Sunday, October 13, 2024

Look Out, Creamland...

There's a new milk king in town. The 2024 GABF Awards wrapped up on Saturday, with New Mexico (specifically Albuquerque) breweries taking home three medals. That's one more than in the 2023 awards. The highest medal count for NM was eight, back in 2014. Brady McKeown and his crew over at Quarter Celtic took the first NM medal with a Gold for Vienna Fest Beer in the Vienna Lager category. Whoever complains about there not being enough lagers is living in 2017. There were 123 entries in the Vienna Lager category. Compare that with 117 in the Imperial IPA category!

The next, and final winners from NM were in the Cream or Sweet Stout category. Boxing Bear took Silver with their Chocolate Milk Stout, marking the third time that beer has medaled (Gold in 2016 and Silver in 2015). Three of the five medals Boxing Bear has taken at GABF have been for Chocolate Milk Stout, making that beer their golden cow. The Gold medal this year went to Tractor Brewing for their Mustachio Milk Stout. That's the very first GABF medal for Tractor! Congratulations to the NM winners.

Other interesting award musings: 285 judges were involved in choosing winners from 8,836 entries, for an average of 31 beers tried per judge. I beat that on Wednesday pre-GABF, but I had to pay a lot more than the judges. 1,869 breweries and cideries had entries this year. The Juicy of Hazy India Pale category had the most entries, with 349. That's 132 more than the American Style India Pale category, which used to reign for years as the largest category. Hard to believe, but the German Style Oktoberfest or Dortmunder category had the 4th most entries this year, with 210. The medal factory that is Morgan Territory took three more, including Gold in the Imperial IPA category. That's 21 GABF medals for the brewery that continues to fly under the radar. 10 Barrel racked up 6 medals at the fest. Will their recent layoff of their Innovation Team affect medal count in the future? I already knew this, but the judges agree that California reigns when it comes to Juicy of Hazy Imperial IPAs, as CA swept the category. DDH Pillow from LA's Highland Park took the Gold. That's two years in a row! And Highland Park also won the top prize, being named Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year. California breweries also took the top awards in the 1,001-2,000 Barrels and 2,001-5,000 Barrels Brewery Group and Brewer of the Year, with Orange's Everywhere and Huntingtion Beach's Riip winning, respectively. The least-entered category this year was American Sour Ale, with 19 entries. No, I'm not counting the NA category that only had 9 entries. Of the 326 medals awarded, 25 went to breweries who have never medaled.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

2024 GABF Drinking Guide, L-Z

La Cumbre Brewing Co. They skipped last year's fest, so it's good to have them (and Project Dank) back this year.

Lakefront Brewery Let's hear it for Milwaukee, WI Lakefront Brewery, part of the old guard in the American beer scene- 34 years and running. Black Friday is the heavy hitter of their GABF lineup (14%), but any of the 7 beers they are pouring are worth a stop.

Live Oak Austin's iconic brewery will once again have patrons and brewers alike lining up for their fabled Hefeweizen. I'm partial to their Czech lager, Pilz.

Maplewood Brewing Chicago's Maplewood is bringing Super Son of Juice DIPA and Barrel Aged Cuppa Imperial Stout.

Milieu Fermentation Looking forward to this Aurora, CO. brewery, specifically Milieu Pils. and Be Dope NEIPA with Citra, Nelson, and Nectaron hops.

Modern Times Beer Get it while you can. Sad to see a brewery that brought such great beers slowly going away. I'm going to wash away my sorrows with Mega Devil's Teeth: Double Dutch S'mores and the 16.2% Decahex: Double Coconut.

MORE Brewing They always bring a stout that's almost too much, and the 2023 Mendhi Imperial Stout, aged 27 months in four different bourbon barrels, certainly fits the bill.

Morgan Territory Brewing Who? This California brewery has been quietly racking up the medals since 2004, and they are pouring five of the winners at GABF: Big Bock Energy, The Cushman, Old Diablo, Metalmark Marzen, and HopTomic (2023 WBC Gold in Imperial IPA category). In all, Morgan Territory has amassed 26 medals at WBC and GABF.

Off The Rails Brewing Looking for something different? How's about a carrot cake pale ale? No? Ok.

