Blue 5’s Annual Christmas In July – This Friday!
Still deeply entrenched in my memory is a beer I had ten months ago, almost to the day. Ten months. Now, I’m not one to say that I usually favor one ‘style’ of beer over another. And of course, I can appreciate any well crafted beer, and I enjoy a big stout as much as the next person. But generally speaking, when I take a look what’s in the fridge most of the time, it’s pretty clear I’m mostly about IPAs, or lately, maybe sours. But give me a couple minutes and I’ll tell you just how mind blowing that beer was that I had ten months ago. And it was – most definitely – a stout.
Which is not too surprising, really. Big, rich, boisterous stouts often hold the ability to linger on the palate and therefore in the memory, which is probably why Blue 5’s “Christmas In July” summer celebration of all things stout (and other dark beer) is arguably the downtown restaurant’s most popular event throughout the year. As in past years, on tap will be several stouts, porters, or even holiday seasonal beers. Just a few of the beers scheduled to make an appearance this time around will be Hardywood Park’s Gingerbread Stout, Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout, and Foothills’ Sexual Chocolate. Also available will be one of my own personal favorites, Ballast Point’s Sea Monster Imperial Stout.
A few of the beers that will be available have been put away for some time, as bigger stouts often age wonderfully. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page for example, the Rogue Double Chocolate is from 2013, which brings me back to that particular beer from months ago. It was a year old Bell’s Expedition Stout, which provided me with one of the best tasting experiences I’ve had to date – and easily one of the most memorable.
The event starts at 5:30 this Friday, July the 17th.
The Beer Road 