Yesterday Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, California held its second small beer festival, this one all barrel-aged beers. The first, on Sunday, was sour beers and I would have loved to have been at that one, but couldn’t miss the Lagunitas Beer Circus (and once I finish posting all the photos and videos from that beer circus, you’ll understand why, too). Happily, Triple Rock did have a few sour beers left over from Sunday, and I sampled as many as I could, in additional to the many barrels they had available. It was a great event, as I love small festivals that focus on one type of beer, allowing you to really taste the range within that category, be it a style or what have you. There can’t be too many niche festivals to my way of thinking. It’s the difference between a stadium concert (beer festival) and a show in an intimate club (niche festival). Which would you rather attend? Both have their place, but I almost always prefer the small affair.

Rodger Davis, brewmaster at Triple Rock, up on the rooftop patio with an assortment bottled barrel-aged beers.

Tom Dalldorf, Celebrator Beer News publisher, did attend the sour tasting on Sunday, and was kind enough to share a few snapshots.

Sunday at Triple Rock, tasting sour beers.

Pete Slosberg and Justin Crossley having a friendly sour discussion. Justin runs The Brewing Network, and did a great report about the opening events of SF Beer Week that includes a podcast of my opening toast at Anchor Brewer and an interview with me and Vic Krajl of The Bistro.