Cork Brews & Blues Fest (Philly Beer Week 2010)

Philly Beer Week 2010 - Cork Restaurant in Westmont, NJ decided to wrap up their celebration of Philly Beer Week 2010 with a Brews and Blues Festival in their parking lot on Sunday, June 13. The setup looked great until it started to pour rain on the party-goers. Not to have our spirits dampened, however, the band moved inside and played several sets while the patrons went inside and out to take advantage of the festival-sponsored beers. We had Magic Hat, Palm, Ommegang, Sam Adams, Flying Fish, River Horse, and Boon (sorry if I forgot a few). All the selections were basically meant to go down easy in a hot, bbq atmosphere and wash down roast pig, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken tacos. Excellent food and beverage with an awesome band to boot.

Magic Hat Odd Notion. Titled 'ginger ale', this brew is more ale than ginger by quite a bit. Pretty tasty with a lil zip. Magic Hat produces quality session brews on a consistent basis, and always up to date on the seasons. Their seasonal beers are always timely and pretty good. The accessibility of Odd Notion is its best quality, while there is a little bit of style going on as well. Drinkable and pass-around-able but not overwhelming.

Here are some of the beers I tried:

River Horse Lager. RH makes good stuff so its no wonder their lager is well-crafted. Im just not a big lager guy so it doesnt bowl me over. Worth passing the word along to any lager drinker, since the balance is pretty even between hoppy and malty. Really drinkable, especially at a barbecue or tailgater.

Flying Fish Exit 4 is a miracle. Sweet and smooth yet hoppy and smart .This beer has a nice blend of Belgian sweetness with American hoppiness Oh boy. Smoother than Green Flash 'Le Freak' and more accessible as well. Watch out though, because it's a little high in alcohol, but you really can't taste the booze.

Flying Fish Exit 6. Gorgeous color. Mildly hoppy, mildly dry, mildly funky. Exit 6 Wallonian Rye has a light to medium body with a very pale finish. There is just a hint of a malty aftertaste, I think. Complex but not busy, Exit 6 is supremely drinkable. This embodies Flying Fish's philosophy of session beers with no flaws. A little risk-taking can be good, though, as we saw when Exit 4 propelled this series into the public eye. The family of Flying Fish beers definitely offer something for everyone.

Thanks again to Kevin, Janet, Felix, and everyone at Cork for making the event a big success. Shout out to Cindy who made a special guest appearance. Everyone wanted to have a great time with everyone else, and I'd say that mission was accomplished. That wraps up Philly Beer Week 2010 for El Presidente and the Ferment Nation. Stay tuned for more reviews and events coming your way soon. By the way, feel free to email us your Philly Beer Week stories and pictures if you'd like to make it into the blogosphere. Thanks Again!