Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Best of GABF 2019
Let's face it, my 16-year-old self would have thought this Great American Beer Festival was made when I stumbled onto two beers within 10 yards of each that both were named Deez Nuts.
But my present 46-year-old self felt that the country's largest gathering of brewers found its true essence in those side trips to an unknown destination that produced surprise after surprise, every one enlightening about the current state of the craft-beer industry. And even if the GABF didn't sell out for the first time in 13 years, there were no complaints from people wandering the floor that American beer makers don't continue to get more daring even as they get more approachable.
With that said, here is the annual look at one beer writer's impressions of the most unique and satisfying malt beverages in the nation - not a one of which was a hard seltzer.
Best Beer of the Festival: Oozlefinch Craft Brewery Sour, Not Stirred
It took guts to make a martini gose. But it took even more talent to make it so perfectly, crafting a beer that was tart and sweet with hints of booze but with pronounced tastes as well of Angelica root, orange peel and just enough bitters to convince yourself you were holding some sort of magical hybrid. During a year when so many beers walked a line between pleasing and challenging, this treat from Virginia was all joy, even as it made you think about just what it was you were imbibing.
Other Best Envelope Pusher: Speciation Artisan Ales Saltation
The most interesting brewery in America - and, yes, this Michigan fermentation king has earned that title - managed to turn heads again with a margarita that produced flavors of lime, saltiness and sweetness in perfect harmony. Owner Mitch Ermatinger offered that this had an almost familiar property to people for something so outside the box. It was comforting even as it woke taste buds.
Best Hop Bomb: Great Notion Brewing Chuck's Notion
You had to look hard for this New England-style IPA - specifically at Finn's Manor before the festival began - but finding it meant diving nose-first into a rich, tropical array of fruit that defines the new IPA and yet keeps it squarely in check with a 7% ABV level.
Best Dark Offering: Weldwerks PBC
In a hall fall of wonderfully boozy barrel-aged stouts, what stood out about Weldwerks' 16% ABV peanut butter cup stout was it was so rich in chocolate and nuts that the alcohol was like a background element. The lines at the Greeley brewery's booth were absurd but somehow worth it.
Best Dad Beer: Cannonball Creek Netflix and Pils
Approachable was in this year, but nothing was as easy and yet as flavorful as this ultra-crispy pilsner from Golden, which laid out its hops as its main flavor attribute but let them present themselves in dry and smooth offering that stuck around your palate like it was something much bigger.
Best Undefinable Beer: Captain Lawrence Brewing Powder Dreams
This beer from upstate New York is listed as a New England IPA. But hints of guava and vanilla and lactose popped in your mouth, leaving you torn between calling it a sour or a milkshake or … never mind. It was just a creative, highly flavorful offering.
Best Beer That Seemed Nothing Like a Beer: J Wakefield Brewing Haterade
Haterade isn't for everyone; it absolutely looked like Hawaiian Punch and tasted like a tart Kool Aid presented on a bed of malt to even it out. But finding a beer like this from this Miami brewery reminds you of why boundaries exist to be pushed, and you couldn't help but go back for more.
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Best Beer/Food Combination: West Sixth Brewing
If you've never bought a ticket to the Paired beer and food event at GABF, here is what you miss: A Kentucky brewery you might not have known about offering a full but drinkable 13% ABV Snakes in Barrel bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout in concert with spicy kangaroo sausage from Pope Joan restaurant of Melbourne, Australia. Fantastic alone, they were magical together. And it made you want to try more pairings on your own.
Biggest Surprise of GABF: 105 West Brewing Double Deez Nuts
No, really. I drank it to send a picture of the name to a friend. And I stopped in my tracks, realizing the generous hazelnut overtones in this wee heavy made this a beer that backed up its adjunct ingredients with a solid body that let malt and nuts stand out simultaneously. A true find from Castle Rock.
