Saturday, October 08, 2016
The Best Outside Event of GABF Week
Half a mile east of the Colorado Convention Center and the hubbub of the Great American Beer Festival sits the McNichols Civic Center Building, which hosts smaller and typically more staid events. But on Friday afternoon, it was the site of what is arguably the best non-GABF event of GABF week, and it was for three hours the center of the beer universe.
Denver Rare Beer Tasting, now in its eighth year, is at its heart a plea for better health. Founded by beer enthusiast and cancer survivor Rick Lyke, it is the largest annual fund-raiser for his charity Pints for Prostates, which has brought in $1.3 million over the past eight years to raise awareness about prostate cancer and to offer free testing both at the event and outside the convention center this week.
But while Lyke can brag of how much the event has helped those who come by - more than 10 percent of men getting the testing have elevated prostate-specific antigen levels that require them to see the doctor for treatment - he realizes free testing alone won't garner so much attention. So, he uses the help of 54 acclaimed breweries, with another 40 still on the waiting list, that donate and pour some of their rarest, most complex and often barrel-aged creations to lend a hand.
Strolling through the event is like looking into the minds of the best beer makers in the country. Funky Buddha's Aged Chocwork Orange - an imperial milk porter given six months on Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels then infused with cocoa nibs and orange peel - was like biting into the fanciest chocolate you've ever tried and letting it swirl around your mouth.
The sours flowed as if they were water. Two Roads' 2015 Kriek, aged 18 months in oak barrels, delivered a phenomenally sharp cherry bite without being acidic. Russian River's Intinction - its STS Pils aged nine months in sauvignon blanc barrels with sauv-blanc grape juice added - was intriguing and easy on the palate. And it was being poured publicly for just the second time.
And if you just wanted to see how brewers could take a traditional flavor and turn it on its head, Holy City Brewing's Schmetterling, a smoked marzen aged 10 months in whisky barrels, was example number one. Both sweet and smoky, it broke all style guidelines and took you on an adventure.
Getting tickets to Denver Rare Beer Tasting isn't easy - they're $115 and sold out a full three months ago. But Lyke said that he knows of people who fly out to Denver for GABF week and attend this rather than any of the festival sessions. And after seeing the offerings the tasting has and understanding the impact the event can have on people's lives, it's not that hard to see why.
Half a mile east of the Colorado Convention Center and the hubbub of the Great American Beer Festival sits the McNichols Civic Center Building, which hosts smaller and typically more staid events. But on Friday afternoon, it was the site of what is arguably the best non-GABF event of GABF week, and it was for three hours the center of the beer universe.
Denver Rare Beer Tasting, now in its eighth year, is at its heart a plea for better health. Founded by beer enthusiast and cancer survivor Rick Lyke, it is the largest annual fund-raiser for his charity Pints for Prostates, which has brought in $1.3 million over the past eight years to raise awareness about prostate cancer and to offer free testing both at the event and outside the convention center this week.
But while Lyke can brag of how much the event has helped those who come by - more than 10 percent of men getting the testing have elevated prostate-specific antigen levels that require them to see the doctor for treatment - he realizes free testing alone won't garner so much attention. So, he uses the help of 54 acclaimed breweries, with another 40 still on the waiting list, that donate and pour some of their rarest, most complex and often barrel-aged creations to lend a hand.
Strolling through the event is like looking into the minds of the best beer makers in the country. Funky Buddha's Aged Chocwork Orange - an imperial milk porter given six months on Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels then infused with cocoa nibs and orange peel - was like biting into the fanciest chocolate you've ever tried and letting it swirl around your mouth.
The sours flowed as if they were water. Two Roads' 2015 Kriek, aged 18 months in oak barrels, delivered a phenomenally sharp cherry bite without being acidic. Russian River's Intinction - its STS Pils aged nine months in sauvignon blanc barrels with sauv-blanc grape juice added - was intriguing and easy on the palate. And it was being poured publicly for just the second time.
And if you just wanted to see how brewers could take a traditional flavor and turn it on its head, Holy City Brewing's Schmetterling, a smoked marzen aged 10 months in whisky barrels, was example number one. Both sweet and smoky, it broke all style guidelines and took you on an adventure.
