Beer's big day: Recapping the 2019 Great American Beer Festival

(Photo: © Brewers Association).

If there's one thing to be said with certainty regarding the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), it's that the Denver, Colorado-based event just keeps getting bigger. That applies not only to the competition, but also to the amount of area attendees must traverse in order to seek out the most highly sought-after samples on the festival floor.

On the latter point, the festival has grown to encompass nearly 600,000 square feet of convention center space. That's roughly equivalent to 10 football fields, which is great if you're looking to up your step count while imbibing on beers from around the country.

At the same time, I imagine it could be a little overwhelming to someone embarking on GABF for the first time. Luckily, there were plenty of things to see and do if you needed to take a break from your tasting trek. Among them, the History of Craft Beer Exhibit was new for 2019, while the Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden was a holdover from last year. In addition, Sierra Nevada trucked in its original brewhouse, with the equipment proving to be a popular display among patrons.

Sierra Nevada's original brewhouse was a 10-barrel system (Photo: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Shifting the focus to the competition, the 2019 edition was the largest to date, with 9,497 beers from 2,295 breweries evaluated across 107 categories. From within those entries, two North Texas breweries were awarded medals.

• Community Beer Co., Dallas: Gold for Texas Lager in the Session Beer category.
• Bitter Sisters Brewery, Addison: Bronze for Sisters Quad in the Belgian-style Dark Strong or Belgian-Style Quadrupel category.

For Community, the company earned its fifth overall GABF medal this year, while it was the first for Bitter Sisters. It's perhaps notable that both have also been recognized previously at the World Beer Cup.

Now, some will point out that this is the lowest award total for our region since 2013. Yet, while that might present itself as an unexpected (and/or concerning) drop-off compared to recent times, it's probably just a result of increased competition from an ever-growing field of competing breweries.

Representatives from Community Beer Co. of Dallas celebrate their gold medal with
Charlie Papazian, founder of the Great American Beer Festival (Photo: © Brewers Association).

As for more news and notes from the festival and beyond, coverage on further items of interest is provided below.

Cheers!

Community shines as my first, best 'mate'

Speaking of Community, one of the more popular local releases of late has been the company's Irish Coffee Legion. The result of a partnership with Jameson Distillery, the beer was poured at GABF inside the aforementioned Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden. Being a fan of Irish Coffee Legion (having purchased multiple four-packs here at home), I thought it would be interesting to compare/contrast with some of the other collaborations. The result? After trying over a half-dozen others, I walked out of the beer garden thinking Community's was the best one.

Altstadt garners two golds ahead of North Texas distro

Altstadt Brewery of Fredericksburg arrived at its first GABF in 2019 and promptly won two gold medals - one for Altstadt Lager and another for Altstadt Kölsch. How does this apply to North Texas? Well, the company has signed on with Andrews Distributing for the delivery of its products to the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Kegs are said to be rolling out first, with packaged products to follow later.

S'mores to come from Great Divide's Yeti clan

New release announcements ahead of GABF seem to be few and far between these days, but one I got a heads up on was S'mores Yeti from Great Divide Brewing Co. of Denver. Brewed with chocolate, marshmallow and spices, the beer is reminiscent of Birthday Sasquatch (10.3% ABV) from 903 Brewers in Sherman, though S'mores Yeti (9.5% ABV) is a bit lighter in strength and less intense. Set to be available from now until December, look for S'mores Yeti to be sold in 19.2-ounce cans.

Taproom trips

By now, it's become tradition for me to end my GABF recap with a rundown of taproom visits outside the festival. This time around, I managed to visit a dozen breweries in and around Denver, including some down around Colorado Springs. I won't try to cover them all, but here are some thoughts on a few favorites.