Old 121 Brewhouse Well then, how about a Cinnamon Roll Dunkel? Hey, you didn't pay $100 to drink yet another Amber Ale named after a dog, did ya?

Pals Brewing At risk of completely ruining all beer credibility, here's another suggestion: The Big Pickle, a Cream Ale with dill, salt and garlic.

Pax Verum More Czech Dark lagers, please. Midnight Shadow from this Indiana brewery is just what you need. No carrots, no cinnamon, no pickles.

Pinthouse Brewing Austin's IPA specialists will be bringing three, including the Fresh Hop Training Bines. Tubinger Festbier is pouring as well.

Pure Project Will Pure Project make us wait until 7:30 before pouring Corylus Imperial Stout? Probably. Ugh, I hate scheduled pourings. But I'll hang around and enjoy sips of Rain, their unfiltered Pilsner while I wait.

Quarter Celtic BrewpubABQ local favorite has a couple of medal winners on tap at the fest, Prince of Dort-ness Dortmunder; 2020 GABf Silver, and Kill or be KILT; 2022 Bronze Scotch Ale.

Radiant Beer Co. Was hoping they'd bring Southern Holiday, but I'll settle for A Touch of Everything, a barrel-aged vanilla Imperial Stout with Comorous, Ugunda, and Mauritius vanilla.

Resolute Brewing Execrator Dopplebock has medaled 3 times at GABF/WBC. And it's 10%. I would call that a Triple Bock, but there can be only one. RIP.

Revolution Brewing Not only is Revolution bringing their fantastic V.S.O.J. BA Barleywine, they're making me type awkardly with D.B.V.S.O.D, a 17.6% ABV Imperial Stout, aged in 4 different bourbon barrels and finished on French oak.

River North Brewing The 7 beers pouring from the two booths from this Denver brewery come out to an average of 16.7% ABV. Enough said.

Russian River Brewing Could I leave them off a list? Heck no. Two booths at GABF and they'll still have some of the longest lines. They make a beer called Pliny the Elder. It's worth trying, I hear.

Samuel Adams Is this the year I'm finally around the Samuel Adams booth at the time they pour the 28% Utopias? Doubtful.

Skeeta Hawk Brewing I'm looking at your lagers, Skeeta Hawk. This New Orleans brewery is pouring Dorgenois Pilsner, February 7th Munich Dunkel, and Masopust Czech Dark Lager.

Sketchbook Brewing It's fitting for an Illinois brewery to have a medal winning Grodziskie. Try that and Celestial Figgy Pudding, a BA Imperial Stout with orange zest and black mission figs.

Social Project Brewing It's been years since I had an Arkansas-brewed beer. About time to try Drops of Jupiter, an all Nectaron hazy DIPA.

Strngebird Brewing Yeah, this Rochester, NY brewery is pouring Unfettered Soul, their 2024 WBC Bronze winning hazy DIPA. But they're also pouring Rode Vogel, a Flanders Red. How many of those do you count at the fest?

TapRoom Beer Company San Diego, home of the Barleywines. At least this place is, with their Moments of Silent Banter, a bourbon/port Barleywwine.

Templin Family Brewers Lagers are the focus of this Utah brewery, and their Granary Keller Bier is the highlight, in my opinion. But all the lagers are worth trying.

The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Another Brewery that can't be left off a GABF list, ABGB has won many medals for their Hell Yes! Helles, Rocket 100 Pilsner, and Industry Pils. And you can try them all.

Toppling Goliath The king of Imperial Stout producers (debateably) is bringing their hard to get and mega-hyped Assasin.

Verboten Brewing Take it Easy lager with corn, salt, lime, and ancho and chipotle chiles, and Smoke Monster BA smoked Barleywine. That's reason enough to stop by Verboten

Von Ebert Pils. And more Pils. Please.

Weldwerks Brewing Who's got the longest line? They'll be in the running. And they always bring the bangers, with Coconut PVW 23 Medianoche leading the way this year.

Wren House The line last year to try whatever special Imperial Stout they were pouring (that got spilled all over me) was ridiculous. Will it be the same for Kingsnake, a rye barrel aged Stout? Probably.

