Wednesday was more judging, as you know. There's very little to tell about it, I met again some interesting new people, and we kept it all very courteous. But during the afternoon session, we witnessed the start of some excitement running through the crowd, anticipating on the evening, that bore the promise of serious firework, and the first appearances of non-judging faces only bore witness to a big event coming up (especially if press appears. If you see the people from the inkcartridges crawling from under the woodwork, you can tell for sure, there's going to be had something for free…)

As it is, Stone Brewing, having moved from San Marcos to Escondido, had taken it upon themselves to invite about everyone they could think of in liaison with the Conference, for an enormous reception + BBQ. Word of mouth had it, that they expected 1400 invitees… A staggering figure, until one saw the actual premises. Having visited New Belgium in Ft. Collins, it's hard to shock me, but they came near. Basically what they did, is buy a hill in the desert, and then start digging. Not only for the foundations of a (seriously big) brewery, but also for a restaurant, patio, and last but not least, a simply stunning green garden, with waterparties as ponds and running rivulets. I mean, in the midst of the desert, capice?

The whole is fully integrated, without real divisions - even the brewery is only separated from the restaurant by a huge glass wall. An equally abashed visitor told me that the back of the toilets had exactly the same kind of polished marbleslabs, that she had used on the floor of their bedroom… And I felt something like a Judas when I asked one of my companions, a likeable female Belgian brewer, inheritor of a long-established familybrewery, what she thought when realising that these people started exactly 12 years ago… And then she's one of the few that did invest seriously, even in a visitors' centre (a rarity still in Belgium). Jan Suran agreed, nothing like that on the old Continent, be it East or West. BTW, visitors' centre… they were holding sales there - everything could be had at workforce prices. Our friends the Dutchmen dived, but I must concede I didn't hold back neither. I bought myself a winter jacket for a price that even for US-norms was low. Imagine what it meant to me, after conversion to the all-powerful Euro….

There were more babblers: Cornelia and Ray had arrived, as announced. I found them whilst waiting in the long lines for the BBQ, which, despite being really plentiful, I hesitated to join often, because it just took so long. OK, I had to do the same for the beers, but then, one has to do ones' duty, no? Amongst the things to be remembered: Stone pale ale, hopped with Hallertau, from the cask, a porter with vanilla beans (interesting, if not really my favourite), and at the end of the evening, thé discovery: Vertical Epic '07 aged on red wine barrels. Phenomenally good - and I can only urge Belgian (and other) brewers to please start up with barrel-aging for real. It really is surplus value. Unfortunately, that keg didn't last long. Oh, and don't think that we had only Stone beers to choose from. Good fellowship, like amongst Californian brewers, is another thing Belgian brewers ought to look into, IMO!

The whole thing had a good-natured call, good-fellows-all-together; maybe most clearly pictured when Tom Dallendorf of Celebrator fame, took up his guitar and started Countryandwesterning. Or I suppose that's how it is called. It seems pretty energetic, and dangerous for high blood pressure. Tom is a special character, he's the only editor that features as much as Ben Vinken in his own magazine, but that's as far as any comparison between the two goes… I think I'll settle for the Country & Westernman. This whole picture was somewhat tarnished by the US rules applied to their craziest… everybody having to ID upon entering, getting handcuffed as a stray dog, sorry, vagrant, and two young ladies all the time on the lookout for the nogooder that exited the wrong door, still in possession of a glass containing some beverage. If it had been an Uzi, they probably wouldn't have noticed…

Finally the buses started heading citywards, and we boarded again. Not to be idle, as in the mean time, the organizers, with the help of the Californian brewers associations (plural) had hired a pavilion at the Town & Country, where a wall covered one hundred vats, just the taps protruding. Yes, you've read correctly, 100 exactly. All different beers, of course - and maybe it was no real surprise the one Alaskan beer had disappeared after a couple of hours. Which still left some pretty amazing ones - as two from right over the border. No, I don't mean Oregon, I mean the Revolutionary Republic of Mexico. Or some Tomme Arthur, Vinnie Cilurzo or other crazy beers… Kept me awake for some time more; as it meant some seriously queuing again.

Joris

1 May 2008

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