Sunday, October 01, 2017
It’s Time to GABF!
The Great American Beer Festival is the best gathering of
brewers in America. But, nearly as important, it’s turned into a catalyst for
what is arguably the greatest set of fermented-beverage events in one week
anywhere in the world. And it is for the enjoyment of that week that this
column is written.
Those who have visited this blog before know this annual
column is not meant to be the catch-all, everything-that-is-happening listing
of some 250 events like Westword or PorchDrinking.com offer. Instead, this is a
curated list of some of the most interesting events that will take place across
the next seven days, meant to help you – and me – determine how to spend your
entirely too-limited time when there are so many options.
Monday
· Noon to 8 p.m.: It’s been a number of years
since Great Divide Brewing churned out a new style of its signature Yeti
Imperial Stout. That drought ends today, when Denver’s largest brewery rolls
out Chai Yeti at its Barrel Bar.
· Noon: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project has a
jaw-droppingly impressive line-up of beers slated for release this week. It
begins with today’s release in bottle and draught of Nightmare on Brett
Marionberry Harvest 2016, a blend of dark sour barrel-aged beers with a serious
boost of this unique blackberry.
· 4 p.m.: Diebolt Brewing, which seems to get a
little more experimental each year, also is busting out a barrel-aged treat –
or, more specifically, five of them. The fun starts with its brandy-barrel-aged
C'est la Saison-Imperial French Saison, then proceeds to the same beer aged in
rye, bourbon and Cabernet barrels before rolling out a 100% Brett version.
· 5 p.m.: Few events during the week are as iconic
as the Falling Rock kickoff party. Horse & Dragon and Upslope will have
special tappings, and pretty much everyone from the industry who is in town
will stop by at some point during the night.
· 7 p.m.: “Why not blow out your taste buds to
start the week?” should be the informal name of the Sour Party at Freshcraft.
Treats from Almanac, Black Project, Captain Lawrence and more will be on tap.
Tuesday
· 2 p.m.: Strange Craft Beer has created such a
bounty of beers that several years ago it took one of its truly eye-opening
offerings, its Zora Rosemary Pale Ale, out of its rotation. Today it brings it
back for a limited time.
· 2 to 6 p.m.: Tapping Crooked Stave is one thing.
But when you offer up pretty much all of Crooked Stave Artisans' distribution list at
once – as Crafty Fox will do here – that means the likes of Two Roads, Prairie,
Perennial and more are up for grabs.
· 5 p.m.: Goed Zuur will be featuring California
breweries that you normally wait in line at GABF to try: Russian River
(including Supplication), Rare Barrel, Port Brewing and more.
· 5 to 11 p.m.: Southside Bar and Kitchen is
hosting a night of specialty brews from Loveland and Longmont breweries that is
the finest-named event of the week: Love you Long time. Grimm Brothers,
Loveland Aleworks, Verboten Brewing and more will pour.
· 6 to 9 p.m.: Beers Made by Walking may be one of
the most unique events of the week – a tapping of ales made just for the event
by brewers using ingredients inspired by their hikes. This year’s event,
courtesy of Colorado Springs’ Focus on the Beer, is at the Denver Museum of
Nature & Science, and tickets are $40.
· 7 p.m.: Freshcraft, a long-time supporter of
up-and-coming Colorado brewers, turns its focus tonight to local offerings with
gems from Weldwerks, Black Shirt, Lost
Highway and more.
· 7:30 p.m.: There are lots of beer dinners this
week, but very few at restaurants that just undertook a complete menu revamp to
keep it fresh. The Corner Office just did that, and tonight it will pair five
courses with five Strange Craft Beer rarities, as well as one staple, for $50.
Wednesday
· 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Toppling Goliath brewery is the hottest thing
to come out of Iowa since … well, pretty much ever. LowDown Brewery of Denver
will be tapping its nationally renowned PseudoSue, as well as nine other beers,
until they’re gone.
· Noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.: Want to see what
breweries are lighting up Colorado without getting nationwide distribution? NewImage Brewing will host two intimate mini festivals with five other breweries that
are grabbing attention – including WeldWerks, Odd 13 and Wiley Roots – for the
price of $35 per person.