ZwanZigZ BrewingLet's end the fest with a beer that could ruin your night: the Ghost Pepper Imperial Stout from ZwanzigZ. You go first.

Monday, October 7, 2024

2024 GABF Drinking Guide, D-K

Derive Brewing Call me a sucker for fun beer names, and I'll remind you of the time you bought a beer because it was named after an Iron Maiden song. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Derive's Italian Pilsner, Unlimited Breadsticks. And Mr. Tastee, a Pastry Sour. And Turtlenecks and Goldchains, a NEIPA.

Diamond Spring Brewing I'm finally getting in Marzen mode, so bring on Bavarian PretzALE, a dark-wheat spin on the traditional style with crushed sourdough pretzels in the mash.

Excel Brewing A tequila barrel-aged Pumpkin? That would be a first for me. Excel's Bruja will be pouring in the Fright Themed Bar at GABF.

False Idol Looking forward to this hyped TX brewery. They'll be pouring a Hefeweizen, Saison, Mexican Lager, NEIPA, and Imperial Stout.

Fat Head's Can't do GABF without hitting up Fat Head's, if only for Hop Juju. Oh, maybe a sip of what may be the quintessential American IPA, Head Hunter. It's a six-time medal winner at GABF/WBC.

FiftyFifty Brewing Want to get a shot of Eclipse Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, of one the original sought after Imperial Stouts back in the day. Let's see how it holds up to today's standards.

Firehouse Brewing Hey, a South Dakota sighting. They're pouring Infernal Glow, a Gose with Persian saffron and Mediterranean sea salt.

Firestone Walker 30 WBC medals. 56 GABF medals. And I won a trophy for baseball when I was 14. This brewery has had so many memorable beers, but I'm most excited for Rip This Joint, an Imperial Stout collab with Side Project.

Fremont Brewing They always bring the big stuff, don't they?? Rusty Nail, BA Batch 8000, 2021 Coffee Cocao Vanilla BA Dark Star...whew.

Fritz Family Brewers They're just far enough from Denver (Niwot) to be an annoying drive, but worth it for the lagers. You can skip the drive and hit up their booth and try 5 of their wonderful beers.

Ghost Town The Oakland, CA West Coast IPA specialists are back, and bringing their 2023 WBC Bronze medalist Nose Goblin DIPA.

Highland Park Los Angeles brewery Highand park is at GABF for the first time I can remember. They be pouring DDH Pillow, 2023 WBC Gold Hazy DIPA, as well as flagship hoppy Pilsner Timbo Pils.

Hold Out Brewing If you've been to Austin, TX, you know very well why they brew so many lagers. Hold Old will be pouring Hesky Czesky Czech Pils and Neu! Pils German Pilsner.

Icicle Brewing Co. This Washington state brewery does IPAs right. They've taken Gold medals in both hazy and American style IPA categories at WBC, and will have those respective winners, Alpenglow and Dragontail at their booth.

Sunday, October 6, 2024

2024 GABF Drinking Guide Zero-C

You ready??? GABF 2024 is here, and so here ya go, my yearly look at picks for beers to try at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, broken down into a number of easy reads for the short attention span crowd.

3 Daughters Am I really going to start off this year's recommendations with a vodka-based drink? Eh, why not? Remember, people are going to stand in a line to try NA beer at GABF. It's a soft world. May as well stand around and judge those people as we sample the vodka/soda Rootbeer Float, Creamsicle, and RocketPop flavors from this St. Augustine, FL brewery.

3 Floyds Of course they're going to be on the list, and of course you were going to check out their booth regardless. Dark Lord Imperial Stout will be pouring, so come get a taste of Imperial Stout history. I'm looking more forward to Crushing Mass, the 15.1% coffee Imperial Stout. Oh, and if you still want more vodka/soda drinks, try the Pineapple Mango at 3 Floyds.

903 Brewers Another regular in my GABF picks, and this year it's not because of Pineapple Magic (though that would be enough), or Barrel-Aged Peanut Butter Stout. More interesting is both Bacon Cinnamon Roll Cream Ale, and the Zesty Ranch Taco Cream Ale.

