2014 Untapped Dallas Lineup and Beers

Here we are again with another Untapped Festival in Dallas on the horizon, except this year it won’t be in the blistering September sun, but in the (slightly) cooler November atmosphere.  With the date pushed back, it also allowed the festival to be the official kick-off of the second annual North Texas Beer Week.  Top attention-grabbing musical headliners are Cake, Shovels and Rope, newly added Rogue Wave, and local band, The Polyphonic Spree.  But you’re not here for just the music.  You’re here for the 300+ beers from 80+ breweries.  Breweries from down the road, across state lines, and across oceans.

With the Great American Beer Festival wrapping up not too long ago, some of the breweries attending have some brand new hardware to show off to you and your taste buds.  The 2014 medal winning brews at Untapped this year include:

The Medal Winners:

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2004 – Alaskan Brewery Co., BRONZE – Smoke Beer
Quakertown Stout – Armadillo Ale Works, GOLD – Imperial Stout LOCAL
Grunion – Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, GOLD – American-Style Pale Ale
Ascension Coffee Porter – Community Beer Co., BRONZE – Coffee Beer LOCAL
Public Ale – Community Beer Co., GOLD – Extra Special Bitter LOCAL
Pivo Pils – Firestone Walker Brewing Co., GOLD – German-Style Pilsener
Porter – Founders Brewing Co., SILVER – Robust Porter
Sir Williams – Grapevine Craft Brewery, GOLD – English Style Brown Ale LOCAL
Le Freak – Green Flash Brewing Co., BRONZE – American-Belgo-Style Ale
Milk Stout – Left Hand Brewing Co., SILVER – Sweet/Cream Stout
London Homesick Ale – Oasis Texas Brewing Co., GOLD – Ordinary/Special Bitter
Narwhal – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., BRONZE – Imperial Stout
True Blonde - Ska Brewing Co., GOLD – English Style Summer Ale
Extra Pale Ale - Summit Brewing Co., BRONZE – Classic Einglish-Style Pale Ale

Unique and New

Brunch Money (Imperial Golden Stout) – Armadillo Ale Works LOCAL
When is a stout, not a stout?  I think we have our answer here.  While it contains the general roasty-ness of stout, Brunch Money is actually gold in color and blends flavors of coffee and malty sweetness, with a touch of maple syrup.

Grapefruit Sculpin IPA (Flavored IPA) – Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
What can make a beautifully well concocted IPA even better?  Apparently, Grapefruit.  The tart and fruity flavors of the fruit bring out the similar characteristics of the Amarillo, Centennial, and Warrior hops brewed with in the original Sculpin IPA

Kvasir (Ancient Nordic Ale) – Dogfish Head Brewery
Another in their lineup of ancient ales, Kvasir was created with the help of archaeologist, Dr. Patrick McGovern, and used a recipe determined from the remnants of a 3,500 year-old Danish drinking vessel.  These remnants included traces of wheat, lingonberries, cranberries, myrica gale, yarrow, honey, and birch syrup.

Bourbon County lineup (Barleywine, Stout, Coffee Stout) – Goose Island Beer Co.
These brews in the Bourbon County lineup are typically released on Black Friday (Novemeber 28th this year) and are usually gone relatively fast.  Get your early sip on these now and you might want to get there quickly.

Surprise TBA x2 – Jester King Brewery
Jester King has two surprise beers that they haven’t announced yet, but they will most likely not disappoint.  Their newest creations (and most likely options) are: Snorkel (Farmhouse Ale with Oyster Mushrooms and Sea Salt), Bier de Miel (Farmhouse Ale with Honey), Kollaborationsbier (Wild Ale brewed in collaboration with Live Oak Brewery), Fen Tao (Peach Sour Ale), or the re-release of Omniscience & Proselytism (Strawberry Sour Ale).

UPDATE: The Instagram account of beerpedaler suggests that the two surprise beers are Wytchmaker Rye IPA and the previously mentioned Kollaborationsbier.

DFW: A COllaboration of 2 Breweries (Belgian-Style Dubbel) –
Lakewood Brewing Co./Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. LOCAL
In honor of North Texas Beer Week, Lakewood and Rahr & Sons breweries decided to come together and make the first DFW collaboration beer.  Since Untapped is the kick-off for such week, this will be its debut.

Barrel-Aged Sour Cherry Old Chub – Oskar Blues Brewery
Can you get any more descriptors into one beer?  (Well, besides Martin House’s Kafkaesque …)  If you’re a fan of the original Scotch Ale, this is a must try to see how all of the flavors balance each other out.  Knowing Oskar Blues, I’m sure it will be good.

A LOST EPIC (Belgian Tripel) – Peticolas Brewing Co. LOCAL
Another beer brewed for North Texas Beer Week, Michael Peticolas has come up with yet another unique naming scheme.  This time, it’s an anagram of PETICOLAS.  If you ever visited their website in the earlier years, you would have noticed a Tripel on their lineup of beers, but it never saw the light of day.  Now it has its time to shine.

Sange y Miel (Sour Ale) – Revolver Brewing LOCAL
Spanish for “Blood and Honey,” this beer is one of the first forays of local beers into sour category.  (Lakewood also had their Lion’s Share II as a slightly tart Berliner Weiss)

XNTX Special Ale (Pale Ale) – Southern Tier Brewing Co.
Don’t be confused that they have the word “Southern” in their name, Southern Tier is actually up in the Yankee-land of New York.  Though they may not be from the South, they know the meaning of southern hospitality.  The XNTX Special Ale was brewed specifically for all of us down here to help celebrate North Texas Beer Week.

Texas Ale Project LOCAL
The Texas Ale Project is one of the next new breweries to open up in the DFW Area.  Formerly named Reunion Brewing Company, TAP will be located just across I-35 from the American Airlines Center, close to the Design District and Community Beer Co.  Look for their 50-Foot Jackrabbit IPA and Somethin’ Shady Porter at Untapped.

The doors open at 2:30 for VIP tickets and 3:30 for general admission on November 1st.  Don’t like beer, but want to listen to some great bands?  There is also a ticket option for concerts only.  Tickets are still available at all levels at: www.untapped-festival.com/dal.