Left-to-right: Renegade Brewing, Spangalang Brewery, Black Project Spontaneous
& Wild Ales, Manitou Brewing Co. (Photos: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

• Renegade Brewing, Denver: I kicked-off my GABF journey this year at this spot in Denver's Santa Fe Arts District. Appropriately enough, my first beer at a brewery that bills its products as "Offensively Delicious" was a barleywine called Barrel-Aged Bedwetter.
• Spangalang Brewery, Denver: A bit off the beaten path in Denver's Historic Five Points neighborhood, Spangalang had the best vibe among those I visited. Of course, that may be because of a soundtrack filled with the sounds of jazz greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and more. Though, that should have been expected given Spangalang refers to a jazz cymbal rhythm created by drummer Kenny Clarke in the 1940s.
• Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Denver: Although set up in a revamped building downtown, the brewery's dark rooms housing a multitude of barrels make it seem like you're drinking beer in a cave-aging environment. Interesting and unusual offerings abound, with my choice being one called Experimental #1, a spontaneously fermented gose with hickory-smoked salt, rosemary and coriander.
• Manitou Brewing Co., Manitou Springs: Should you find yourself south of Denver, you'd do well to end up at Manitou Brewing Co. in Historic Manitou Springs. It's a small place nestled into downtown, but the brewpub is churning out great food to go along with a variety of full-flavored beer styles.

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For more on the 2019 GABF and the historical performance of breweries from North Texas, click the links below:

• Official press release from the Brewers Association, with a summary of 2019 festival statistics.
• Download a complete list of 2019 winners in PDF form.
• View a historical chronicle of awards won by North Texas breweries at GABF and the World Beer Cup.

Pigs, pints, prizes and pulp: A look back at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival

(Photo © Brewers Association)

The 2017 edition of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) concluded this past weekend in Denver, Colorado and once again a handful of North Texas breweries were recognized for their beers. It's clear, though, that the competition for medals is getting tougher, as breweries continue to open around the country and more beers are entered in the event. This year, 7,923 entries from 2,217 breweries were submitted for judging, which represents a roughly ten percent increase over the number of beers entered in 2016.

Up against that field, three local brewers brought home medals (depicted in the official event photos below), with that group being part of larger contingent of Texas breweries that landed a whopping 21 medals combined.

Armadillo Ale Works, Denton: Bronze for Honey Please in the
Honey Beer category (Photo © 2017 Jason E. Kaplan).

Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth: Silver for Oktoberfest in the

German-Style Maerzen category (Photo © 2017 Jason E. Kaplan).

Peticolas Brewing Co., Dallas: Silver for It's Always Something in the

Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale category (Photo © 2017 Jason E. Kaplan).

Surveying the 2017 competition results, there were no first-timers from North Texas (something which hasn't happened since 2011), meaning all of the local medalists were repeat winners. Armadillo Ale Works scored it's second GABF prize, while Peticolas and Rahr & Sons earned their third and fifth overall medals, respectively.

As for other items worth mentioning from the 2017 festival (and beyond), I've broken things down into the snippets below - within which you'll find thoughts on a few beers that debuted during the event, not to mention a couple of others that came out of left field. There are also segments on the jumble of juicy IPAs that were available, and a type of beer not named New England IPA (NEIPA) that I'd like to see produced by a North Texas brewery. After all of that, I'll finish up with comments from the latest stops on my seemingly never-ending tour of Colorado breweries.

Cheers!

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On the lookout for a Lichtenhainer

Given the abundance of flavor on the festival floor, I generally like to go in with a plan of attack centered around a lesser-known style. One year it was roggenbiers...another time, smoked beers. For this year's tasting trip,  I opted to locate all the Lichtenhainers. Originating in Lichtenhain, Germany, Lichtenhainers are lightly tart, low gravity wheat beers made with smoked barley malt. In some ways, the style is a cross between a gose (minus the salt), a Grodsiske and a Berliner weisse, but it's the combination of smoke and sour that makes a Lichtenhainer unique. And, after trying versions made by Fair State Brewing Cooperative of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pikes Peak Brewing Co. of Monument, Colorado, and Texas' own Live Oak Brewing Co. of Austin (the best of the bunch), I can't help but wish a few breweries in North Texas would take a stab at the style.

