The Great American Beer Festival really is one of Colorado’s marquee events. Thousands of beer fans jam the Colorado Conventions Center to sample the best beer this country has to offer. I attended the Thursday night session and I (again) found myself amazed by this truly singular event.  

Strange Brews

One of best parts of attending the Great American Beer Festival is the abundance of beers . But if you look around long enough, you’ll spot some truly bizarre beers. It seems like every year, the brewers get more and more creative with their concoctions. Here’s a few:  

“Oak Aged Rye Squared” Terrapin Beer Company , Athens, Ga.

I have to admit, I found my way to this brewery because it’s in the same town as my beloved alma mater. The brew is a pale ale made with rye. However, the brewmaster doubled the amount of rye and aged the concoction in an oak barrel. The result is an extremely smooth beer with a nice vanilla flavor and little aftertaste. I’m calling it the hidden gem of the festival.  

“Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale” Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company , Kiln, Miss.

Now, Brett Favre has competition for the best export from the small town of Kiln. I’m not normally a fan of brown ales, but these guys blended in a light pecan flavor that fills out the beer nicely. There are other nut brown ales out there, but this one became my favorite instantly.  

“Orange Blossom” Papago Brewing Company , Scottsdale, Ariz.

The beer tastes exactly like an orange creamsicle, except it makes you feel a lot better. Maybe I don’t know enough about brewing, but I can’t figure out how you can make a beer that replicates that kind of flavor. Even so, it’s worth trying.  

"MateVeza Yerba Mate Ale" MateVeza , San Fransisco, Cali.

Yerba mate mixed with beer? Only from California. The combination sounds strange, but the concoction is an excellent refreshing beer, that mildly tingles your tongue. Plus it is naturally caffeinated.There was another Mate beer at the festival, but it didn't hold a candle to this one.

Long Lines

Here is a list of what seemed like the most popular breweries. I’m judging by the number of people in line to get samples. 

Russian River Brewing Company , Santa Rosa, Calif.

Excellent Belgian-style ales and one of the best Imperial IPAs to be had in Pliny the Elder. 

New Glarus Brewing Company , New Glarus, Wisc.

Great fruit beers including the Wisconsin Belgian Red and the Raspberry Tart. 

Oskar Blues Brewery , Lyons, Colo.

Giving away samples of Ten Fidy Russian Imperial Stout and the chance to get a free beer can necklace. 

Dogfish Head Brewing Company , Milton, Del.

Samples of 120-Minute IPA served through special tap that infuses fresh hops on the spot.  

Random Thoughts 

The folks at Maui Brewing Company brought some Coconut Porter that had been aged in a rum barrel. It might be the most alcohol-y tasting beer I’ve ever had.  

There seems to be fewer and fewer chili beers. This is great. I’ve never been fan of this mix. Meanwhile, the amount of fruit/vegetable/spice beers continues to increase. 

Festival tickets went in a hurry this year. If you plan on attending next year, stay tuned to the GABF Web site so you can be sure to get tickets. I start checking the Web site in the summer.  

Crowds are getting to a point where you can no longer rely on the Thursday session being the least crowded. There were times when it was very difficult to walk down some of the aisles.  

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (1)

Subscribe to this article's comment RSS feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Website (optional)

Comment Title (optional)

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

Enter the displayed characters in the space below or register to avoid the characters in the future.

Add Comment