Grizzly Growler

The GABF is all it’s cracked up to be, especially if you’re media or a VIP. The schedule of events included a beer lunch, with select Colorado beers paired with various courses. I’d go into details, but there is much more to write about.

Check out all these glasses. But rest assured, they didn’t fill any to the brim, or I’d have had a headache today.
One of the more interesting aspects was the comparison of beer and wine, and whether one or the other goes better with food. This was not to be, as it has been determined by experts that both beer and wine go great with food, but that beer should be bumped up in status these days for its complexity and creativity.

After attending the beer luncheon many journos headed over to a mead tasting. Ah, yes, that honey wine has become almost as popular as beer in some places. It was a good tasting with great food and an example of what mead makers are doing now.

After running around in the bowels of a huge hotel for several hours, it was time to come up for some sunlight.
The Colorado Convention Center is an enormous colossus of glass and steal, flanked by a giant blue bear seemingly trying to peer inside.
Upon my early arrival I had a few moments to scope out the beers from Montana.

It was a brief respite.
Soon I was engulfed by the throb of thousands of festival goers as they lined up to try beers from parts of the country they’ve never heard of.
Experts ranging from Charlie Papazian, the father of home brewing to Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at The Brooklyn Brewery, spoke in honor of Michael Jackson and about the current state of beer in America.

After several hours of trying America’s beers one ounce at a time, I left with a herd of podcasters. They’d heard that Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, was going to be at the Falling Rock Tap Room.
And when Sam handed his credit card to a bartender and said, “I’ll buy for the next 20 minutes,” well, this is what it looked like.

It was great to hang out with some of the top beer makers out there and some of the movers and shakers in the beer business.
But my favorite part is meeting new people from breweries near and far, like those guys from Durango Brewing Company and my new podcast friends from Nashville.
I have many more details to fill in here and countless stories to tell, but I must be off to see how Montana beers faired in the judging, the results of which will be released in just over an hour.
I’ll see you soon,

GG