Press Pours (a.k.a. new brew debuts)

With the stage offered by GABF, it's only natural to see a few breweries trot out new tastes as a way to get the word out to the masses. Along those lines, pre-release press notes were delivered to my inbox regarding the debuts of Alaskan Husky IPA, Great Divide Chai Yeti, Ska BHC Double IPA and New Belgium 1969 Lager. Of those, the latter was a clean and well-made golden lager that is slated to become the signature beer at Red Robin restaurants around the country (presumably including Texas, since label approval has been obtained from the TABC). My favorite of the four mentioned, however, was the new Yeti incarnation, which seemed to do a good job of balancing the added spice (cinnamon, green cardamom, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla) with the beast within.

A pandemonium of pulp

It seems appropriate that one of the first New England IPAs I tried at this year's GABF was called Wheez the Juice (by Drekker Brewing Co. of Fargo, North Dakota), since it didn't take much to sniff out samples of this popular type of beer. Whether it be on the festival floor or in a taproom around town, it seemed like NEIPAs were nothing if not omnipresent. That said, results varied, which makes me think that North Texas isn't the only region of the country still trying to get a handle on what these beers should taste like. In fact, I wonder if the lack of a discernible definition is what inspired the name of What the @$%& is Juice IPA from Pinthouse Pizza in Austin. In any case, the best I tried was probably Extra Extra Juicy Bits from Weldworks Brewing Co. of Greeley, Colorado.

The creativity of craft

As I tweeted almost immediately after taking a sip, the "what the ....? beer of the festival for me was Adam's Turkey Beer from 3 Freaks Brewery of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. This beer was straight up Stove Top Stuffing, which if the brewery's Twitter feed is to be believed, is exactly what was used in crafting the concoction. At the same time, I imagine more than a few people turned their noses up at Right Brain Brewery's Mangalitsa Pig Porter, seeing as how it was brewed with pig parts and all. But, like Wynkoop's Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout (the bull testicle beer) from a few years ago, if you didn't know ahead of time that the recipe for Pig Porter included whole smoked pig heads, I doubt you'd notice anything unusual while drinking it.

Taproom trips

Located in the Golden Triangle neighborhood of Denver, Lowdown Brewery + Kitchen offers just what the name implies, beer and food. I sampled and enjoyed both aspects of the place, which gets bonus points for having a few of it's own dedicated downtown parking spots. House beers are supplemented by guest taps, which during my visit included a swath of selections from Iowa's Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Best beer: Otay, an oatmeal stout aged in rye whiskey barrels (Photos © 2017 Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Pike's Peak literally peeks out over the top of a mountain range sitting directly between it and Pike's Peak Brewing Co. in Monument, Colorado. And, while the majesty of the mountain doesn't quite translate based on the locale, the brewery does offer a welcoming patio with views of other surrounding elevations. The beer and light bites are worthwhile as well, made all the better if enjoyed out in the open air. Best beer: Hot Shot Green Chile Ale (Photos © 2017 Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Speaking of patios, it doesn't get much better than the one to be found at New Terrain Brewing Co. of Golden, Colorado (image above left). The brewery itself is set off in a quiet part of town, which makes it a great place to relax and get away from it all. Plus, if you're lucky, you might even run into the now-famous brewery cat, whose co-owner just happens to man the taps at New Terrain on occasion. Best beer: Floodland 2X IPA (Photo © 2017 Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

The last stop on my itinerary this year was the Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery in Glendale, Colorado (image above right). Around since 1971, this traditional English pub housed in a medieval-style building boasts a diverse selection of over 40 house beers on tap. I only stopped in long enough for lunch, but I hope to return someday to partake in a few more of the spot's easy-drinking English styles (Photo © 2017 Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

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For more on the 2017 GABF and the historical performance of breweries from North Texas, click the links below:

• Official press release from the Brewers Association, with a summary of festival statistics.
• Download a list of 2017 winners in .pdf form.
• View a historical chronicle of awards won by North Texas breweries at GABF and the World Beer Cup.

