OBF Attendance Record

from the Oregonian…
“Despite warmer-than-usual conditions, the 22nd annual Oregon Brewers Festival had record attendance with 72,500 people, a nearly seven percent increase over last year’s all time high of 68,000. Beer sales followed suit, showing a three percent increase. The four-day event concluded on July 26 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

“This is our second consecutive year of record setting attendance and sales, and given the economic situation, I think we can successfully state that beer is recession-proof!” exclaimed festival director and founder Art Larrance. ”

Maybe craft beer can contribute to the economy returning to a healthier state?

Special Rare Beer Event

All About Beer, in cooperation with BeerAdvocate.com, created the Denver Rare Beer Tasting as a benefit event for the Pints for Prostates campaign. More than 20 of America’s finest craft breweries have already committed to attend this event. They will be pouring some truly one-of-a-kind brews on Friday, Sept. 25th, from 1-4 p.m. at the Wynkoop Brewery at 1634 18th Street in LoDo. What’s more is that the legendary brewers who created these phenomenal beers will be on hand to answer your questions.

There are just 450 tickets available for this event. When they are gone, they are gone and so is the chance to say you had a Stone 2008 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels poured by Greg Koch or a Stoudt 2007 Old Abominable Barleywine served by Carol Stoudt. You just will not find most of the beers at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting at the GABF, or elsewhere in Denver for that matter. We’re talking about beers like New Glarus Golden Ale, the Belgian-style Trappist Ale Dan Carey is bringing from his Wisconsin brewery’s first batch in its new R&D series.

These are just three of the great beers slated to be served to the lucky guests at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. Other breweries expected at the event include Allagash, Alaskan, Avery, Boston Beer, Bison, Dogfish Head, Foothills, Harpoon, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium, Pizza Port, Rogue, Saranac, Victory, Wynkoop and more! This event will be the talk of Denver during the 2009 GABF and you can be a part of it by buying a ticket today.

All proceeds from the Denver Rare Beer Tasting go to support the Pints for Prostates campaign ( http://www.ustoo.org/pints ) in its efforts fight prostate cancer. Please help us in reaching men through the universal language of beer!

Black Ops

from the fine folks at Beer America TV…
For a beer that “does not exist”, Brooklyn Black Ops is one for the books. This rich, but very smooth Russian Imperial Stout was aged for 4 months in bourbon barrels and re- fermented with champagne yeast. If it did exist, only 950 to a 1000 cases were produced, so if you see it, grab yourself a couple and cellar it, because it’s a tough one to get.

18.2 abv

BrewDog had a solution: create a beer that’s extremely high in alcohol content (18.2% ABV to be exact), so people will only drink one. Enter Tokyo*, a brew designed to end “binge beer-drinking.”

But Scottish authorities said no and demanded the product be removed from the shelves. Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Jack Law offered his thoughts:

“It is utterly irresponsible to bring out a beer which is so strong at a time when Scotland is facing unprecedented levels of alcohol-related health and social harm. Just one bottle of this beer contains six units of alcohol — twice the recommended daily limit.”
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My first beer (as I remember it)

I have recollections of other beers in the house as I was growing up but my first solid memory is of Buckhorn Beer.
Buckhorn-Beer-Labels-Olympia-Brewing-Company_47482-1

It didn’t taste good but on the plus side it came in the stubby bottle. On the con side, you had to buy a case of 24. Thank goodness my parents were wine drinkers who figured out pretty quick that beer should taste as good as the vino. Also lucky to be in Portland as the craft beer boom hit.