Getting tickets to Denver Rare Beer Tasting isn't easy - they're $115 and sold out a full three months ago. But Lyke said that he knows of people who fly out to Denver for GABF week and attend this rather than any of the festival sessions. And after seeing the offerings the tasting has and understanding the impact the event can have on people's lives, it's not that hard to see why.
Labels: Barrel aging, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, Funky Buddha Brewing, Great American Beer Festival, Holy City Brewing, Russian River, Two Roads Brewing
Monday, September 28, 2015
Best of GABF 2015
The recently concluded edition of the Great American Beer Festival brought us more breweries serving more beer and winning more awards than ever before. And the one-directional trends of years past (everything is hoppier or more sour or more barrel-aged) seemed to give way both to a willingness to experiment in new directions and to bring a broad swath of beers that weren't all meant to overwhelm you.
It's hard then to denote certain beers as the absolute stand-outs among such a varied presentation, especially when the Brewers Association already does such a good job with its medals. But, as always, I will do my best to try to call attention to a few that this beer writer will be thinking about long after I wash out my new tasting cups and toss away my wrist bands.
Best in Show: Vanilla Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout
At a time when everybody is making their own bigger, bolder, barrel-aged creation, Goose Island has set the bar with this giant stout (13.8% ABV) aged in unique barrels (rye whiskey) with the addition of Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans. It is huge. It is sweet, with a backtaste of bitter rye. And it warms you as it goes down. When I mentioned several of my favorite finds to a bus tour of beer writers during the festival, this was the one that received several nodding heads and thumbs up. The secret's out: Goose Island has exceeded its original Bourbon County Brand Stout and is waiting to see who can catch up with it.
Best Traditional Sour: New Belgium NBB Love Felix
It seems somewhat odd to call out the wild ale that serves as a base beer for Le Terroir, especially when that gem of a dry-hopped sour was being served at the same booth. But at a time when breweries are trying to ramp up their tartness or even bourbon-barrel-age their sours (a bad idea, based on results so far), this golden and tart beer comes across as clean and crisp and puckery in an almost pristine way. It's a reminder of what Colorado's largest brewery does so well.
Best Non-traditional sour: Odd 13 Brewing Humulus Kalecumber
You might say that kale and cucumber and (muted) mint are not ingredients you want in your beer. But you would be very, very wrong. This rising star from Lafayette broke down doors with this tart and yet soothing vegetable beer based on a Berliner weisse. It was fascinating and yet very drinkable, and it served notice one again that this is a brewery to be watched.
Best Dark, Non-Barrel-Aged Beer: Funky Buddha First Snow
Both coconut and coffee are becoming more common ingredients in porters, but few beers have ever put them together in a way that this sweet and zingy and mouth-filling creation does. Funky Buddha was one of the hot breweries at the festival this year. Its reputation appears well-deserved.
Best Hoppy Beers
Fat Head's Brewery of Ohio took home three gold medals, including for its black IPA and its double red ale, but its truly artistic hop bomb was its Hop Juju Imperial IPA, a wonderfully full effort that was as hop-forward as one could be without being biting. But Port City Brewing - this year's small brewing company of the year - proved that great hoppy efforts also come in slightly smaller-IBU packages, as its Monumental IPA set the standard for being flowery without ripping up taste buds.
Best Lighter Effort
Indeed Brewing of Minneapolis offered up an L.S.D. Honey Ale that made full-flavored use of its three initialed ingredients - lavender, sunflowers and dates. But it's the mellow body that lets you breath in the qualities of each that make this the quaffer of the festival.
Most Interesting Experiment
Right Brain Brewery of Traverse City, Michigan, is one of a handful of beer makers specifically from that state that seem to enjoy pushing the envelope in regard to which ingredients can work in a beer. But with its Mangalitsa Pig Porter - a dark, chocolaty beer made with smoked pig heads and bones, it found a way to pour something akin to cocoa bacon java in a glass. And that's a compliment.