Let's face it, my 16-year-old self would have thought this Great American Beer Festival was made when I stumbled onto two beers within 10 yards of each that both were named Deez Nuts.
But my present 46-year-old self felt that the country's largest gathering of brewers found its true essence in those side trips to an unknown destination that produced surprise after surprise, every one enlightening about the current state of the craft-beer industry. And even if the GABF didn't sell out for the first time in 13 years, there were no complaints from people wandering the floor that American beer makers don't continue to get more daring even as they get more approachable.
With that said, here is the annual look at one beer writer's impressions of the most unique and satisfying malt beverages in the nation - not a one of which was a hard seltzer.
It took guts to make a martini gose. But it took even more talent to make it so perfectly, crafting a beer that was tart and sweet with hints of booze but with pronounced tastes as well of Angelica root, orange peel and just enough bitters to convince yourself you were holding some sort of magical hybrid. During a year when so many beers walked a line between pleasing and challenging, this treat from Virginia was all joy, even as it made you think about just what it was you were imbibing.
Other Best Envelope Pusher: Speciation Artisan Ales Saltation
The most interesting brewery in America - and, yes, this Michigan fermentation king has earned that title - managed to turn heads again with a margarita that produced flavors of lime, saltiness and sweetness in perfect harmony. Owner Mitch Ermatinger offered that this had an almost familiar property to people for something so outside the box. It was comforting even as it woke taste buds.
Best Hop Bomb: Great Notion Brewing Chuck's Notion
You had to look hard for this New England-style IPA - specifically at Finn's Manor before the festival began - but finding it meant diving nose-first into a rich, tropical array of fruit that defines the new IPA and yet keeps it squarely in check with a 7% ABV level.Best Dark Offering: Weldwerks PBC
In a hall fall of wonderfully boozy barrel-aged stouts, what stood out about Weldwerks' 16% ABV peanut butter cup stout was it was so rich in chocolate and nuts that the alcohol was like a background element. The lines at the Greeley brewery's booth were absurd but somehow worth it.
Best Dad Beer: Cannonball Creek Netflix and Pils
Approachable was in this year, but nothing was as easy and yet as flavorful as this ultra-crispy pilsner from Golden, which laid out its hops as its main flavor attribute but let them present themselves in dry and smooth offering that stuck around your palate like it was something much bigger.
Best Undefinable Beer: Captain Lawrence Brewing Powder Dreams
This beer from upstate New York is listed as a New England IPA. But hints of guava and vanilla and lactose popped in your mouth, leaving you torn between calling it a sour or a milkshake or … never mind. It was just a creative, highly flavorful offering.
Best Beer That Seemed Nothing Like a Beer: J Wakefield Brewing Haterade
Haterade isn't for everyone; it absolutely looked like Hawaiian Punch and tasted like a tart Kool Aid presented on a bed of malt to even it out. But finding a beer like this from this Miami brewery reminds you of why boundaries exist to be pushed, and you couldn't help but go back for more.
\
Best Beer/Food Combination: West Sixth Brewing
If you've never bought a ticket to the Paired beer and food event at GABF, here is what you miss: A Kentucky brewery you might not have known about offering a full but drinkable 13% ABV Snakes in Barrel bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout in concert with spicy kangaroo sausage from Pope Joan restaurant of Melbourne, Australia. Fantastic alone, they were magical together. And it made you want to try more pairings on your own.
Biggest Surprise of GABF: 105 West Brewing Double Deez Nuts
No, really. I drank it to send a picture of the name to a friend. And I stopped in my tracks, realizing the generous hazelnut overtones in this wee heavy made this a beer that backed up its adjunct ingredients with a solid body that let malt and nuts stand out simultaneously. A true find from Castle Rock.
Labels: 105 West Brewing, Cannonball Creek Brewing, Great American Beer Festival, Great Notion Brewing, J Wakefield Brewing, Oozlefinch Craft Brewery, Speciation Artisan Ales, Weldwerks Brewing