Alternative Medicine Brewing A hibiscus (and 32 other ingredient) Pale Ale dry-hopped with Nelson might be enough to get on the list on it's own, but when it's named Bill Allen's Effing RAD!, that bumps it up. Bill Allen played Cru Jones in the 80's BMX movie RAD!, worth watching for the dance floor scene alone.

Alvarado Street Brewery Don't remember these guys being here the past couple of years. Love the tropicality that they bring to their hoppy beers. Looking forward to Double Mai Tai (the single version took a Bronze at the 2023 WBC), Keitora, and Double Howzit Punch.

Avery Brewing Co. You can always count on Avery for bringing BIG beers (Tweak 15.3% coffee Stout and Old Fashioned Friends, a 13.2% Quad aged in Bulleit barrels), and having brewing legend Adam Avery pour them for you. Always a treat.

Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales This Longmont, CO brewery is bringing some intriguing offerings, including Peacharine Memories Triple IPA with Nelson and Peacharine hops. Also Looking forward to PB Dream Imperial Milk Stout. Oh, and Carnival Dayz Caramel Apple smoothie hard seltzer.

Boneyard Beer No stranger to high ABV beers, Boneyard is pouring the 11% Notorious TIPA and Rum Barrel-Aged Suge w/ Coconut Imperial Stout.

Bootstrap Brewing Not many Imperial Red beers out in the wild anymore. Get a taste of Bootstrap's, the 2023 GABF Gold medal-winning Wreak Havoc.

Breakside Brewing Breakside does solid beers across many styles. Jaromir Lagr is, naturally, a Czech-style Lager that will be at the fest. Also looking to try the Fresh Hop Double Wanderlust, but the star is La Maison Du Bang!, a Barleywine aged in three types of barrels.

Brieux Carre Brewing A hearty welcome back to this NOLA brewery that skipped the fest last year. Known for their excellent lagers with clever names, Brieux Carre will be pouring standouts Malcolm in the Mittlefruh, Crispy Boiz to Men (GABF Silver 2022, Other Hoppy Lager) and Flek Me?? No Flek U!! GABF Bronze, 2023 International Dark Lager).

Burns Family Artisan Ales One of the more exciting breweries to hit the Denver scene, Burns will be bringing a Kvass, Old Ale, Quad, and the one I'm most looking forward to, N.P. Pilsner.

Cloudburst Brewing Our first Pumpkin Beer sighting, Your Worst Nightmare, a Pumpkin Double Milk Stout from Seattle's Cloudburst Brewing. Not sure if I remember seeing Cloudburst at GABF before.

Confluence Brewing Iowa is an underrated state, I decided on a road trip through last year. Get a taste of Des Moines' Confluence WBC medal winners Old Chungus, 2023 Gold in Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, and Over the Ivy, 2022 Gold in Bohemian-Style Pilsener.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

SD IPA Meets ABQ Market

I could be way late to the party on this one, but I just noticed Coronado Brewing Company beers in local stores. Coronado has been a San Diego area staple since opening in 1996. Back in the day, I remember seeking out their Islander IPA when visiting the area. Coincidentally, I also receltly unearthed a 22 oz. bottle of their Blue Bridge Coffee Stout circa 2011, which is probably drinking pretty bad right now. Both that and Islander are long gone as Coronado brands, but you can still get the San Diego IPA flavor from Weekend Vibes, a WCIPA that took a bronze at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. Also available locally is Big Weekend, an 8.8% DIPA. For whatever reason, both are priced the same, at $14.99, at Jubilation. Coronado beers are also available at Sprouts, Quarters, and El Rey Liquors.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Marblefest 2024

Marblefest, which I consider Marble's best annual event, returns to their 111 location this Saturday, August 24. The event takes place from 12-10, with a $10 admission being charged after 2 pm.

The highlight of the event is under the Oktoberest-style tent, where they'll be pouring flights of your choice of 5 Oktoberfest-style lagers from 9 local breweries. Enjoy beers from Boxing Bear, Sidetrack, Nexus, La Cumbre, Tractor, Bosque, Canteen, Ex Novo, and Second Street. That's three more breweries than what you'll find at the actual Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. $12 for a flight.

