The Ho Ho Ho Slapdown Winner Is…
On Saturday, Dry Dock Brewing Co. held their 3rd annual Ho Ho Ho Slapdown, an in-house brewing contest. Each brewer entered a special brew and popular vote decided the winner.
Here were the entries:
Ashleigh – Lady Penrhyn (Imperial Brown aged in Stranahans Barrels) 8.2%, 32 IBU
Bill – Stricke Alt (Imperial Alt) 8.3%, 55 IBU
Brett – Ambiguation Black Ale (Belgian Black IPA) 6.4%, 65 IBU
Doug – Shotgun Stout (Russian Imperial Stout aged in Stranahans Barrels) 10%, 50 IBU
The results:
4th Place (and winner of the Cherry Vixen Award) – Brett Williams’ Ambiguation Black Ale
Similar to the ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ award during the NFL Draft, the Cherry Vixen Award has been issued to the last place finisher since it’s inception at the inaugural Ho Ho Ho Slapdown 2 years ago. That year, owner Kevin DeLange submitted ‘Vixen’s Cherry Ale’ which ended up finishing last. In Brett’s defense, he is Dry Dock’s newest brewer and this was a very bold beer. A Belgian black ale with an enormous amount of hops (it tasted much hoppier than it’s 65 IBUs would suggest) may not appeal to everyone’s palate – but I loved it.
3rd Place – Ashleigh Carter’s Lady Penrhyn
Despite earning the votes of all of the women as she is the only female brewer (at least as accused by owner Kevin DeLange), Ashleigh’s Imperial Brown Ale finished 3rd. There really wasn’t a bad beer among the four entries, as I liked this beer as well – and I typically don’t like browns. The whiskey was very subtle in this brew, while the oak was more prominent.
2nd Place – Doug Hyndman’s Shotgun Stout
This was my favorite beer of the four, but that also has a lot to do with my taste. I love a good bourbon barrel aged stout. Apparently a lot of people agreed with me, as Kevin had to recount the top two finishers before announcing the winner to make sure they had it right.
1st Place – Bill Eye’s Stricke Altbier
Crisp, refreshing, and a winner. Congrats (again) Bill! This is Bill’s 2nd win in the event’s 3 year history. As the winner of the Ho Ho Ho Slapdown, Bill’s beer will be bottled and distributed locally in the coming weeks so keep an eye out.
On a sad note, it would appear this is Bill Eye’s last Ho Ho Ho Slapdown as he will be leaving Dry Dock in a few months to begin work at his new brewery, Prost Brewing. So before he leaves make sure to head over and congratulate him. While you’re there go ahead and sample the 4 contenders and, while your vote may not count, let us know what your favorite is.
Here are the rest of my shots from the party:
Tags: Ambiguation Black Ale, Ashleigh Carter, Belgian Black IPA, Bill Eye, Brett Williams, brewing contest, Cherry Vixen Award, Doug Hyndman, Dry Dock, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Ho Ho Ho Slapdown, Ho Ho Slapdown, Kevin DeLange, Lady Penrhyn, Prost, Prost Brewing, Shotgun Stout, Stranahans barrels, Stricke Alt, Stricke Altbier
Monday, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:05 pm by Sean Buchan
Beer, Events