Gird thy liver! You must be this tall to enjoy this ride. Lace up your best pair of drinking shoes and tie them tight. You will need a belt and suspenders for this one. Amateurs need not apply. Keep you hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. This is no place for children.
It’s time to drink some serious beer. Very serious beer. Two of the year’s most-anticipated events approach: Barleywine Bachhanal and Hard Liver Barleywine Festival. Both events are celebrating their 10th year.
Barleywine Bachhanal
bacchanal (n) – a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity.
Each year the Beveridge Place Pub (blog sponsor) assembles an outrageous array of the most bodacious brews available. This year Barleywine Bachhanal runs from Saturday, February 25 through Saturday, March 3. Barleywine Bachhanal features 24 taps dedicated to “The biggest, boldest brews born between Bellingham and Boulder (and elsewhere, too)!”
At the Barleywine Bachhanal, sample-sized glasses are served on trays in sets of six, allowing you to enjoy the widest possible selection of Barleywine before the foggy veil of intoxication envelopes your skull. If there is one beer in particular that you like, you are welcome to order it by the glass.
In addition to Barleywine, the Beveridge Place Pub maintains its selection of “house regulars.” You will still be able to get Lucille IPA, Immersion Amber, Freya’s Gold Kolsch, and the rest of the stuff on the Bev’s regular, non-rotating list.
Among the barleywines pouring at the Barleywine Bachhanal this year:
Alaskan Barleywine ‘08, ’09, ‘10
Anacortes Old Sebastes ’08, ’09, ‘10
Anchor Old Foghorn ‘11
Anderson Valley ’11
Avery Hog Heaven ’11
Beer Valley ’11
Big Al ’10, ‘11
Big Sky Old Blue Hair ’11
Black Raven Old Birdbrain ’11
Boulder Killer Penguin ’09, ‘11
Boundary Bay Old Bounder ’10
Deschutes Mirror Mirror ’09
Diamond Knot Icebreaker ’10
Dick’s Barleywine ’11
Elliott Bay Old Portside ’09
Elysian Cyclops ’11
Firestone Walker Abacus ‘11
Fish 10 Squared ’11
Fremont Barleywine ’11
Full Sail Old Boardhead ’08
Full Sail Old Boilermaker ‘09
Great Divide Old Ruffian ’10, ’11
Hale’s Rudyard’s Rare ‘11
Hopworks Urban Brewery Noggin Floggin ’09, ‘11
Hood Canal Breidablik ‘10
Left Hand Oak Aged Widdershins ’10
Mad River John Barleycorn ’07
North Coast Old Stock ’10, ‘11
Pike Old Bawdy ’08, ’09, ’10, ‘11
Port Townsend ’10
Scuttlebutt Old #1 ’09
Seven Seas Wheelchair ’11
Sierra Nevada Black Barleywine ’10
Snipes Mountain Roza ’10
Speakeasy Old Godfather ’09
Stone Old Guardian ’08, ’09, ‘10
Wingman Barleywing ‘11
Hard Liver X
Not to be outdone, Brouwer’s Cafe in Fremont hosts Hard Liver X on Saturday, March 3rd. The beers go on tap when the doors open on Saturday and pour until they’re gone. Likely, a line will form outside the door a couple hours before opening time. Expect the Angel’s Share from Lost Abbey Brewing, along with some of the other premium selections, to disappear quickly.
Hard Liver X features a number of outstanding beers. The list includes:
Alaskan Big Nugget ’09 and ’10
Anacortes
Anchor Old Foghorn ’10
Big Sky Old Blue Hair’11
Deschutes Mirror Mirror ’09 and ’10
Dogfish Head Old School
Emelisse Jack Daniels Barrel Aged
Firestone Walker(beer formerly know as Abucus) ’11
Great Divide Old Ruffian ’10
Lagunitas too many years to list -we will pick one or two for the festival
Lost Abbey Angel’s Share
Pike Old Bawdy ’11
Rogue Old Crustacean’11
Speakeasy Old Godfather’09
Stone Old Guardian (too many years to list; they will pick one or two for the festival)