Six bands on the bill Saturday:

Nathan Fox & Friends

Trinity Soul

Sweet Roll

JD Nash and the Rash of Cash

Reviva

Slums of Harvard

There will be two stein holding contests, a best-dressed Dirndl + Lederhosen competition, and a yodeling contest. Food will be available from Urban Hot Dog from 12-8, NewMex-A-Que from 4-11, and the Albuquerque German staple Dagmar's Specilties from 12-6.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Ex Novo Shines on Central

Damn.

That was my first thought upon entering Ex Novo's recently opened digs at 7th and Central. Quite the wordsmith, as always. But it is hard to initially come up with words for a place of such shiny new elegance amidst a street full of run down or straight up closed down businesses. It's no wonder that this spot has had extended wait times for tables since they opened on August 9. But, you say, wait times? Isn't this a taproom? Why would I wait for a table when I can just grab a beer and a seat?? Well, that is where it gets interesting. From my experience in my visits in the short time Ex Novo's downtown location ha been open, I se this space as a restaurant with their own beer on draft, albeit a varied 20 draft beers, hitting multiple styles: German Pils, Italian Pils, Mexican Lager, ESB, Oktoberfest, BA Imperial Stout, Blonde Ale Pale ALe, IPA, Cold IPA, Hazy IPA, etc. No DIPA though? Psh. But the way Ex Novo currently runs the operation is with a focus on table service, as all indoor seating and even the inviting outdoor patio space requiring a guide from the host stand. There is a lounge area with nice couches and chairs that is open seating, but on a busy night will fill up with people waiting for a table.

So with my philosophy that good beer is best imbibed on an empty stomach, it's no surprise that I am not the biggest fan of the current restaurant over taproom concept, though in fairness this is a brand new undertaking for the Ex Novo crew and they may see the current way of doing things evolve over time. Or not. It seems to be working well thus far, considering the crowds. And the food menu looks ambitious, and I've heard good things about the taste, without having tried any myself. Entree prices range from $12 for the Latin American Power Bowl to $28 for Steak and Potatoes, though two other entrees have the ambigious and dreaded MP (market price) designation. A full liquor license allows this spot to serve up drinks with national and international liquors, and I noticed a good number of cocktails being enjoyed. In addition, the upstairs cocktail bar is currently open Thursday through Sunday and offers visitors even more drink/food options. Even without the "place to just go grab a beer" vibe, I love this spot as a positive addition to Central Ave. May more taprooms/restaurants/breweries join in on a downtown revitalization.

Monday, August 12, 2024

The King Has Returned

Not that it was ever even here. Jester King, the hugely popular Austin, TX brewery known largely for their wild ales, is trying the NM market. About time! I remember finding a bottle of Black Metal in Chicago back in 2013, but it's taken a little longer to make it one state over. So far, I've seen 16 oz. 4-packs or their Helles, Pilsner, Texas High Desert IPA (farmhouse/IPA hybrid), and Handmade American IPA, with Sabro, Mosaic, and Citra hops. Of the 4, I've ony had the Pilsner, which I found very enjoyable. It will be interesting to see how the beers sell in Albuquerque, which out-of-state breweries have found to be a tough market for their beers. The price point won't be much help, as all the two lagers are going for $14.99 and the IPAs $17.99, both at Jubilation Wine and Spirits. It also remains to be seen if we'll ever see some bottles of Fen Tao or Atrial Rubicite, or any Jester King bottles at all. We can hope!

