Getting Down to Business: The Best of Barntown Get Down 2024
It’s no surprise that Barntown Brewing’s “Get Down Festival of Fine Liquids” is one of the most anticipated beer festivals of the year when you look at the lineup.
Last weekend, Jack and I had the privilege to brave the boozy battlefield, our palates dancing around smoothie sours, boozy stouts, and an array of one off styles that our livers… well, let’s not talk about our livers. From grandeur to “is this the beer equivalent of a garage sale?”, the gauntlet was run, and we tried as many as we could in the alotted time.
We present to you the completely unsolicited, shamelessly biased, and utterly subjective “Barntown Get Down 24′ Best Of”! We’re about to crown the champions of hop, the masters of malt, and all those who pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible (in both good and, well, interesting ways)!
Best Beer: The top of the tops! The cream of the crop! This is the best beer we had all day!
Cody – I can’t really argue with Jack—PB&J Mixtape was a certified banger. But amidst all the incredible brews, one beer rose above the rest: Grisette – Citra (Blend 4) from Barrique Brewing and Blending in Nashville, TN. huge funk character dances with bright lemon and subtle acidity. What truly set it apart was its uniqueness in a sea of thicccccc stouts, super sweet smoothie sours, and heavily hopped NEIPAs.
Jack – For me, I have to go with “PB&J Mixtape” from Xul Beer Co. out of Knoxville, TN. Peanut Butter beers are my guilty pleasure, and to be totally honest, this was a beer I was excited about trying as soon as the lineup got announced. Sweet and tart strawberry, with a whollop of roasty, nutty, creamy peanut butter. This sour was balanced, full bodied, and delivered on the promise of a liquid PB&J! That is enough for me to put it at the top!
Best Non-Beer: Seltzer? Cider? Something else? This is the best beverage we had on the day that falls outside of the beer category!
Cody – This one is easy, Blood Mary Seltzer from Bearded Brewers Artisan Ales. They absolutely nailed this. Packed with so much flavor – pickle, garlic, spice, tomato juice – it was like a party in my mouth! Super refreshing in comparison to most of the beers offered at Get Down.
Jack – To be fair, the field for this category was pretty thin, but my selection stood out enough, that I believe it was notable even among the beers. My pick here was “DemiSmooj” from Mortalis Brewing Company out of Avon, NY, in collaboration with Smooj, a heavily fruited seltzer line created by HOMES Brewery out of Ann Arbor, MI. The result is a bananas foster inspired gluten free smoothie sour. Before you say anything, yes, it is technically a beer. But for the record, I got ZERO tartness from it, so it really felt like more of a smoothie seltzer, hence why I am bending the rules for my own benefit, and placing them here. I love all things banana, and this was like drinking a thick, creamy, banana milkshake, and I am all the way here for it. I’m not here to judge what counts as a beer or a seltzer, I just want to find things that taste good, and DemiSmooj is definitely that.
Biggest Surprise: What did we try that sounded kind of weird, but ended up being really good?
Cody – Big Grove Brewing (Iowa City, IA) White Sangria Sour might be the most slept on beer of this entire fest! Not your typical sour, drawing inspiration from the classic summer refreshment. Underneath the tangy base lies a party of citrus brought to fruition by Pinot Grigio grape must, and pith fruit. Pure summer vibes in a glass, this would be a go-to in the summer for me if readily available.
Jack – My choice here is going to be “Sweet Bitter Words”, a West Coast IPA brewed with Honey and Lavender from Branch and Blade Brewing out of Keene, NH, in collaboration with Start Line Brewing Company out of Hopkinton, MA. I am not a fan of lavender at all. I find it is super overpowering in beer and other drinks, and makes everything taste like your grandma’s perfume. In this case however, it was very subdued, and meant to compliment the hops and the floral honey, not be the star of the show. It added a really nice floral undertone to this beer, that I was very pleasantly surprised with
Most Unique Offering: This is the biggest boundary pusher of the fest. Who do we feel thought far outside the box, and did it well?
Cody – Look at this Smiggles Graph from Pontoon Brewing (Sandy Springs, GA) in collaboration with Bolero Snort (Carlstadt, NJ) threw me a massive curveball in the best way possible. This bad boy is a double dry-hopped New England IPA with massive juice character that leads the front, followed up by… Skittles and lactose? Yes you read that right. On first sip, pure mango heaven. Then BAM, the Skittles come through and add a surprisingly sweet backbone. Insanely good, and a must-try for anyone looking for a beer that breaks the mold of what IPA is and can be.
