All About Beer Magazine

Sunday at the airport

Posted September 28, 2009 by daniel 2 Comments | Post a Comment

There is something surreal about Sunday morning at the Denver airport after four days of the Great American Beer Festival.

The bright, stark light of the Colorado plains has replaced the muted hues of the festival interior. Gone are the roars of the crowds, the beer talks, the presentations, replaced by the dampened tones of an airline departure lounge. Sitting in a chair replicated ad infinitum through the long concourse, I couldn’t help feel like I was out of place, out of time. My nerve endings just wanted more.  And that’s probably the best magic of the Great American Beer Festival — wanting more.

Every Sunday morning, post GABF, I’ve had the same yearnings. I wish to hell I’d tried more beers!  That may sound funny after attending three out of five sessions, but the fact is this is one of the best opportunities to explore the world of American beer that you’ll ever find with one plane ticket!

After giving the whole thing some thought, and stuffing myself with a couple double lattes and one of the best breakfast burritos (complete with green chili sauce) I’d had in years, I realized a few bad habits that I have with the GABF that I’d like to share with you.

First, is food, or it’s absence. I rarely eat during these few days because of the sheer complexity of the schedule. Sure, I get to events where there are snacks, but proper meals are few and far between. Major mistake. Effective beer research takes a quantity of food to sustain it. However, care should be given not to load up on brats and chips. I had a major rally on Saturday when I wolfed down a pizza with plenty of veg.

Second, is the friends. After nearly 30 years in the business, I have a lot of friends and acquaitances. To be candid, this is one of two great events for catching up with a lot of people whose company I really enjoy.  (The BA, the talent behind the GABF, also puts on the other event, not surprisingly.) However, it makes working my way through beers a bit of a challenge. I end up in the middle of the hall catching up with one friend after another. It’s pretty cool, actually, but it cuts into sampling time.

Third, is the shoes. After going to every single GABF, you’d have thought I would have the shoes thing down. This year I took my hiking boots and somehow things just didn’t go well between them and the cement, not to mention the marching back and forth between the hall and the breweries of Denver. I actually had better luck with my dress shoes, to be honest.

Fourth, the altitude and dryness takes its toll each year on this North Carolinian. I just never got into the swing of drinking the gallons of water necessary to counter the effects of both. If you want to sample some of the best beers in the country, then proper hydration is a necessary habit to acquire, and quickly. Each year, I’ve failed at that.

Fifth, putting on a few events around the big festival kept me a bit too wired and focused for the leisurely wandering that goes with good beer exploration. Our magazine cohosted Rocktoberfest with Cargil Malt, White Labs and Hop Union, where a few hundred brewers got to socialize under a tent at Rock Bottom. What an insane evening: I hardly knew a single person. Another generation has come to the forefront and I enjoyed beginning to get to know them.  I was also overwhelmed at the success of the Denver Rare Beer Tasting, which we put on with Pints for Prostates. Rick Lyke and I had worked for eight months to create this event and ended up with an extraordinary afternoon where beer lovers and beer brewers met over exotic beers. Finally, we joined Dogfish Head, New Belgium and Allagash for a late night tasting of Reinheitsgebot-busting beers with a raucous crowd at Falling Rock.

So what’s a beer lover, and industry member, to do? Those stalwart few who have followed my erratic writings since the beginning may remember I proposed setting out on a journey. Here I am describing the behavior that derailed that adventure at the GABF. Is there a solution? I can see a lot of small behavior changes which could be made if I can seem to remember them (eat meals with veg and fruit, drink plenty of water, find better shoes, etc.). Still, friends and events are my steady diet (in my mind, magazine publishing is running a series of special events ) and not likely to go.

All I can say at the end is, “Next year it will be different. More beer!”

A Sensory Rush

Posted September 26, 2009 by daniel 0 Comments | Post a Comment

After Vegas came Denver. After wholesalers came beer lovers. After hotels came the fest hall.

This is the Big Daddy of all beer festivals. Forget Munich in the fall. Denver is the place to be if you love beer.
The Great American Beer Festival stands alone among beer events. It’s not just the mammoth number of beers nor the spectacular awards. This is, after the NBWA, the other annual epicenter for the beer world.
For example;I just left Jim Koch; Boston Beer, George Reich; Anheuser-Busch, Dan Carey; New Glarus, and Jamie Jarado; Spoetzl Brewing in deep conversation about getting beer to market. Meanwhile, beer lovers were lining up to see if they could have their photo taken with Jim. It’s that type of festival.
There are the hard-to-get-to breweries – New Belgium, Dogfish Head, Boston Beer, Stone, Lost Abbey, New Glarus among other – with lines snaking across the hall.
Then there’s the surprisingly accessible breweries, my favorites include Odells, Deschutes, Goose Island, Iron Hill, Great Lakes, Great Divide, Firestone Walker, Snake River, St. Arnold to name a few.
I tried something different this year. I wandered the hall stopping at breweries whose name I didn’t recognize (mostly brewpubs) and tasted their IPAs.
Two observations: First, the reputation of the craft brewing industry is in great hands. The beers are all great. Second, what extreme beer revolution? These were all excellent, accessible IPAs.
As for hidden gems, the hall is filled with them. Shorts, Jolly Pumpkin and The Bruery are now becoming well known “secrets.” However, Choc, Upslope, Dry Dock, Pelican, Two Brothers are among a list of breweries deserving more attention.

Spread over three days, the GABF can break all but the faint of heart. Still, three days aren’t nearly long enough to sample the country-wide offering.

Rare Beer Tasting Soars

Posted by daniel 2 Comments | Post a Comment

Sometimes everything works out so well you just stand there grinning. Such was the case with the first Denver Rare Beer Tasting held at the Wynkoop Brewery during Great American Beer Festival week.
Twenty-four breweries each presented one rare beer to the 450 lucky ticket holders. There were about 60 brewery reps on hand to talk beer and about 40 volunteers to serve.
The atmosphere was one of continual surprise. Brewers were surprised at the care and attention of the customers. The ticket holders themselves were surprised at how spectacular the offerings were. And Rick Lyke and I, the guys who put it together, were surprised at how much fun everyone was having.

For a couple of hours the world stopped and a room full of beer lovers revelled in their passion.

Beer Guys in Vegas

Posted September 23, 2009 by daniel 0 Comments | Post a Comment

The incessant clicking, whirring, and buzzing. All the drop dead beautiful women who smile at you and want to know how you’re doing. The hordes of glazed eyed wondering consumers. Welcome to Vegas, a place unto its own.
Every other year the National Beer Wholesalers Association holds a conference and trade show in Vegas. And everyone in the industry shows up to talk over whats been happening and how to move forward. What a gathering. What conversations.
The creation of two giant international breweries. The continued surge in craft breweries. The stagnation if not decline in imports. The emergance of huge chain retailers. The growth of giant wholesalers. And taxes, lots and lots of taxes.
But I have to tell you everyone is having fun.
Last night I bought over 20 Sierra Nevadas for friends at the hotel bar. There’s nothing better then hanging out with a bunch of guys you only get to see once in awhile.
It’s a great business filled with great people.