The Sun WineFest '09

Thanks to Michelle down at Mohegan Sun, I was able to get a couple passes to the 2009 Sun WineFest this past weekend. I attended the WineFest last year, but was excited to see what new brewers and distributors would be attending in 2009. The passes got us into the event before the public start time, so we were able to get a good fill of beers and wines with almost no wait. The wine, beer and food were all awesome, but the only thing missing from last year was the liquor distributors! Although I'm not 100% sure why they weren't there, I am pretty sure it's because it got very sloppy towards the later hours last year. I vaguely recall girls being carried out by friends and significant others (so you'd like to think at least).

Even though I was looking forward to tasting some whiskies, there were plenty of distributors and beers to keep us satisfied. There was a range of beers available, from craft brewers like Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, and Cisco, to more macro beers like Heineken, Anheuser-Busch and Diageo beers (Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks). One distributor had a great selection of craft and Belgian beers, so when we went in early on Sunday morning I made a point to go talk with him. After going through a few saisons, he poured out some of La Goudale, a French saison brewed by Les Brasseurs de Gayant. I'll be keeping an eye out for this beer in the local stores.

One of the highlights of the festival was Brooklyn's Local 2, which won't be coming out until March 2009. The Local 2 tastes similar to the Local 1 because I believe it is brewed with the same hops as the Local 1 (can't remember what the guy said specifically). Since the Local 2 is an Abbey Ale it is quite a bit darker than the Local 1. If you enjoy the Local 1 I would definitely try the Local 2 when it comes out in March.

The good thing about the Sun WineFest is that when you are done with the beer and wine, you got the whole casino to keep you going for the night. My second year in attendance was a blast, I'll be back next year for sure.