GABF 2016: Dropping in on Downtown Denver breweries

A few days before leaving for this year's Great American Beer Festival (GABF), I saw a post on social media suggesting that attending the event is something that should be on everyone's beer bucket list. I certainly agree, though for me it's about more than just the festival itself. That and the competition may be what draws brewers and their fans to Denver each year, but the array of festivities that go on in and around the city all week long is what makes the entire experience a must-do in my eyes.

In additional to smaller events and the slew of rare tappings that happen day and night throughout Denver and beyond, there are larger events like the Denver Rare Beer Tasting, Epic Brewing's Firkin Fiasco, The Oskar Blues Brewery Ordeal and a little thing that has origins in Texas, the Beerliner & Chill.

On top of that, there are always a few breweries that choose GABF week as a platform for debuting new products. While the curtain is usually pulled back during a media-only event to start, you can almost always find these beers being poured on the opening night of the festival. Examples this year included the unveiling of Pils World from Ska Brewing, The Smoothness from Great Divide and a Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale from New Belgium (the result of a burger-inspired collaboration with Red Robin restaurants).

For me, though, while the Beerliner is always on my evening itinerary, if you've read my GABF recaps in the past, you know that brewery hopping is how I like to spend my spare time during the day. In the spirit of that, thoughts on those visited while on my 2016 GABF adventure are provided below. As an added bonus, this year I was accompanied on many a stop by Matt Dixon, co-founder of Dallas Brew Scene (DBS) and Executive Director of North Texas Beer Week. So, in the diary of drinking that follows, you'll find commentary based on our shared experience. You can also read Dixon's own personal rundown on the DBS website by clicking here.

Cheers!

Stops on the Beer in Big D/Dallas Brew Scene brewery tour...

• Wynkoop Brewing Co.

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

If memory serves, it was 2003 when I last went by Wynkoop Brewing Co., a.k.a. Colorado's original brewpub. But, dropping in this year was a given, considering low long-time North Texas brewer John Sims (formerly of Copper Tank, Four Corners, Oak Highlands, Texas Ale Project and others) recently re-located there to take the reins as head brewer. These days, the Koop keeps upwards of 30 beers on tap, including more than 20 of its own. And on this visit, the lineup included the brewpub's infamous bull testicle beer, Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout.

As for how Dixon and I ended up there...

"Sims invited us to hop in a pedicab and head with him over to the brewery for lunch and a few beers," recalls Dixon. "I can only imagine what a sight three gentlemen of our size packed into a tiny pedicab seat, barreling through the streets of Downtown Denver, was to pedestrians. Not the mention the strain on our poor driver."

It turns out that two of the pedestrians who witnessed our jaunt were none other than Michael and Melissa Peticolas (and other members of the Peticolas Brewing Co. crew)...but that might only be because we screamed out a toast to them (with GABF session glasses in hand) as we rolled on down the road.

• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Dixon and I had both checked out Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project before at its location at The Source, and considering the brewery made the move there in 2013, it probably makes sense that we saw many of the same differences when comparing the past and present feel of the place. Brewing equipment that once filled space off to one side was no more, allowing for expanded seating which Dixon felt gave the taproom a "much more relaxed feel."

Something else we noticed was how Crooked Stave makes a series of "Petite" sour beers with fruited variants that brought to mind the Petite Golden Sour line made by The Collective Brewing Project of Ft. Worth.

• Great Divide Barrel Bar

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Due to a certain affinity I have for the brewery's Yeti Imperial Stout and all its variations, a visit to Great Divide Brewing Co.'s taproom is always in the cards when I'm visiting Downtown Denver. In the past, that meant hitting up the brewery on Arapahoe St., but now there are two places to get your drink on after the company opened Great Divide Barrel Bar in the River North neighborhood in 2015. Last year, crowds kept me away, but this time around Dixon and I made it stop three on our impromptu brewery tour.

