Boulder Dude

Thursday was the annual pilgrimage to the annual Great American Beer Fest. Every year it gets bigger and better. This years stats:

25,000 gallons of beer flowing at the festival.

408 Breweries
on the festival floor
(24 more than last year)

1884 Beers
on the Festival floor
(Yikes! 230+ more than last year)

473 Breweries
in the competition
(24 more than last year)

2793 Beers
in the competition
(includes 48 GABF Pro-Am entries)

39,000 bottles/cans
will be recycled.

~ 84% of beer
arrives in kegs

75 Style Categories
being judged + 1 GABF Pro-Am Competition Category
(6 more than last year)

107 judges from 7 countries
(4 more judges than last year)

Avg number of competition beers in each category: 37
(2 more beers than last year)

Category with most entries: American Style India Pale Ale, 120 Entries

Too bad that I have only found one IPA I like. ;p

This year it was only me and one of the Friday gamers (GM is in China and others were busy) went for beers.

The trip down was on the bus via the park and ride near work. I met my cohort in drinking there and we were in search of a place to eat before going to the Beer Fest. Previous trips have taught us to go, eat, and arrive about an hour after the doors open, so that we can just walk in and not deal with lines. Dinner was a place that we hadn’t seen before in the Brooks Towers and it appears to be a franchise of a NYC eatery called Gallagher’s. Steak sounded good but I am not venturous enough to try out a place food unseen as it were at the prices that they want to charge. So, we opted for the Bar Menu and had quite good steak sandwiches. Oysters (with a really nice wine dip to go with) for me and a really and Stever had a great asparagus soup. So Gallagher’s might be on the list for a future visit.

Our plan fell apart when we got to the Colorado Convention Center when the opening time was a half an hour later then we had thought it would be. The line wrapped *around* the building (note: the entrance is at 14th and California and the line went west and south until we got to the end of it at 13th and Welton), but moved quickly and only took 10 minutes to get in.

BD’s beer drinking was going to be limited, as always, to interesting Stouts (Chocolate and Coffee), and Porters. I did find one brewery that had a really pleasant Blueberry Stout…good stuff Maynard.

The first priority getting in was to find Walter Payton's brew pub since it has fantastic beer. This year they did not have their awesome Vanilla Porter, But they had a White Chocolate Porter to go along with the always good Chocolate Stout. It was chocolately goodness all around.

The best thing in Aurora (Well besides Randy, Attactix and Animeniacs), Dry Dock Brewery was there as they were at Brew at the Zoo. Still great beer.

One thing that I found both sad and amusing is that Maine Breweries Suck. Every single one of them. Think of any beer you like, and add a tablespoon of salt to it and that is what passes for beer brewing in Maine. Gaaaaah.

When I get home I will have to go over the all the swag I stuffed in my pockets and add links to the places I liked.

The T-Shirt of the night we just had to buy for the one of the guy’s that has gone along with us the previous 6 years. I am sure he will wear it in good health except to church/temple functions. ;P

The trip home was RTD at its usual slow pace (you have to figure that for anything you take RTD for that you are going to have to spend at least half the time at the event in travel) and I got home late.