Please welcome Andy MacWilliams back to the site!
The beer list for the 2024 Snallygaster festival is set! Well, mostly. As was reported here on DC Beer, supply chain issues have been a bear for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group team to tackle. Nevertheless, the roster of beers impresses. Much will be made on Untappd and elsewhere about what beers are absolute must-haves and that list is certainly long. A deeper look at the list of available brews reveals a number of sleeper beers that are likely to impress without the hype (or the lines).
Knoblach was set to be a new brewer for the festival, but also new to the DC market and it’s a shame those gravity kegs won’t be available. Thankfully, Notch will be honoring tradition with German Afternoons. Be sure to thank the zappe pouring from the stichfass. Speaking of tradition… the terms “single decoction” and “Saaz hops” are music to an enlightened beer nerd’s ears. Sedlec 12° from Human Robot could very well be a go to thirst quencher on a hot and sunny day. Human Robot is a bit overlooked in the mid-Atlantic, but their portfolio is deep with well executed continental styles. And while were talking about lagers, when was the last time Heater Allen beer made it this far east? My first experience with Heater Allen was a farmer’s market in McMinnville, Oregon in 2010 and even then, they were nailing styles. They were one of the first to restart the modern lager movement long before “crispi” entered the lexicon.
The two marquee Belgian lambic producers are back again this year and suggesting you get in line for Cantillon or 3 Fontenein is like advocating you draft Christian McCaffrey first overall in your fantasy league. It’s a no-brainer [ed: and how did that work out?]. Quietly though, a different lambic producer wowed drinkers last year. Tilquin brought a pair of unique blends in 2023 and they’re back at it this year. Both Cuvees at the Tilquin booth this year feature heavy percentages of 3 year lambic, which is oftentimes where you get a lot of the leathery, horsey character funk fans enjoy so much. While we’re at it, I may need to do a stone fruit lambic horizontal: 3F Prium Mirabelle (plum), De Cam Nectarine, Tilquin Peach Jaune, and Cantillon Fou Foune (apricot). Maybe I’ll throw in a De Garde gin barrel-aged The Stone (peach & nectarine) just for kicks.
I wrote last year about having my eye on the apricot brandy aged Resurgam coming to the Allagash booth and it did not disappoint. Allagash never gets enough love from the public despite decades of innovation and success. At no point during the festival did they ever have a line. This year, they are bringing another new beer in The Cellars #9, a blend of barrel aged saisons with paw paw fruit added. Their blending program is as good as it gets in the US. Don’t skip this. Don’t overlook some of the OG producers, even from outside the US. Ridgeway arrives at the festival this year, despite the documented decline of imports in the DC market. Their Foreign Export Stout is a great example of the style, but their other offering has my eye. Lock Keeper’s Ale, a best bitter, is a brand new beer for a portfolio that has not changed much over the years. The Bligdegarian from Brasserie de Blaugies is another nice get by the NRG crew. Don’t confuse this with the standard version of the beer, this 2023 vintage being poured is the only one they’ve brewed with coffee. De Ranke also has a new bottling for this side of the Atlantic with their Grapevine Trebbiano d’Abbruzzo. This has been spotted at a few European festivals but I don’t believe it’s made it to US soil yet. Belgium goes Italian? Don’t be too surprised, Italian beer and ingredients are having a moment right now. It has also been many years since I had anything from Norway’s Nøgne Ø (pronounced “nug nuh.” Known back in the day for extreme and high ABV stouts, they are bringing cider to Snally instead. But not just any cider. This version is made from Normand apples, spontaneously fermented and created in honor of Jerome Dupont, a giant in the cider world who passed away too soon.