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

GABF Tickets On Sale 7/17

Get your bots ready, as Great American Beer Festival tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 17 at 10 am Mountain time. The event takes place, as always, at the Colorado Convention in downtown Denver, Colorado. This year's dates are Thursday, Oct. 10 through Thursday, October 12. Tickets for the Thursday session are $85, while the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon sessions are $95. There is also an option to buy a pass to all three sessions for $220. This year, the GABF no longer hosts a Saturday night session. I can't say I'll miss that, as I never attended one. I've only heard nothing but bad things about Saturday night- rowdy people just looking to get wasted (and this differs from the other sessions how? Maybe on Thursday and Friday there were small factions like that, but on Saturday it's EVERYONE), breweries being out of everything...now this bugs the hell out of me. I ran into that issue last year as early as Thursday night! Come on people, if you're going to say you're bringing a certain beer, calculate it so that you're not running out two hours into a festival that does 1 oz. pours! Anyway, don't let that sour you, as that is an extremely rare occurrence. GABF is a well-run operation year after year, giving attendees the opportunity to try thousands of beers all under one roof. And don't forget, festival goers can also sample ciders, cocktails and hard seltzers as well. No, I can't say I'm a fan of that, but we all see how breweries are selling these items just to stay relevant. Lime with your beer, sir? But don't worry, there will be plenty of sours, hazies, and barrel-aged stouts to satisfy even the pickiest beer connoisseurs. If you're a foodie, you'll be please to know that Paired is returning this year as well. Paired matches up well-known chefs (like James Beard award winners and Michelin starred chefs!) from across the country with brewers to create the perfect pairing. Two sessions, Thursday and Friday night. $119 for Paired or $189 for Paired and festival access. Or if you just want to go to the fest and munch on your pretzel necklace, that's ok too.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Rest In Pease

After a 32-year career that began in customer service and ended as CEO, Bob Pease is leaving his spot at the Brewers Association in 2025. From the official statement: "After careful consideration, I believe it is time to help this great association transition to new leadership and for me to move on to new endeavors,” said Biden, errr, Pease."

Pease had a number of highlights since his appointment to CEO in 2014, notably being a key player in getting the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act to come to fruition in 2020. Craft breweries producing fewer than 2,000,000 barrels annually pay $3.50 per barrel in federal excise tax on the first 60,000 barrels produced in a year. For perspective, breweries producing over 2,000,000 barrels annually pay $16 per barrel for the first six million barrels, $18 per barrel for every one after. Score one for the little guys!

Pease leaves the BA at a time when craft beer production dropped 5% in 2023, though market share climbed to 13.3%. There's no denying that ready to drink cocktails, seltzers, and NA beers, not to mention the saturation of breweries in individual markets, have eaten into brewery sales. Also, beer consumption per capita continues to decline, though I continue to personally reach new highs.

The BA has hired Kittleman and Associates, a Chicago-based CEO headhunter firm, to search for a replacement for Pease.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

2023 GABF Final Wrap Up

I arrived at the festival early this year because there was such a backup of people waiting to enter the festival floor in 2022 that I almost missed the bagpipers. And you don't want to miss the bagpipers. I needn't have bothered, as the time it took from when I entered the Convention Center to the time I made it through the metal detectors was about 3 minutes. I call them metal detectors but they were unlike any I've been through. You could keep your phone, change, rings, etc on you and walk through with nary a beep. And the people working the detectors were actually friendly.

So I ended up having a half hour to walk the festival floor before the crowds were unleashed. Standing out immediately was how much open space there was. Because of construction at the Convention Center, GABF had 350,000 square feet of floor space in 2022, as compared to over 580,000 in 2019. This year, they were up to 437,000, though that's still almost 150,000 less than 2019. My unofficial count had 367 different breweries' beers being poured either at their own booth or at the Heavy Medal or Wish We Were Here booths. About 340 breweries had a booth on the festival floor. This is down from the reported 800 breweries attending pre-pandemic. As stated in a previous post, Albuquerque favorite La Cumbre did not pour at the fest this year, though their Malpais Stout was available at the NM Guild booth. Boxing Bear is another large Albuquerque brewery presence not at the fest, but they were represented at the Heavy Medal booth. Santa Fe had quite the beer trailer display as one of the featured breweries, and had heavy traffic all fest long. It was interesting to see Albuquerque's 377 Brewery as a Featured Brewery, considering they are one of the smaller NM breweries and don't distribute their beers. It seems to me that one of the reasons you pony up thousands to be a Featured Brewery is to get more people to buy your beer. Will that many people who attended the fest come to Albuquerque and visit 377? Let's hope.

