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Here are more best and dissapointing (I don’t like using “worst”) awards.
BEST BEER @
THE DENVER RARE BEER EVENT
This was close but my vote goes to Rogue with their John John hazelnut. A lovely mixture of nuttiness with rum and a nice smoothness to it. Would be an excellent dessert beer.
BEER I’M DISSAPOINTED I MISSED @
THE DENVER RARE BEER EVENT
Wynkoop’s Beserker Mead sounded interesting but by the time I had worked my way down the list of must haves, my poor taste buds were burnt.
I honestly did not know what to expect at my first GABF. But now that I have experienced it, I think I understand what the fuss is about. There is nothing like being in a great beer town full of enthusiastic beer geeks.
Over the next few days, I will post my thoughts, my photos, lists of winners, lists of beers and places to go in Denver. Along with my own Beer Search Party awards.
Lets start with…drum roll please
The beer that dissapointed the most.
I was going to go with the Sam Adams Utopia but I sorta knew when I asked for it at the Rare Beer Event that it was going to be too spirit-y and not beer-y enough for me so the winner of this award goes to Rubidus from Uncommon Brewers. I have enjoyed their beers before and was intrigued by this one that uses mushrooms. It was too sweet, with a strange vegetal taste that was also too alcoholic for me.
They just can’t stop. Here is the news from the fine folks at the brewery…
We love fall for so many reasons, but mostly because it’s time for Fresh Hop Beers! Come kick off the season next Wed., Sept. 30 from 4 to 9 p.m. at New Old Lompoc, 1616 NW 23rd Ave. in Portland. Brewers Jerry, Bryan, Zack and Sam will gather together to introduce four new fresh hop beers.
From the New Old Lompoc Brewery, we have Crystal Missile, a light and highly drinkable fresh hop beer utilizing Belgian saison yeast and 50 pounds of Willamette Valley Crystal hops in the patented Lompoc hop press (4.5% ABV); and Millennium Fresh Hop, a monstrous fresh hop Imperial IPA with more than half a pound of hops per gallon. Brewed with 10 different hop additions using a total of 100 pounds of Millennium hops straight from the Weathers Family Farm (7.5% ABV).
From the Fifth Quadrant Brewery, try Crystal Wheat, brewed with 100 pounds of Crystal fresh hops for a crisp and refreshing beer with a golden color. The wheat adds a soft, creamy texture with a nutty flavor (4.3% ABV); and Harvest Man Red, a beer brewed with 100 pounds of Crystal fresh hops, producing a malty and full bodied flavor with a deep, rich red color (6.2% ABV).
Forget food trucks. This is it…
The stubby bottles are back and this time in a darker mood.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjhwHYqUv-g]
While I am enjoying Denver. You get this review of a beer from Oregon that is at GABF. Rogue!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC1-hG9hOtk]
Thanks to the generosity of a great guy with extensive beer knowledge, I get to review a little known and seen Buckwheat beer from Belgium…[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cEGyeWljQ]
If you go to the GABF website, my profile is now up! I have perused the breweries and events and here is what I plan on doing. (I’m keeping it light for my first visit)
Collaboration Celebration panel
6:30 to 7:00 with Tomme Arthur and Tonya Cornett
You Be the Judge booth
7:30 to 8:15
Beer Enthusiast bookstore
I will be checking out who is signing books throughout the night
Here is the list of breweries that I want to visit…
Cascade Brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing, Cigar City Brewing, Uncommon Brewers, Heater-Allen Brewing, Pelican Pub, Mt. Emily Ale House, Bell’s Brewery, Three Floyds Brewing, Goose Island Brewing
Starting next Monday, I will be giving you the re-cap from Denver. Including my favorite beer and photos of all the sights.
My first event at GABF will be this incredible event. The mead and the wet hop ale sound most intriguing to me.
Beers at the Tasting:
Allagash Fluxus ’09: This saison from Maine is brewed with sweet potatoes and black pepper, weighing in at 8.3 percent alcohol by volume. Jason Perkins will represent the brewery.
Alaskan 1999 Vintage Smoked Porter: The last known draught keg of the 1999 vintage of Alaskan’s much decorated Smoked Porter. This beer will be served alongside a sample of 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter for comparison.
Anheuser-Busch Pilot Batch: This is an experimental beer from Anheuser-Busch so rare that only brewery insiders and a few lucky beer journalists will ever get the chance to taste the brew. Get ready to be surprised. Kristi Saviers will represent the brewery.
