Brewer's Bazaar

Boating and beer.  Summer match made in heaven.  We checked out the Brewer's Bazaar beer tasting event on Saturday in Stillwater.  It took place on the Avalon which is the biggest boat in Stillwater's riverboat fleet.  That was a fun setting.  You had the option of hanging out on three floors with the third floor being the outdoor top deck.  The event was put on by the local Rotary Club and the proceeds benefited polio prevention.  In addition to beer, our ticket price also included a tasting glass, lanyard to hold the glass, pretzel, and a brat.  Some of the top breweries in the state were there - Summit and Surly.  There were also a bunch of smaller breweries from Minnesota and Wisconsin.  A lot of breweries were featuring their summer beers - hefeweisens, blondes, pilsners, and fruit infused ales.  Honestly my favorite beers of the day were from Stillwater H20 which is the Stillwater home brewers association.  They had an epic apricot beer and a jalapeno beer.  The jalapeno beer packed a serious spicy punch!  I liked it because they just really went for it and make the jalapeno flavor quite strong.  The ship didn't leave the dock, but it was still fun to be on the water, check out the bridge construction, and have a reason to hang in Stillwater.  Apparently this was the ninth annual event and based on the number of people there, it was successful.  Despite the number of people, everyone was pretty spread out so I never felt like it was too packed.  It was a fun afternoon, but I think if you are looking for a better representation of the greater craft beer scene, probably the Beer Dabbler would be your best bet for a tasting event.