This past weekend I attended the 3rd annual Oktoberfest des Acadiens in Northern New Brunswick. It was my first time at the event but certainly not my last.
The event had something for everyone. There were beer tastings by the ticket on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 6pm with tickets going for one dollar for each 2 oz sample. There were over 70 different beers from around the world to sample including offerings from Belgium, Germany, Holland, England, the U.S., Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, France, Ireland, Austria and Japan. Several Atlantic breweries had at least one beer on hand including Picaroons, Pump House, Gahan, Moosehead, Garrison, Propeller and Acadie-Broue with its Kiebitz Coti (Berliner Weisse) on tap. I took advantage of having a steady supply of Acadie-Broue on hand and used about 10 of my 40 or so tickets on this brew. I’d also like to single out Sean Dunbar and Picaroons crew for not only sending beer but attending. This continues their long standing tradition of supporting local events throughout New Brunswick.
I took the opportunity to sample several international beers that I have rarely or have never tried. As it wasn’t a giant open bar type of event, and was spread over 5 hours on two separate days, it was a very relaxed event. It was also the first time I’ve had my kids around me at a beer tasting which was strange but also great. With bouncy castles, a clown and face painting they also had a blast at the event.
I made a return trip to the local Beer Museum over the weekend which has over 2,500 bottles on display. I still can’t believe that none of the bottles have been opened and the man behind most of the collection is not a beer drinker (I guess that is the only logical way to explain why the bottles weren’t opened).
Without a doubt the highlight of the weekend for me was a Beer and Desserts seminar put on by Patrice Godin of Acadie-Broue. Fifteen dollars doesn’t get you much in life but at this event it gets you the chance to sample seven excellent beers and six excellent desserts / cheeses during an hour and a half session. The pairings were outstanding and in some cases included 2 very different styles of beer per dessert or different cheeses to sample with the same beer to show how each changed the taste of the other. As Patrice mentioned he might do something similar in the Moncton area in the future I won’t share specific beers but will mention there was a mix of Belgium beers, porters, stouts and a wheat beer and several outstanding desserts.
Here’s a link to some pics on the event’s Facebook page. Hope to see some of you there in 2013!
