Hundreds Flock To Bridgeport For Mash Tun Fest
By Rob Winn in Arts & Entertainment on May 21, 2012 2:10PM
The Mash Tun beer festival went off without a hitch Saturday, leaving beer aficionados and afternoon drinkers satisfied.
Held at the loading dock of the Bridgeport Art Center, Mash Tun featured enough craft beer to satisfy even the thirstiest beer snob. The heavy hitters were there, including Great Lakes, Three Floyds and Half Acre, but only a few rolled out new brews. Firestone Walker's Wookey Jack was a nice surprise and Founders Old Curmudgeon had a strong, oak flavor. Along with a few specialty lines the big boys brought their flagship beers as well, Half Acre Daisy Cutter and Three Floyd Zombie Dust, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and 5 Rabbit 5 Vulture were all available.
While the larger brewers didn't disappoint, a few smaller outfits had a strong showing as well. Fuzzy Line Beer Co. particularly stood out with their IPA and Imperial Oat Mild lines. Overall, the beer was good, the lines weren't long and only the most popular beers ran out. Mash Tun is a nice alternative to the popular Beer Hoptacular event held every year at the Aragon Ballroom. While there are fewer brewers at Mash Tun, it was nice to have such a strong Midwest focus.