A Microfestivus Victory – Latest Festival Update
In case you’re one of the people who have already bought their Microfestivus ticket online at the pre-event reduced rate, congratulations, you’ll be happy to know that your ticket value has just increased. The latest brewery added to the event this year is well respected and nationally known Victory Brewing of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. This is, of course, good news for anyone attending the event. Because either way, Victory is known for churning out a multitude of very good beers, which means anyone holding a tasting glass in Elmwood Park August 14th and makes it by Victory’s booth is coming out on top. In addition, Victory’s appearance may also make Microfestivus history. As far as I can remember, Victory has never been represented at Microfestivus, and the official site of Roanoke’s area beer festival does not name it in the list of previous breweries to attend.
Featured beers from Victory may include their big flavored American IPA, HopDevil, as well as their Storm King Stout. A third, a seasonal brew, will most likely be their Witbier, Whirlwind. If you’re planning your tastings at Microfestivus, I’d recommend leaving a beer like HopDevil towards the end. It isn’t that the huge hop flavors in this type of IPA are not worthy of trying. But for those just getting into more hopped up beers, this may be a solid gauge of how far your tastes have come. For those already self acclaimed hopheads, this one, as you may already know, will remind you of just why you love the beers you do. Because within this beer are more of the sharper edged, coarser, and what’s often described as spicier hop flavors than many IPAs. Todd Alstrom, Co-Founder of beeradvocate.com, writes HopDevil “…is an absolute hop assualt on the palate…A spicy, stinging and salty plethora of citric nuances literally overwhelm the senses…”
As for Storm King, those who may have only tasted Guinness will want to take a sip of this, and not because one is necessarily “better” than the other. Again, I’m talking to the “beer curious” – those of you interested in getting into better beer, perhaps unsure of what’s out there and what to try. Chances are darn good you’ve had a Guinness – maybe you enjoy one from time to time because you simply enjoy it, maybe it’s only been the one time when you smartly steered clear of the green colored stuff and had one for your friend’s St. Patrick’s Day party. Either way, you knew you were drinking a “stout”, but did you know there is more than one kind of stout? Ah! There are at least three to four officially recognized types of stouts, and the Storm King, according to beeradvocate.com, is an Imperial Stout, or Russian Imperial Stout. Either way, I have been a fan of Storm King for some time now, and these kinds of beers can be complex, with deeply roasted and chocolate like, or cocoa like flavors, combined with some of the “dark fruit” like flavors that I personally care for in darker beers.
So if you’re familiar with Victory beers and going to Microfestivus, I’m sure you’ll make your way by their booth, I definitely will. In case you’re not, this is another great benefit of beer festivals – a chance not only to taste good beer, but to introduce yourself to fine breweries such as Victory. The brewery has a faithful, devoted following, and not without good reason. And if you do find the two or three beers at the festival good and flavorful, you’re in luck afterwards as well – Victory can be fairly easy to find in stores. Roanoke’s Wine Gourmet on Franklin Road stocks several of the brewery’s beers – I recall seeing HopDevil, Storm King, and their Whirlwind as well as many others (don’t miss their Prima Pils Pilsner!). So put that ticket away somewhere safe – the festival is in just over two weeks, and you definitely do not want to miss out on this world class bargain.
The Beer Road 