The recently concluded edition of the Great American Beer Festival brought us more breweries serving more beer and winning more awards than ever before. And the one-directional trends of years past (everything is hoppier or more sour or more barrel-aged) seemed to give way both to a willingness to experiment in new directions and to bring a broad swath of beers that weren't all meant to overwhelm you.
It's hard then to denote certain beers as the absolute stand-outs among such a varied presentation, especially when the Brewers Association already does such a good job with its medals. But, as always, I will do my best to try to call attention to a few that this beer writer will be thinking about long after I wash out my new tasting cups and toss away my wrist bands.
Best in Show: Vanilla Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout
At a time when everybody is making their own bigger, bolder, barrel-aged creation, Goose Island has set the bar with this giant stout (13.8% ABV) aged in unique barrels (rye whiskey) with the addition of Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans. It is huge. It is sweet, with a backtaste of bitter rye. And it warms you as it goes down. When I mentioned several of my favorite finds to a bus tour of beer writers during the festival, this was the one that received several nodding heads and thumbs up. The secret's out: Goose Island has exceeded its original Bourbon County Brand Stout and is waiting to see who can catch up with it.
Best Traditional Sour: New Belgium NBB Love Felix
It seems somewhat odd to call out the wild ale that serves as a base beer for Le Terroir, especially when that gem of a dry-hopped sour was being served at the same booth. But at a time when breweries are trying to ramp up their tartness or even bourbon-barrel-age their sours (a bad idea, based on results so far), this golden and tart beer comes across as clean and crisp and puckery in an almost pristine way. It's a reminder of what Colorado's largest brewery does so well.
Best Non-traditional sour: Odd 13 Brewing Humulus Kalecumber
You might say that kale and cucumber and (muted) mint are not ingredients you want in your beer. But you would be very, very wrong. This rising star from Lafayette broke down doors with this tart and yet soothing vegetable beer based on a Berliner weisse. It was fascinating and yet very drinkable, and it served notice one again that this is a brewery to be watched.
Best Dark, Non-Barrel-Aged Beer: Funky Buddha First Snow
Both coconut and coffee are becoming more common ingredients in porters, but few beers have ever put them together in a way that this sweet and zingy and mouth-filling creation does. Funky Buddha was one of the hot breweries at the festival this year. Its reputation appears well-deserved.
Best Hoppy Beers
Fat Head's Brewery of Ohio took home three gold medals, including for its black IPA and its double red ale, but its truly artistic hop bomb was its Hop Juju Imperial IPA, a wonderfully full effort that was as hop-forward as one could be without being biting. But Port City Brewing - this year's small brewing company of the year - proved that great hoppy efforts also come in slightly smaller-IBU packages, as its Monumental IPA set the standard for being flowery without ripping up taste buds.
Best Lighter Effort
Indeed Brewing of Minneapolis offered up an L.S.D. Honey Ale that made full-flavored use of its three initialed ingredients - lavender, sunflowers and dates. But it's the mellow body that lets you breath in the qualities of each that make this the quaffer of the festival.
Most Interesting Experiment
Right Brain Brewery of Traverse City, Michigan, is one of a handful of beer makers specifically from that state that seem to enjoy pushing the envelope in regard to which ingredients can work in a beer. But with its Mangalitsa Pig Porter - a dark, chocolaty beer made with smoked pig heads and bones, it found a way to pour something akin to cocoa bacon java in a glass. And that's a compliment.
Labels: Fat Head's Brewery, Funky Buddha Brewing, Goose Island, Great American Beer Festival, Indeed Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Odd 13 Brewing, Port City Brewing, Right Brain Brewery
Saturday, September 26, 2015
GABF 2015 Day Two Recap
There's something just a little more chaotic on Friday than on Thursday at the Great American Beer Festival. Being a part of that makes you want to move a little more rapidly between booths, search just a little harder for the next great beer and toss over the side those things that aren't quite hitting.
With that said, here are a few things that stood out on the second, hectic, fun-filled day of the largest beer festival in America.
* Sometimes the line is worth it.