Ironically, the 2023 GABF was not the place to go if you were thirsty. For water, that is, as the water coolers, which used to be dispersed throughout the festival, were all in one large section this year. Ths was a move that makes very little sense to me, as one of the nice features of the fest was being able to take a quick break with water that was always nearby. Those coolers also made for a good place to rinse out your glass of that 13% stout you just drank before trying a pilsner. There were squirt bottles and pitchers of water at every booth for rinsing, but those stouts really coat the glass. You can only stand there for so long rinsing your glass when there's people lined up behind you.

New to the festival this year was the large Gluten-Free beer section, which I joked would also be free of people, though they stayed busy in the times I observed the area. There was also an International Beer section, though the beers being poured were the standard ones you can find at most stores. I like the idea though. Can't expect them to bring in Cantillion. For the first time, the BA allowed seltzers, ciders, mead, and other things I don't want to drink into the fest. Also new was the National Black Brewers section, which garnered large crowds throughout the fest. The state guild section had some nice options from breweries not attending the fest, such as New York pouring Mortalis and Other Half.

On to the beer highlights: At the time the bagpipers marched into the fest (always a highlight for everyone), I was close to the 903 Brewers booth, so I thought it wise to grab a sample while I could. Last year, 903 had the longest lines at the festival at times. Weldwerks was conveniently close by, with their usual giant booth and large selection of barrel-aged goodies. They were one of the reasons I was wishing for a better glass rinsing option. Medianoche=thick. Other thick stouts were brought by Bottle Logic, who get my award for longest line at the fest. Saying that, Russian River probably had the longest sustained lines, but the longest at one time went to Bottle Logic (pictured). I will say that the Weldwerks booth was the only one that I saw two men sprinting for as the festival began. Literally sprinting. My kind of drinkers.

It was nice to see people lined up for The Lost Abbey this year. As I wrote in my GABF preview, I was the only one at Lost Abbey's booth a few years ago while Tomme Arthur was pouring me sample after sample of Duck Duck Gooze and Churchill's Finest Hour. This year I counted a line of 15 people at one point. A brewery that used to have them lining up is The Bruery, but this year it was simple to walk right up multiple times for Scoops on Dunn, which I thought was one of the memorable Stouts of the fest. The Stout with the most hype this year was Wren House's Triple Vanilla King Snake, which was poured at 6 pm. Thursday night, it was gone in eight minutes. On Friday, I watched the crowd start to gather around 5:45 and there was quite a long line to get a pour. It was a lot easier to get a pour of Nobo's BA 2nd Breakfast, the French toast and cinnamon roll inspired Imperial Stout. Best Stout of the year at GABF would have to go to Modern Times' Modem Tones: Samoa Cookie Edition. I needed to run my glass through a dishwasher after that one.

My surprise favorites of the fest are hard to admit, being someone who looks sideways at people adding lime to their lagers. But I have to say, Hoosier Brewing and Yah Brew Co were the most memorable this year, with the least-beer-like beers you could ever drink. First, Hoosier blew me away with Boxo Fruit: Cherry, a bright red fruit punch-type drink (I know, I can never judge another person's taste in beer again); and they also killed it with Fruit Fusion: The Phoenix, a strawberry, birthday cake, and birthday cake soft serve concoction.

And Yah Brew Co only brought two beers to the fest: Hazed By the Bell, a perfectly serviceable hazy IPA, and Orange Sherbet Push Pop, which tastes exactly how it sounds. And it was one of the biggest hits of the fest, with word of mouth spreading about this so quickly that by the time I returned to Yah's booth Friday night, the Push Pop was nothing but a memory! It may have been gone before the end of pouring Thursday night.

As the fest ended I thought of the overall experience, which was quite positive. Organization was on point in all aspects of the event, though I do have two issues: the water cooler section, and the pour size. The water cooler section can easily be changed. Now, the one oz. pours have been in place forever, but that doesn't mean a policy has to stay in place forever. Would the BA consider a glass with two fill lines that allows you to get the standard one oz. pour, but also a four oz. pour if you choose? I can get a good idea if I like a flavorful Imperial Stout from an ounce, but a good German Pilsner deserves more than one ounce (yes, I still appreciate a good German lager even after professing my smoothie love). And yes, you can get unlimited pours at GABF, but do you like to be A) the person standing at the front of a line getting pour after pour while people wait behind you, or B) the person waiting in line, getting your one ounce, then getting back in a line you just waited in for another ounce? With a four ounce pour, you can eliminate the first option, and if you get back in line to try something else, you'll have something to drink while you wait. The BA could sell the traditional ticket, currently at $95, and maybe have a higher price of $125 for an optional pour size ticket. We all need larger pours of peanut butter maple birthday cake push pops. With a lime.

