Enjoying Big Pour or is she holding Jake upright?
Bullfrom Brewery from Williamsport, PA brought several beers and it was refreshing to see another new, small brewery in attendance. Our favorite of their four offerings was the Mondocalypso Belgianish IPA. Overall light and crisp with a slight bitterness on the tip of the tongue that gains momentum throughout the taste. The finish is nicely balanced with just the right amount of bitterness but is not overly dry.
It was great to see Voodoo Brewery back in attendance. They brought their usual selection of Wynona Brown, White Magick of the Sun, Pilzilla, and Four Seasons IPA. All great offerings. Their feature was a new version of the IPA. Maybe not quite as bitter as I would like it and the aftertaste ended a tad sweet for an IPA. Overall, the new IPA has real potential.
Relatively new to the Burgh, Six Point Brewing Co. , Brooklyn, NY brought some fantastic beers including one of my new favorie IPAs : Bengali Tiger. The Bengali Tiger challenges the idea that really excellent IPAs can’t come from the East Coast (except Dogfish). The bitterness is balanced with nicely but the malt in no way overpowers the what an IPA should be all about : HOPS!
Six Point was also pouring Righteous Ale. Srighteous has a refeshing, crisp taste with a touch of sweet malt that you crave when the weather starts getting a little colder. Not as smooth, the rye gives this beer a certain edge. We highly recommend trying any of Six Points offerings if you are lucky to find them out and about in the city.
Always a welcoming sign....
There were, of course, many other breweries in attendance with many quality brews, too many to name. Southern Tier brought many quality brews including our pick for best pumpkin beer : Pumking. Unibroue, New Holland, and Dark Horse also brought their “A” game to the festival.
The fact that one post can’t fit in all of the craft brewed goodness proves the success of Big Pour 5. The festival highlights a mixture of local beer and food that can’t be found together at any other event. The place can get a bit rowdy towards the end of the session, but this is a small inconvenience compared to the overall value. We are anxiously awaiting next year’s improvements and look forward to the future of Big Pour.
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