When our friends at Lost Generation opened their doors nearly two years back, DC didn’t realize how much they loved dark lager. Grave Shift changed all that. And so, with dark lager on the brain, there are a number of offerings on this year’s Snallygaster list that I’ll be seeking out. My boys at Schilling do all things lager well and I have it on good authority that Viktov 9°, a collaboration with Cohesion from Denver, slaps. This is an intentionally toned down Tmave, just 3.5% ABV and hopped exclusively with Czech Saaz. Soul Mega is also coming with their black lager, brewed with African Queen hops, which are picking up popularity. Collaboration is the name of the game on the dark(er) lager front. Good Word teamed up with Resident Culture to bring us Bury Me In the Sky, a 4.4% polotmavy (or amber lager). With four offerings on deck, Good Word is a booth to spend a minute at.
Enough of these hipster beers you say? Fine, I’ll pay the bills and make the people happy. It’s time to talk about hops. Bissell Brothers is well known in New England and I am stoked to see a special version of their flagship Substance make an appearance. Vic Secret has been my favorite hop for many years, but is losing some popularity, so a double dry hopped Vic Secret version from one of my favorite Maine spots is likely going in my glass more than once. CLAG is a new one for me, but the Sandusky, Ohio haze factory has been gaining momentum. 20 Pho 7 (great name) will be a must-hit for me. If I like it, maybe I’ll make the run out to Ohio in 2025 to snag some CLAG pulp and celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of my favorite motion pictures. Finback recently rebrewed Spaced in Time after a four year hiatus. This Queens spot often runs under the radar and I’m betting they brought this back because it works. Not too far from Finback on the South Shore of Long Island is one of my top 5 US brewers. Root + Branch has two hazies on draft for us, and many will be attracted to the Nelson Spectacle, but don’t skip the Life & Fate XXX. This is a fresh hopped beer with Cascade and Simcoe from this year’s hop harvest. It’s just hitting cans in the New York market and is stunning people.
Many moons ago, some of the most sought after beer in the world was only available in a gold foil-covered 22oz bottle at the Warren General Store in Vermont. Every Wednesday morning, a van would pull up and unload a few cases while beer seekers waited patiently sipping their organic coffee and eating house-made muffins for those bottles to hit the shelves. Then they’d be gone. Occasionally, this crowd would also include my mother (love you, mom) who lived just up the valley and would indulge me in heading down the mountain to get the newest Lawson’s Finest Liquids drop. Triple Play was a beer that eluded me for years. A classic combination of Citra, Simcoe and Centennial hops and I must have this beer.
But in the name of Bacchus and Saint Boniface, you cannot go to Snallygaster and not hit the unusual stuff. A number of collaborations for Churchkey’s 15th anniversary have popped up on the list and I’ll be seeking them out. The Veil will be pouring CKXV, a double barrel aged stout with vanilla. Confused on what a Munichwine is? Me too and this festival has TWO! Apparently, it’s a lot like a barleywine brewed with toasty Munich malts. I’m in on Holy Mountain’s Crystal Sphere Messenger, which spent over a year in bourbon barrels. Staying true to their keeping things weird roots, Old Town Brewing out of Portland OR is coming to the festival with… cider? Rum Barrel Wolf Creek Reserve is a blend of apples, aged in a barrel and clocks in at 10.5%. Ology has decided no one is driving home from the fest (seriously though people, take the damn metro) with four offerings over 13% ABV. Of the four, Rye Barrel Aged Oreo Imperial Stout sounds like something I need in my life. Lastly, if you haven’t heard of Barreled Souls out of Saco ME, you’re not alone. They churn out a bunch of unique beers in relative anonymity. I believe the 2024 version of Bombs over Barley will be poured for the first time anywhere at Snallygaster. I had their Dickel’s Cabin in August while there (also barleywine aged in 15 year Dickel barrels) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Both their offerings are worth checking out.
Look, you don’t need the great folks at DC Beer to tell you to go stand in line for Cantillon. Or Fidens. Or Track. Or 3 Sons. You were going to do that anyway. I will be. But maybe, just maybe, while you’re waiting in one of the giant lines you can send a drinking buddy or your date to fill up your glass with one of these sleepers. I’ll see you there.
