Dunedin IPA Fest 2012

My drooling usually stops once I reach Dunedin Brewery.  Not only do I love their beer but (as well documented), I crave their fish tacos like a rat craves cheese.  This being the case, when the opportunity came to represent Boulder Beer's Mojo IPA and Mojo Risin' Double IPA at their IPA Festival, I jumped at the chance.

A shipping snafu kept us from having a brew that I was very excited to have at this festival:  a one-off Cranberry Apricot Mojo IPA that Mr. Jeff Brown had offered as a special brew specifically for this event.  As it turns out, as a consumer, this may not have been a bad thing because Dunedin Brewery had set up a list of IPAs the likes of which I had never seen.  Additionally, the mess-up will allow them to place the one-off at a later date when I can enjoy a pint without having to chose between 50 other IPAs that I will probably never see again.  Life is tough.


So as I have bragged and bragged about the amazing and irresistible fish tacos at Dunedin Brewery, the crew was getting hungrier and hungrier as the seconds ticked down.  Add to this, I had not eaten because I knew we would eventually sitting on four legs and a pad with corn, cabbage, and swimmers in front of us.

Orlando and Tampa traffic took care of that and knocked us an hour off of our anticipated arrival.  Kitchen closed.  NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  Heartbreak.

However, we DID get early entrance into the event.  This was a good thing, as the event ended up being packed and the lines were unwavering.  And why not?  In addition to several variations of IPAs that Dunedin Brewery themselves whipped up, many other breweries offered up special one-offs for the event and the homebrewers association attended with many of their own.  

A basic list included the following:

Dunedin Brewery - IPA Chronicle 5: American Classic
Dunedin Brewery - The Rock Double IPA
Dunedin Brewery / Fort George Brewery - Vortex on the Bay
Dunedin Brewery - Black Cherry Double IPA
Dunedin Brewery - The Rock Down Under
Dunedin Brewery - HopNOM
Dunedin Brewery - Cask: The Rock
Dunedin Brewery - Cask: Nelson Sauvin IPA
Fort George Brewery - Vortex IPA
Stone - India Pale Ale
Stone -Ruination IPA
Stone - Double Dry-Hopped Sublimely Self-Rightous Ale (Simcoe)
Terrapin - Hopsecutioner IPA
Terrapin - Easy Rider
Terrapin - Side Project 16: Phlux Capacitor
Cigar City - Jai Alai IPA
Cigar City - Humidor IPA
Cigar City - Peach IPA
Swamphead - Big Nose IPA
Swamphead - Darkwater
Swamphead - 10-10-10 Imperial IPA
Seventh Sun - Oak-Aged Spring Overhead
Seventh Sun - Tangled up in Galaxy
Boulder Beer Company - Mojo IPA
Boulder Beer Company - Cranberry-Apricot Mojo IPA
Boulder Beer Company - Mojo Risin' DIPA
Bells - Two-Hearted
Green Room - Head High IPA
Tampa Bay Brewing Company - Old Elephant Foot IPA

A major winner here was the addition of the Vortex IPA, which was a collaboration between Fort George Brewery and the guys as Dunedin Brewery.  To make the idea even more spectacular, they not only had the beer from Fort George Brewing themselves, but they had the guys from Fort George come to brewery and brew the same recipe on site.  This way, you get to experience the subtle differences between the two.  Great idea and the brew was pretty awesome.  This was just the tip of the iceberg of the IPAs offered and I am extremely grateful that they allowed me to take part in it.

I attend dozens and dozens of festivals every year, and this one is one of my favorite.  Dunedin Brewery does it right.  Next year cannot come soon enough.  Cheers!