On the atmosphere side, it's not a huge space, seating only about 40, but Dixon probably summed it up best by saying, "From the wooden staves hanging from the ceiling above the bar to the wooden furniture, the Barrel Bar lived up to its name and is worth checking out."

Beer-wise, options on the night in question included The Smoothness (a beer created in association with Jameson's Drinking Buddies initiative), the nitro-infused Velvet Yeti and barrel-aged versions of Hibernation and Old Ruffian.

• Mockery Brewing

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Mere steps away from Great Divide's Barrel Bar is another relatively new Downtown Denver brewery in the form of Mockery Brewing. It's a cool little spot that Dixon described as has having a "distinctly industrial vibe...with a unique fixture of pipes and lights surrounding the brewery's logo on the wall."

Having been here before, my impressions mainly centered around the fact that only one or two of the beers on tap were repeats from when I bellied up to the bar just last year. According to the bartender, that's the norm at the brewery, where constant rotation is just the way they do business.

We both thought Generation Boom, a big wine barrel-aged quadrupel, was probably the best beer on the board the night of our visit. Dixon also singled out Turn That Down Upside Down, a sour brown ale with cocoa nibs and cherries, and Shout at the Pineapple, a peachy and peppercorn-infused IPA.

• Black Shirt Brewing Co.

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

They may be wearing black at Black Shirt Brewing Co., but all you'll see is red. That's because all of the brewery's beers are red...the gose, the saison, the porter and any other style you can think of...all of them...red. The black thing has to do with representing the counter culture, while the red thing is about picking something and trying to do it better than anyone else. In this case, that means focusing exclusively on red ales.

And, while I spent my time at Black Shirt replaying a soundtrack in my head that consisted of the songs "I See Red" by the Split Enz, and "Red Skies at Night" by The Fixx...Dixon managed to maintain focus enough to recall details regarding both the atmosphere and the beer.

"The brewery is very music forward, so the place appealed directly to my two biggest inner geeks (that would be music and beer)," said Dixon. "They even had a farmhouse triple IPA on tap called Box of Boom in honor of My Morning Jacket's album 'Z.' As for some others, Ocean of Noise, a gose brewed with yuzu, lemongrass, Hawaiian red gold sea salt and dry-hopped with Equinox and Hallertau Blanc, and At Dawn, a Milk Chocolate Oatmeal Red Porter, were two of the more memorable Black Shirt beers."

Solo stops...

Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

This place had me at copper kettles. Well that and I have been known to enjoy a traditional German lager or two. Brought to you by a group that includes the former brewmaster of Downtown Denver's other German brewery, Prost Brewing, Bierstadt Lagerhaus is part of a hulking complex that also houses a cidery and on-site restaurant. As you've probably gathered, German standards are order of the day here, with a Helles, Dunkel and Slow Pour Pils being among the everyday offerings.

Tivoli Beer Co.

Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Tivoli Brewing Co. was my last stop before heading to the airport on this trip, and it was also the brewery I enjoyed visiting the most. And, the reason was entirely to do with the history behind the place. You see, at Tivoli it's a "what's old is new again" kind of thing. The original brewery has origins that date back to 1859 and the business continued to operate, with the exception of Prohibition, up until 1969. A revival of the brand occurred in 2012, with the brewpub of today being located on the lower level of the old brewery building. The structure, which also serves as the student union for three local colleges, also features signs and exhibits that tell story of Tivoli beer.

As for the brewpub, three of Tivoli's six year-round beers are inspired by products of yesteryear; Tivoli Helles, Tivoli Neef Bros. Bohemian Girl Pilsner and Tivoli Jet Malt Liquor. Those combine with outside offerings to make up a tap list consisting of 40 beers, the majority of which are supplied by small, local breweries from Colorado and surrounding states.