Brooklyn Wild 1: This beer started off as a batch of the popular bottle-conditioned Brooklyn Local 1 farmhouse ale, then spent nine months in Bourbon barrels and then it was bottle conditioned with Belgian re-fermentation yeast and a strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Only 80 cases were made for consumption by Brooklyn Brewery staff. Garrett Oliver will represent the brewery.
Deschutes Black Butte Porter XX: Brewed in 2008 to celebrate Deschutes’ 20th anniversary, this 11 percent alcohol by volume beer was pulled from the brewmaster’s private library. This beer starts off as a Double Black Butte Porter, has cocoa nibs and Bellatazza Coffee Roasters’ Sumatran and Ethiopian beans added, then it is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. Brett Porter will represent the brewery.
Dogfish Head 2006 Raison D’Extra: This is a super charged 18 percent alcohol by volume version of the popular Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre. The brewery has not made this brew for the past two years.
Foothills Barrel Aged Total Eclipse Stout: One of only 10 kegs of this beer in the world. This North Carolina brewery took its award winning stout and aged it for three to four months in ex-whiskey barrels that previously held 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon. Jamie Bartholomaus will represent the brewery.
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop Ale: The 28th edition of Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series, this deep copper colored beer is made using fresh Glacier hops. Todd Charbonneau will represent the brewery.
Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter: Winner of the Highland Cup homebrewing completion and based on a recipe created by Alex Buerckholtz, this beer is only available for a very limited time in North Carolina. Features smoked German malt and Fuggle hops. John Lyda will represent the brewery.
New Glarus Golden Ale: This Belgian-style ale is the first of the Wisconsin brewery’s R&D Series and previously was only available at the brewery. The 7 percent alcohol by volume beer is bottle fermented with Brettanomyces yeast. Dan Carey will represent the brewery.
Reunion – A Beer of Hope: This Double White Ale was collaboratively designed and brewed by four brewers across the U.S.: Bison Brewing and Pizza Port Brewing in California, Elysian Brewing in Washington and Terrapin Brewing in Georgia. This Belgian-style witbier uses sweet orange peel, coriander, lemongrass and rhubarb root. Sales of the beer support The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. Daniel Del Grande and George Allen from Bison Brewery represent the brewers.
Rogue John-John Hazelnut Dead Guy: Named for Rogue Brewmaster John Maier and Rogue Master Distiller John Couchot, this brew starts off with Rogue’s famous Dead Guy Ale that is aged in Rogue Hazelnut Rum barrels. Brett Joyce will represent the brewery.
Saranac Imperial IPA: Part of the New York brewery’s limited release High Peaks Series this ale features 10 different hop varieties and 10 different malts.
Stone 2008 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels: This 95 IBU barley wine has a massive malt character that is made even more complex thanks to the barrel aging. Greg Koch and Mitch Steele will represent the brewery.
Stoudt 2007 Barrel-Aged Reserve Old Abominable Barleywine: This vintage barleywine from Pennsylvania was aged for 10 months in oak whiskey barrels before being keg conditioned. Carol Stoudt will represent the brewery.
Wynkoop 2008 Barrel Aged Berserker Mead: This 11 percent alcohol by volume mead was made using Colorado wildflower honey and has spent about 20 months in barrels that were formally the home of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. C. Andrew Brown will represent the brewery.
The third installment of the Beer Search Party – Beer Discovery Afternoon was all about the canned beer.
The photo above (courtesy of Richard Rosen) shows the line-up but first, there was a pre-event beer of Tetley’s English ale (in the widget can). This got a fairly tepid response. Most participants found it a little bland. I liked the creamy mouth feel from the nitro. It really rounded the beer in my opinion.
Next up was the Watermelon Wheat from 21st Amendment. It got a better response but no one was jumping out of their seats. The fruity aroma scared some but they were all game to try.
Finally with the third beer, the response turned positive. Caldera pale got good marks from its hoppy attitude and aroma but surprisingly the beer of the afternoon was Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing. Everyone enjoyed it. No disagreements. Though I am still at a loss to explain as to why more brown ales aren’t made by American brewers.
The last listed beer was the Siamese Twin. The Belgian dubbel from Uncommon Brewers. You will have to read Cap’ns beer blog to get his full take but he was the only one to enjoy this one (other than me)
Then there was a post-event beer. Young’s Double Chocolate. This got good reviews as well. I have not had it in a while but it really has a nice blast of chocolate flavors.
For those in the Los Angeles area, I will be having a Christmas seasonal beer tasting sometime just before or just after Thanksgiving. When the date is nailed down. I will post it here and on Facebook. You will not want to miss (4) great winter warmers with a surprise or two tossed into the mix.
If you want to be the first to know about the date. Probably a Saturday afternoon. Then add your e-mail to a comment below and I will send you an early invite.