Monday, September 25, 2023

GABF Awards Ceremony 2023- Them's the Breaks

The morning of the 2023 GABF Awards began like so many before, with me scrambling to wake up, brush last night's beer taste out of my mouth, and find some coffee to drink while writing about the awards. I needn't have rushed, as former CO Governor and current Senator John Hickenlooper hit the stage first and gave a not short but very engaging speech on his time in the beer industry.

2,033 breweries entered this year's competition, with 9,298 beers being evaluated by a panel of 250 judges. That's an average of 37 beers per judge. I had about that many pours at First Draft on Friday night after the fest.

On the local front, Marble Brewery took a Silver medal with Thunder From Dortmunder in the Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest category. Also, Flix Brewhouse won Bronze in the Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale Category with Tropical Mirage. The two medals were the fewest New Mexico has brought home since the 2010 GABF, when Chama River took the lone NM medal for Three Dog Night Baltic Porter.

Here's some random observations and stats on the awards: As usual, California and Colorado were the big winners, or more specifically, California was the BIG winner, with 73 medals, while Colorado had 36. Oregon did pretty well with 23.

California swept the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category, as well as the Imperial IPA category. And the Imperial Stout category. And the International-Style Pale Ale category. They also took Silver and Gold in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA category. Ironically, they only took one medal in the new-for-2023 West Coast Style IPA category.

And now for a word from our sponsors. Heard that many times during the awards this year. I get it; it's a necessary part of the ceremony in the current climate. Fewer breweries pouring at the fest means less revenue for the BA, who still put on a hell of an event and frankly deserve all the money they can bring in. Locally, Marble consolidated their production and MavLab spots into a single booth, while La Cumbre, a stalwart Featured Brewery, chose not to pour at the fest this year. On the other hand, Santa Fe and The 377 Brewery both paid to be a Featured Brewery. I did appreciate the emcee's subtle (sales) reminder of how gratifying it is to be able to pour your award winning beer on the festival floor after winning a medal. Always be closing.

Quick, what do 1852 Brew Co., Corn Coast Brewing Co., and Side Hustle Brewing Co. have in common? Yes, they all have Co. in their name, but I was going for the fact that they all medaled in the Juicy or Hazy IPA category this year. In the most competitive category (365 entries). And I never heard of any of those three breweries. And none got to experience the gratification of serving their award-winning IPAs on the festival floor.

The numerous breaks for people to "get up and dance" were curious considering that the awards ALWAYS run over into festival pouring time.

Remember when Iron Hill would win a bunch of medals? A lot less cowbell these days.

Lazarus Brewing out of Austin winning Gold in both Bohemian and German Pilsner categories means another lager stop besides ABGB next time I'm in Austin.

Modern Times lives! Bronze and Silver in the new Dessert or Pastry Stout category. Don't mess with a good thing, Maui.

Brett Pack members took Gold and Silver in the Belgian-Style Witbier category, with Adam Avery's White Rascal taking the Gold over Rob Todd's Allagash White, which took Silver. And if you were at the festival, you may have been served a sample by four of the five members of the unofficial group: Tomme at the Lost Abbey Booth, Sam at the Dogfish Head booth, Adam at the Avery Booth, and Vinnie at Russian River. Aaaanndd I'll admit here first that I didn't see if Rob was pouring at Allagash this year, really just f'ing up this whole nice little sidebar piece I was writing. But it was nice to see industry vets continuing to be a presence at their booths, though I'm not mad when there are just volunteers pouring who can't tell you anything about the beer. Even if there are brewery reps at the booth, there just isn't time to stand there and talk when there are 30 people in line and the rep has to pour for everyone.

German-Style Pilsner had the 4th most entries of any of the 99 categories, with 228 entries. And the Light Lager category had even more, with 284 entries. Fizzy yellow beers are for wussies, it was once said.