Jack – Barn Town knows how to throw a party, but they didn’t just host. They had some phenomenal beers available, and some unique takes that make you say, “Well I at least have to try that…”. That’s why my choice here is the Grape PBJ Sour they made just for the Get Down. But of course it doesn’t just stop there! They then aged it in whiskey barrels for 33 months. Let me say that again. 33 months. I honestly didn’t even know what to expect trying this one, but it was fantastic. The ABV wasn’t out of hand, coming in at 8%, and the whiskey wasn’t overwhelming either. It added a subtle warmth and toasty note in the background that paired really nicely with the sweetness of the peanut butter, and jammy grape. This one was so good that it was almost my favorite of the fest. Easily top 3!
Best Brewery Overall: There was plenty of fantastic bevvies, but who had the best total offering, one after another?
Cody – Talk about a home field advantage! This year’s most impressive spread easily goes to the event host, Barn Town Brewing from West Des Moines, IA. In a category packed with heavy hitters like Phase Three, North Park, and Mortalis, Barn Town pulled out all the stops. Their lineup easily catered to every enthusiast (even those who don’t like beer). We’re talking a 33-month aged PB&J Sour, a Hawaiian Punch-inspired sour that transported you to the beach, a massive double-barrel aged stout with hints of vanilla. Barn Town knew they had a high bar to set as the host, and they delivered a symphony of flavors that cemented their dominance.
Jack – This category was the hardest for me to choose. Barn Town is in the mix, along with Lua Brewing, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, and Narrow Gauge, but one just barely edged them out for the best. That is the one and only North Park Beer Company out of San Diego, CA. With what they lacked in quantity and variety, they made up for in quality. They brought two IPAs, one hazy, and one west coast. Both were phenomenal. The hazy TIPA they were pouring, “The Sea Reflects The Stars”, is one of the best, most balanced Triple IPA’s I have had. Not boozy in the slightest, not too sweet, with a really nice dry finish. Perfection. The west coast they brought, was after my dank IPA loving heart, and it goes by the name of “The Dankmobile”. Super clean, crisp, and light, with massive hop bitterness and dankness. Honestly, it is everything I want in a west coast IPA. These beers were both on point, and so good that I had to make North Park best brewery here.
Honorable Mentions: Who could we possibly not, in good conscience, leave off of this list?
Cody – First up, Eunoia Batch 16 from Phase Three Brewing. This one sounds like a mad scientist’s dream – and it tasted the same… a stout aged in apple brandy casks for ages! While I dislike all things apple brandy, this was absolutely killer. Imagine boozy fruit punch with a hint of oak – basically, a drink for folks torn between grandma’s pantry and the liquor cabinet.
Next, I have to go with The Sea Reflects the Stars from North Park Beer Company. This gloriously named hazy TIPA has huge tropical and juicy fruit character. One may possibly sit by the sea, reflecting the stars while sipping this magic elixir that is out-of-this-world good.
Look, at the end of the day there were tons of other incredible beers that deserve a shoutout. But hey, we’re all about efficiency here, right? If you have the chance to go, you need to do it.
Jack – I could easily write a whole separate article for honorable mentions, but I will try to keep it short and sweet here.
A fantastic pickle beer, probably one of the best I have had also came from Barn Town, called “Pickle Tickle”. I mean, come on, the name alone deserves praise. The beer is light, slightly salty, and gives big fresh dill and cucumber refreshment factor. Chef’s kiss.
One of the more unique, and delicious sours I had was from Dimensional Brewing out of Dubuque, IA. “Swig League Brew” is a bubblegum sour series they make, and I got to try the watermelon version. It was a super well balanced sour, and by golly does it actually taste like bubblegum. Add the watermelon on top of that, one of my favorite flavors, and you have yourself a winner. I would love to get my hands on some of the other versions they have made, specifically a grape flavor. Doesn’t that sound so good?
The last one I will mention here, just because it deserves a spotlight purely for the sake of creativity was an IPA from Pontoon Brewing out of Sandy Springs, GA. I didn’t even catch the name of it, since it was simply handed to me to try. All I heard was “dry hopped with Skittles”, and it was worth trying in my mind. It was subjectively a very good NEIPA, and you got just the slightest hint of skittles at the end. It wasn’t a gross color, it wasn’t super sweet or fruity. Just enough Skittle-ness to add a new twist to it. That stuff I always applaud, because beer is supposed to be fun, so let’s have fun!
Featured: Bearded Brewer Artisan Ale - Bloody Mary Seltzer