· 2 p.m.: The best beer Strange Craft Beer ever
made was a one-off for the 2015 Collaboration Fest with Copper Kettle Brewing
called Basil Kriek Blonde that combined Copper Kettle’s Basil Blonde with its
Cherry Kriek. It makes a rare re-appearance today.
· 3 to 5 p.m.: Local[ish] Market is a new store at Denver Union Station that sells local food and products and has a small bar of
Colorado beers. But today it veers away from its model for just a short time as
it offers a tap takeover by Two Roads Brewing of Connecticut, which makes one
of the best krieks in America.
· 4 to 7 p.m.: Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA is one
of the rare hop bombs that can stand up to aging, and today Avanti F&B will
be pouring vintages from 2014 through 2017, plus a couple other Dogfish Head
gems. Oh, and some guy named Sam Calagione will be there too.
· 5 to 7 p.m.: One of the truest geek-out
experiences of the week is Wynkoop Brewery’s Beer Drinker of the Year contest,
which will feature judges in funny wigs tossing out-of-left-field beer
questions at three finalists for the award. And the beer will be flowing.
· 5 p.m.: Ska Brewing has ramped up its experimentation
in the past year through its Mod Project. Those beers – Pink Vapor Stew, Tart
Mexican Logger, Sour Apple Gose and more – will take over the rooftop taps of
Tap XIV tonight.
· 6 p.m.: The What The Funk? Invitational, hosted
by Crooked Stave, is truly a jaw-dropping collection of barrel-aged and other
experimental beers. This year’s event is at the Studio at Overland Crossing,
though tickets are sold out, so it’s time to call in those favors to
beer-industry friends.
· 9:30 p.m.: Falling Rock hosts an All-Star IPA
Throwdown that includes everyone from Melvin to Lawson’s and Breakside to La
Cumbre. Your taste buds will love you or possibly hate you.
Thursday
· 11:30 a.m.: Sun King is an Indianapolis brewery
that doesn’t distribute in Colorado, robbing you of the opportunity to enjoy
gems like its Cherry Busey Oud Bruin Ale. Today it will be pouring at Hops& Pie.
· Noon/5 p.m.: One of Crooked Stave’s most
intriguing releases of the week is its Mama Bear’s Burgundy Sour Cherry Pie
Harvest 2016, a burgundy sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado cherries.
It taps at noon, and two whiskey-barrel-aged varieties go on tap at 5.
· 3 to 7 p.m.: Skip the lines at these booths at
the GABF tonight and go instead to Goed Zuur, which is hosting a Small Batch
Thursday featuring Black Project, Amalgam Brewing, Red Fox Cellars and more.
· 4 to 9 p.m.: River North Brewery may not be
located in the River North neighborhood this year (thank you very much,
heartless landlord), but the brewery is doing things worth traveling to north
Denver for. Today it opens up it cellar to release 2016 versions of its
Decennial Series – a quad, an imperial stout and an old ale all weighing in at
more than 15 percent ABV.
· 6 p.m.: Freshcraft concentrates for a few hours
on the brilliant offerings of Casey Brewing and Blending. Go now or go after
the GABF session; just get there.
· 7 p.m.: A now annual tradition, Epic Brewing
again offers its 50 Firkin Fiasco, for which the brewery has tossed the likes
of gummy bears and breakfast cereals into its bevy of beers and come up with
some real surprises in the past. Tickets are $35.
· 8 p.m.: Asbury Provisions says it will be
the first bar in Colorado to host a tap takeover with Captain Lawrence Brewing –
a statement that seems hard to believe, but I’ll still trust them. Sours and
IPAs will rain down.
· 10 p.m.: Speaking of breweries that you don’t
find often in Colorado, Rare Barrel will offer up a number of its mind-blowing
selections at Falling Rock after the GABF session.
· 10 p.m.: After-parties rock following festival
sessions. Left Hand will be serving up a lot of good stuff at a rooftop party
at Tap XIV.
