GABF 2012 Photo Re-cap + Tips: Sour / Wild / Farmhouse Beers

Sorry for the delay in writing my re-cap. I know the importance of being timely on the internet, but life is getting busy (and this post is super long). My first trip to GABF was a well planned and paced beer adventure. I'm proud of myself for controlling my consumption when presented with 2500 + opportunities to get intoxicated. Below are a few suggestions and comments for future trips, followed by my photo essay and all my tasting notes.

1. Prioritize your experience: Know before you go what places or beers you really want to go to or taste and do those first. You may think you have time on Day 3, but by the time you get there that beer is gone or you would rather take a nap (or watch football) then drive an hour to a brewery. My number 1 priority was to visit Crooked Stave, I have been exchanging emails and following along with Chad for years, so I made sure this was our first stop. Right off the plane Thursday night to Crooked Stave. The tasting room was winding down and luckily for us that meant a private tour and tasting session with Eli, 1 of the 5 Crooked Stave employees. It never worked out to meet Chad, but that leaves something for next time (and hopefully not around GABF because they are busy).
2. Prepare for Palate Fatigue - 1 oz tastings really add up and if you are at GABF to find some new beers or discover new flavors it gets tough as the night goes on. I was able to get in about 50 beers (that's barely over 4 - 12oz) before my palate was gone. Yes, I was tasting mostly sour beers and Saisons, so it might be different if you are drinking brown ales or maybe worse if you are drinking IPA.

1. It really helps to drink your rinse water before each taste - it cleanses your palate and prolongs your night. And more importantly makes sure you wake up the next morning not hating yourself and the elevation.
2. The pretzel necklace is pretty clutch. I had probably 30 -40 pretzels on mine and was done with it around 3 hrs in. And many people bring more than pretzels, so be creative
3. Its OK to pour out beer - You should know this as a homebrewer. There will be some bad beers - we hit a streak of terrible "sour" beers and sweet Saisons while in the Midwest Region. (There were also some great beers from that region). Just pour it out.
4. Enjoy Denver - Stay Balanced. As a beer geek it is easy to go overboard while at GABF with all the beers you can try. There are a bunch of special beers only poured at GABF, rare beers brought by breweries and then beers from places you will never visit. But life is about being balanced and Denver and the surrounding area is amazing. Explore the city (on foot or they have awesome rental bikes) or go for a hike in the foothills (the fresh mountain air does great things for a groggy head).

5. Ask questions and be friendly - the beer community keeps impressing me with the quality of people involved. Brewers love for you to ask questions about their brewing process or recipe design - just think about you as a homebrewer and how much you love discussing your beer. For the most part, the other drinkers were super polite, friendly and offered great tips.
6. Don't feel too geeky to take notes - I feel self conscious of taking notes (mostly because my wife clowns me), but at GABF I almost feel like it is encouraged. It's really the only way to remember what you had and what you thought of it. The added plus I liked was that it slowed me down enough that I was better able to pace myself through the 4.5 hr session.
7. Pick your GABF session depending on the environment you want

1. Thursday Evening - Best Selection of beer, Mostly beer geeks (who else would take time off work), and a lot of brewers
2. Friday Evening - A real mix of people ( geeks and partiers)- Almost all the beers are still available - a few brewers from the smaller places
3. Saturday Afternoon - They release some extra beers during this session, beer geeks because you need an AHA memberships, and a lot of brewers - mostly wearing their new medals
4. Saturday Evening - A real Shit Show - Not much special beer left - Brewers are all gone and the drunks roll in - people literally just go up to a booth and stick out a glass, take the shot of beer and repeat.

Below is a photo timeline of our 2012 GABF

  My tasting notes from 2012 GABF
Crooked Stave

 Mid Atlantic

 Ranger Creek Brewing

 Mountain Region

 Marble Brewing and Freetail Brewing

 Commons Brewing

 Cambridge Brewing and Trinity Brewing

 Jester King Brewing

 Funkwerks

 Jolly Pumpkin Brewing

 Catawaba Valley Brewing

 Elevation Brewing

Rivertown Brewing

 Avery Brewing

 Epic Brewing

I had an absolute great time. I am now determined to return, probably every couple years. And hopefully even for a Pro-Am at some point.

Beer Tasting: African Lager Review

This post is more for fun than education. Because to be honest there is not much to talk about with these beers. They are all lagers and pretty good examples of the style. You will also see included in the the tasting are 2 Egyptian Malt Liquors. Enjoy a much more picture intensive post.

All these beers fit the environment and traditional food well. When it was 100F cruising down the Nile in Aswan, these light Pilsners hit the spot. And when it came to the spice heavy rice and vegetable dishes of Egypt and Kenya, the high carbonation and crisp dryness helped to clear the palate.

Stella is probably the most popular beer in Egypt. It is made by Al Ahram Brewery which is now owned by Heineken (like all the Egyptian beers). Here is their description:
"Stella is the authentic Egyptian lager beer since 1897. For more than 110 years now, Stella has been providing unique quality through its refreshing suberb taste.
We believe in people coming together and enjoying themselves; taking time out from the daily routines that rein their lives; Stella is always there to offer them a free pass to a care free time, a delightful experience and enjoyment with every sip. Stella is all about "Good friends and Good time"

Taste - light, crisp and a touch of bitterness

Sakara - This beer was the most available for us on our travels. And it is also made Al Ahram Brewery.

