HAUS
member for now
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 4054
Loc: Paradise
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Anyone going??
Leaving a week from today to attend. 3rd one and they never get old.
I'm telling you all, (and Ozark can back it up) you need to hit this thing before you keel over. It's a beer lover's heaven. This year they are saying 2100 different beers to sample from 495 brewers.
They've raised ticket prices $5 a head each year since I 1st went. Up to $55 now and they keep selling out early. I still think it's a bargain considering the huge numbers of brews available to sample. Still yet, you better plan to hit one soon before they raise the price to $100 a head...
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Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day..
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Ozark
member
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 4012
Loc: out in the woods
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Haus, as much as you enjoy the GABF, you need to enjoy it from the inside rather than the outside. I'm telling ya.
Check out the American Homebrewer's Association (Association of Brewers) BJCP. That's the Beer Judge Certification Program. I'm sure the info is on their web page.
They'll probably have some BJCP classes associated with the Beer Festival, and they're all around the country year-round sponsored by local homebrew clubs. The "classes" are fun - they charge a small fee, but there's beer tasting involved.
Once you become a Certified Judge, then you can work the Beer Festival Competition next year and the years after. They always need judges, and you start at a minor level and work your way up with experience.
Thing is, that gets you in the Festival as a participant - no charge. Even better, when the Festival is over the remains of those 2100 beers, the brewers, and the judges have a barbecue/campout with all the beers on tap for free, all night long. If you think you're having fun now, imagine sitting by a campfire drinking those beers with the brewers who make 'em.
That's why I still carry my A.H.A. Lifetime Member card and my Certified Beer Judge card. I can crash those parties - and you oughta get rigged up so you can too.
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HAUS
member for now
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 4054
Loc: Paradise
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Ozark, that is an awesome idea. I am a member of the AHA, and never really looked at the certification. I figured it took more to get certified than what I thought. I guess being certified would help find faults in my own brew and in the end help me make better beer.
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to check it out.
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Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day..
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HAUS
member for now
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 4054
Loc: Paradise
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Figured I'd give an update on this in case anyone gives a rip.
Don't have the list made up yet, but I scratched out a little over 50 samples.
Highlights of the trip.. met and talked with numerous head brewers. Went to a bar on Saturday night after the GABF was done and ran into Carol Stoudt from Stoudts Brewing in PA. Also saw Peter B, head brewmaster from New Belgium and Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery. The bar is called Falling Rock Taproom. Pretty cool place if you are downtown. The place was crawling with brewers after the fest. I guess it's where everyone goes after the festival is over. Saw lots of folks walking around with their medals on. It's a few blocks from Coors field.
Speaking of Coors, saw Pete Coors at the festival but didn't talk to him. Talked a few minutes with Randy Mosher. About a week earlier, I watched a video called "The Great American Brew". It's a history of beer in America. Pretty good video. Randy was one of the people in the movie. I recognized him from the video, so I stopped him and we talked about the film.
For the first time, the GABF allowed members of the AHA a VIP entrance. Shorter wait and we got to go in about 20 mins before the general public. Pretty neat walking around the booths before it got crowded.
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Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day..
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HAUS
member for now
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 4054
Loc: Paradise
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No list yet. Ain't in the mood to get it together.
I thought I'd post up my favorites as they're easy to remember.
Top beer of the weekend came from the Falling Rock TapHouse. It's from Elysian Brewing in Seattle and it's their Avatar Jasmine IPA. http://www.elysianbrewing.com/BeerPages/Avatar.html
Yeah sounds gay, but man it's smooth. I just had a Hercules Double IPA, so it may have seemed weaker than it really is, but it was the best I tasted all weekend. I had a pint of it. Couldn't really smell any floral hoppiness, but it's dry as fork in Colorado. Not overhopped, and I'm not sure what jasmine is (other than that stripper chick up at PT's that one time), so I don't know what that added. It's just a damn good beer if you can get a hold of some.
Best beer I had at the fest was Red Chair IPA from Deschutes Brewing. http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/blog/200...-street-series/
Talked to the brewer that was pouring samples. I had asked about their Hop Trip brew. It's dry hopped with green Pacific NW hops. Since the festival was earlier this year, I figured it was too early for that brew. He said he just brought a keg of it down, but it was too late to enter it in the fest. They were going to tap the keg Sat night at the Falling Rock, so he recommended the Red Chair. Said they had a "secret" way of infusing the hops. Said they were creating a new style for this beer called "Northwest IPA". It's hard to describe, but it has a hoppy flavor up front and then just drops off the table. It's not bitter, has no lingering hop aftertaste. Just a smooth, amazing beer.
Strangest beer of the fest was from Short's Brewing up in Michigan. They had a beer called Strawberry Short's Cake. I didn't get a good read on it. Might have been the pretzel aftertaste, but my buddy said it was the best he had and gave it a 10. This brewery had a beer a couple years ago called Black Licorice Lager. That SOB was awesome. They make some different beers up there.
Wildest beer was Bourbon Barrel Stout from O'Dells. We didn't get to try any Utopias from Sam Adams, but this one was pretty close. It was like a shot of whisky and in my opinion a little green still. I don't know how long it had been aged, but it still needs another year or two to mellow out.
Classic moment was at Falling Rocks. Table next to us had six or seven folks sitting at it. I noticed in the carnage a couple chicks in tank tops loaded for bear up top. Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewing rolls in and these two chicks get up to take pics with him. One of the gals walks over to our table. On the front of her tank top it reads, "WE GOT CANS! - Maui Brewing" I'm guessing she's packing at least 40 DD's in there and I'm thinking to myself, "No sh*t you got cans. Looks like a couple forkin Folgers cans in there..."
She asks if we've had their beer since it's in Colorado and tells us about the benefits of having aluminum at the beach, creeks, blah, blah. My buddy tells her we'll try it as soon as it gets to Missouri and I tell her I like her advertising. She stands up, rolls her shoulders back and sticks the "cans" out and says, "It works." 
Good times for sure...
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Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day..
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