The lengthy waits for beers have shifted from just the usual dozen or so (Russian River, Dogfish Head, New Glarus, etc.) to some up-and-comers. One that is worth the wait is Funky Buddha. Another beer writer described the Florida beer maker well as brewing every day the types of beers that most breweries make only as one-offs. Last Snow, a coconut and coffee porter that is teeming with both tastes in ways that others of its genre are not, is an example of what makes it so good.
* Shockingly short lines
Then again, there are still a number of booths the general GABF public somehow hasn't seemed to find. While lines at The Bruery stretch 30 people long, there was virtually no one last night at Bruery Terreux, the experimental arm of that brewery that produces gems like the uber-tart, cherry-rich Sans Pagaie. Similarly, one can slip easily in and out of Melvin Brewing, a multiple-award winner for its hoppy beers that is serving up incredibly fresh but balanced treats like its 2x4 double IPA.
* Embrace the cucumber.
In the past month especially, it's seemed that more breweries are using the crisp, green vegetable as an ingredient in a wide variety of styles. From the cucumber basil kolsch Horse and Dragon created to a cucumber gose on tap at Spangalang, these places are doing it well. But nothing is as eye-popping as Odd 13's Humulus Kalecumber, a sour ale with kale and cucumber that manages to bring out the freshness of the vegetable while lighting up your taste buds. Give in; you know you want it.
* An off-premises star
Speaking of Spangalang, it's worth noting that the less-than-3-month-old Five Points brewery isn't at the GABF this year because it thought it was too soon to make the investment. But while leading a bus tour of out-of-town beer writers yesterday, we stopped in there and found the taproom packed in mid-afternoon. It's easy to see why. From its Brett-fermented, fresh-hopped, peach-packed kettle sour (Colorado Junction) to its sour laced with cherry and rose water (Pure Funk), it's making beers that beg to be noticed, even outside the main hall.
There's something just a little more chaotic on Friday than on Thursday at the Great American Beer Festival. Being a part of that makes you want to move a little more rapidly between booths, search just a little harder for the next great beer and toss over the side those things that aren't quite hitting.
With that said, here are a few things that stood out on the second, hectic, fun-filled day of the largest beer festival in America.
* Sometimes the line is worth it.
The lengthy waits for beers have shifted from just the usual dozen or so (Russian River, Dogfish Head, New Glarus, etc.) to some up-and-comers. One that is worth the wait is Funky Buddha. Another beer writer described the Florida beer maker well as brewing every day the types of beers that most breweries make only as one-offs. Last Snow, a coconut and coffee porter that is teeming with both tastes in ways that others of its genre are not, is an example of what makes it so good.
* Shockingly short lines
Then again, there are still a number of booths the general GABF public somehow hasn't seemed to find. While lines at The Bruery stretch 30 people long, there was virtually no one last night at Bruery Terreux, the experimental arm of that brewery that produces gems like the uber-tart, cherry-rich Sans Pagaie. Similarly, one can slip easily in and out of Melvin Brewing, a multiple-award winner for its hoppy beers that is serving up incredibly fresh but balanced treats like its 2x4 double IPA.* Embrace the cucumber.
In the past month especially, it's seemed that more breweries are using the crisp, green vegetable as an ingredient in a wide variety of styles. From the cucumber basil kolsch Horse and Dragon created to a cucumber gose on tap at Spangalang, these places are doing it well. But nothing is as eye-popping as Odd 13's Humulus Kalecumber, a sour ale with kale and cucumber that manages to bring out the freshness of the vegetable while lighting up your taste buds. Give in; you know you want it.
* An off-premises star
Speaking of Spangalang, it's worth noting that the less-than-3-month-old Five Points brewery isn't at the GABF this year because it thought it was too soon to make the investment. But while leading a bus tour of out-of-town beer writers yesterday, we stopped in there and found the taproom packed in mid-afternoon. It's easy to see why. From its Brett-fermented, fresh-hopped, peach-packed kettle sour (Colorado Junction) to its sour laced with cherry and rose water (Pure Funk), it's making beers that beg to be noticed, even outside the main hall.
Labels: Funky Buddha Brewing, Great American Beer Festival, Melvin Brewing, Odd 13 Brewing, Spangalang Brewery, The Bruery
