AHA NHC 2007 - club night

[I could swear I had hit post on this last night, but apparently not]

I just got back to my hotel room from Club Night at the 2007 American Homebrewers Association National Conference. This is arguably the height of the event, where a lot of clubs (local clubs, mostly, in this case Colorado clubs) bring beer and food and try to wow us with beer and food and costumes and themes. This year's was pretty good; the space was a good size, many clubs put on a great show and ridiculous amounts of beer (the "Pissoir d'Or" award (a urinal painted and converted into a beer tap) will go to a club that brought 62 5-gallon kegs). Pictures later when I have a chance to pick out some good ones.

Here's what I tasted, with a few notes and quick good/bad indicators (+/-):

Liquid Poets - Belgian Pale Ale
ESB (East Sacremento Brewers) - Saison DuPontiac
High Plains Drafters - Heather Ale (-1, sour)
CMI (Cincinnati Malt Infusers) - Bourbon Barrel Brown
SNAFU (Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union) "Belgian Kolsch"
Brewnion Coffee Porter - +1, lots of coffee flavor
Urban Knaves of Grain - Mile High IPA - +1, tasty
Midnight Homebrewers League - Biere de Garde
Minnesota Homebrewrs - Rasberry Muscat Mead - I don't like meads much, but this was decent
BFD (Brew Free or Die) - Hopicidal Maniac - +1 fresh hop blast
ESB - Mandrake - +1 super-unusual, weird flavors
Black Canyon Brewers - PIA IPA
Foam On The Range - Vanilla Porter - -1 very astringent
Hop Barley and the Alers - Ginger Mon - -1 ginger, but not good
Arizona Society of Homebrewers - Double Wit
Randy Mosher (Urban Knaves of Grain) - Saison
Austin Zealots - Fred (barleywine) through a Randall
ESB - Old Hag - -1, not so tasty
Hop Barley and the Alers - double IPA - -1 too strong for this late