"Sakara Gold is an Egyptian beer with a very smooth taste and very moderate Alcohol level 4% alcohol.

Taste - light, crisp and biscuity taste/aroma





Sakara King - just read their description:
"If you're seeking a more daring experience, make sure you try out the Sakara Ling 10% (long live the King)."

Taste - Actually pretty darn good. No hot alcohol, and a bit of caramel and fruitness. The flavors reminded me of a Barleywine, but with Pilsner flavors.






Meister Max - The other high alcohol option, also made by Al Ahram.
"With its 8% alcohol, Meister Max is a beer for a new and daring men generation.
Meister Max was the first high alcohol beer to be launched in the Egyptian market, and still it's the market leader because tat beer offers you power, taste and style at the same time.
Meister Max is a sophisticated and premium beer with an international dimension for the stylish and strong men only. It enforces your masculinity and expresses who you truly are; a virile man... It's part of the way you look and the way you act. It's got the looks and power just like you.
Meister Max gets you in the mood quickly with its powerful buzz and very acceptable taste: that beer is here to challenge you, to make you live your life to the max with style and control"


Taste - Covered in the description. Made me feel daring, powerful, sophisticated, stylish, strong, masculine, virile and buzzed.

Tusker - The most popular beer in Kenya. It is brewed East African Brewing Limited (EABL) as are all the other beers in Kenya. We did get to try several other beers while on Safari and they are very similar (notes below). Here is the description for Tusker:

"George Hurst a co-founder of Kenya Breweries Ltd, was killed by an elephant during a hunting expedition in 1923. In memory of his tragic death, this famous lager beer that he had helped create was renamed 'Tusker'.

Tusker is brewed from 100% African ingredients that are all locally sourced. The barley is from the Savannah and the Maasai Mara. The spring water is from the Aberdare Mountains. All the yeast is developed locally. The cornstarch is sourced from a local Kenyan company. Every grain of sugar is delivered from West Kenya. This means that you feel closely connected to the origins and roots of Tusker.

The taste of African spirit can inspire you going forwards, by re-connecting you with your roots. As the old proverb goes, ‘to know where you are going, you must first know where you have come from’. Tusker drinkers see the traditions, beliefs and cultures of their roots as the springboard for inspiration. They are full of optimism; focused on looking forwards, not backwards. Today’s triumphs are born out of and inspired by where we have come from – Tusker. Refresh Your Roots.

For consumers who are truly nationalistic, brand TUSKER is the beer that provides an everlasting bond of deep, natural friendship with their countrymen because only TUSKER Lager uniquely represents a true and refreshing spirit of national heritage

Tusker Lager is a medium beer with an alcohol content of 4.2% "

Taste - Clean, Crisp and nice bready malt background. Best enjoyed at sunset while watching a pride of lions.

At the Safari Lodge we also tasted the following (very little difference in taste for the Pilsners, we did a blind side by side test)

White Cap

Pilsner (great creative name)

Guiness (made in Kenya) - It is the Foreign Extra Stout version.

Beercation: Stop #2 Pittsburgh, PA

I was in Pittsburgh for business the week after our great Pacific Northwest adventure. While there I thought I would do my best to explore what the city had to offer.

My first side trip started with a trail run through McConnell's Mill State Park (had to earn my beer that night). This place is gorgeous with a nice path along the river in a dense forest. I didn't look at the map very closely and ended up running a lot further than I was planning. I was shooting for 30-45 min and was out for over an hour. But the scenery was a nice distraction. I wish I had my climbing gear because this place is just amazing for rock climbing.

Afterward I headed up the 76 a little bit further into the town of Slippery Rock. I went to check out the North Country Brewing Co. From the outside it has a nice woodsy, country look to the place. And inside is similar but it well put together and was pretty packed for a Wednesday Night. They had about 10 beers on draft and even one on cask. I order the 6 beer sampler and was very impressed with their beer. The beer that really stood out to me was the Slippery Rock Dew which from what I understand is basically a braggot. It had a great wild honey smell and a nice but subtle sweetness. And I happened to hit the place on Wing night (2lbs for $6).

The next big side-trip was my journey into downtown Pittsburgh. The stadiums are amazing, built right next to one another (I'm keeping me fingers crossed that San Diego soon follows suit). I did a bit of exploring through Washington Park (which is the Pittsburgh equivalent of Balboa Park in San Diego). I also got lost driving around but it was a neat way to see the city. I eventually found what I was looking for ...Church Brew Works.
I read about this place and knew I had to go. This is hands down the most amazing Brewpub I have been to. I arrived near twilight which was perfect to see the light coming through the stain glass windows. The church was built in the early 1900s and has high ceilings and a great courtyard with hop vines. All the brewing equipment is out for display on the altar and the bright tanks are located behind the giant bar. This is a must-go. Now onto the beer, had their sampler with 5 regulars and 3 seasonals. The regulars were all good but "Brewpub Safe" (meaning nothing that really impresses the beer fan). But their seasonals were interesting and the Imperial Irish Red was a fantastic beer. I found most of their beers too sweet for me but it worked for the Irish Red. To make this experience complete, I had one of the best pizzas I've ever had. It was a Pierogi Pizza (Pittsburgh is semi famous for their Pierogis, which are traditionally dumplings with potatoes and cheese)