Friday
· Noon to 4 p.m.: The single best event of the
week outside of the Colorado Convention Center is the Pints for Prostates DenverRare Beer Tasting at the McNichols Building, where some of the best breweries
in America pour some of their rarest beers while screeners beg to take a test
to make sure you don’t have the same cancer that led Rick Lyke to found this
event. The $115 ticket is, if anything, underpriced (though sold out).
· Noon to 3 p.m.: If you don’t have the Rare Beer
ticket, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better alternative activity than a
tapping featuring Captain Lawrence, Great Divide – and the beer Great Divide
made in conjunction with Jameson Irish Whiskey.
· 2 p.m.: Breweries that offer tap takeovers to
out-of-town breweries should get a special place in heaven. Today, MockeryBrewing does just that for Virginia’s Adroit Theory, which will be bringing out
an Oud Bruin collaboration they made earlier this year.
· 2 to 9 p.m.: Speaking of collaborations, DenverBeer Co. will host a mini festival featuring collaboration beers that it made
with breweries throughout Colorado, the U.S., Mexico and Brazil. Tickets are
$30.
· 3 to 11 p.m.: Call it “underrated Colorado
breweries day” at Crafty Fox. Wiley Roots Brewing and Outer Range Brewing take
over the taps, offering up treats like Cinnamon/Vanilla Pastry Stout and Final
Summit French saison.
· 5 p.m.: After a week of drinking, you might want
to eat a little, so do it in style. Goed Zuur is offering a beer and food
pairing with Casey Brewing and Blending, Jester King and Side Project supplying
the beer. There will be four two-hour sessions, and tickets for each of them
are $60.
· 6 p.m.: Highland Tap & Burger offers up four
Midwest breweries – Jolly Pumpkin, New Holland, RhineGeist and MadTree Brewing –
that are either not available in Colorado or available in limited sites. It’s a
good chance to enjoy the brewing world coming here.
· 7:30 p.m.: Want something a little more literary
than you’ve had the rest of the week? BookBar in northwest Denver is hosting an
event in which staffers pair their favorite beers with books and lead a beer
tasting. Not sure how bitter the hops in a beer have to be to pair with, say,
Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Saturday
· 8 a.m.: How do you want to start the final day
of the festival? How about Breakfast with the Bruery at Freshcraft, where the
California artists will whip out perfect breakfast pairings, like Midnight
Autumn Maple and Chocolate Rain (its 20% ABV vanilla/cacao bourbon-barrel-aged
imperial stout).
· 9:30 a.m.: Oh, I’m sorry, you want something
lighter with your fifth-straight-day-of-hangover breakfast? Denver Beer Co. is
offering a barleywine/smothered breakfast burrito combination for $18.
· Noon: Ratio Beerworks taps its New Wave
Strawberry Berliner Weisse, a summer seasonal back for a limited run. This is,
in my opinion, the hands-down best Berliner Weisse made in Colorado, and
probably one of the state’s 10 best beers, period.
· Noon to 8 p.m.: Bruz Beers will be tapping from
its reserve – 15 beers from its reserve. This is the proper way to blow out the
festival at a brewery that’s been doing some daring things.
· 9 p.m.: It’s been a long week. Let loose at the
Ratio Beerworks karaoke after-party, which will involve some surprise tappings
as well as some pretty awful, overconfident ballad performances.
· 9:30 p.m.: Falling Rock will tap a pucker-load of
sours from Crooked Stave Artisans' distribution list. If you’re still drinking at this
time of night, that may be the only thing that can resurrect your taste buds.
· 10 p.m.: Some people swear by going light-bodied
at the end of the week, however. If that’s your choice, you might want to check
out Tap XIV, where attention-grabbing German-style brewer Wibby Brewing of
Longmont will be pouring dunkels, a helles and an IPL on the rooftop.
Labels: Crooked Stave, Denver Beer Co, Falling Rock Taphouse, Freshcraft, Great American Beer Festival, Great Divide, Ratio Beerworks, Strange Craft Beer
