Heavy Drinkers Outlive Abstainers | Brookston Beer Bulletin

Ah, just as I suspected. Avoiding alcohol is bad for your health. Study shows moderate, and even heavy drinkers have lower mortality rates than non-drinkers. Click the link for the full story.

Cheers,
Michael


Heavy Drinkers Outlive Abstainers | Brookston Beer Bulletin

Vom beten und Bier brauen! Kloster Saint Remy de Rochefort

Very interesting film about the Monastery and brewery at Rochefort - even if you don't speak French or German!

Flying Dog is back in Denver

Flying Dog is back in Denver

Click link for story.

Colorado Breweries Celebrate American Craft Beer Week

Did you know that this is American Craft Beer Week? This national, week long celebration features craft brewers showing off some of their best special releases, hosting beer dinners, festivals and more. For a nationwide listing of events visit http://www.americancraftbeerweek.org/

Here's what's happening at some of Colorado's breweries this week:

Dry Dock Brewing
Aurora, CO
www.drydockbrewing.com
303-400-5606

Description: Sunday May 16th - Chili Cook-off competition Monday, May 17th - Pilsner tapping Tuesday, May 18th - Cream Ale tapping Wednesday, May 19th - Tripel Firkin Thursday, May 20th - Dukelweiss Tapping Friday, May 21st - Wasabi Rice tapping (homebrewed by Kevin and Bill on May 1 for Big Brew Day)

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
Aurora, CO
www.bjsrestaurants.com
303-366-3550

Description: 7 Beers for 7 Days. Pick Your Day, Pick Your Beer, Pick Your Perfect Meal! Join us in celebration of craft beer with one of our Daily Featured Handcrafted Beer & Food Pairings for $14.95. Monday, 5/17 - BJ's Brewhouse Blonde® + Fish 'N Chips; Tuesday, 5/18 - Harvest Hefeweizen® + Balsamic Glazed Chicken; Wednesday, 5/19 - Piranha® Pale Ale + Cajun Pasta; Thursday, 5/20 - BJ's Jeremiah Red® + Small Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza; Friday, 5/21 - Nutty Brewnette® + Grilled Chicken Pasta; Saturday, 5/22 - BJ's P.M. Porter® + Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak; Sunday, 5/23 - Tatonka® Stout + Small Sweet Pig® Pizza. Promotional pricing available where permitted by law. Oregon customers please visit your local BJ’s to find out what specials might be available in your area.

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.averybrewing.com
303-440-4324

Description: Avery Brewing Company has a whole week of exciting events planned to celebrate Craft beer week. The Avery Tap Room will be pouring 22 (!) Avery beers all week long, ranging from our new "Tests Pils"--a light golden yet assertively hoppy Premium American Pilsner to our ever popular hand-drawn cask ales all the way up to our intense and unique Demons of Ale series of brews. Stop in anytime between 12PM and 8PM all week long! Special events are as follows: The World According to Avery Brewing Company: A Thorough Introduction to the Craft Tuesday, May 18th from 6-8PM at the Avery Tap Room Are you a budding beer-geek? Or maybe just a person that always grabs for a craft beer when out for dinner or drinks, but have never had the time to really get into what craft beer is all about? Sign up for this 1.5 hour long tasting/education/brewery tour event and we'll show you the time of your life! This event is designed to introduce the novice beer drinker to traditional styles, ingredients, flavors and brewing, all in one evening. We'll also be venturing into our Barrel-Aging Cellars to take a look at the new frontiers of American brewing. Cost is $15.00 and includes a comprehensive brewery tour, seminar, beer tasting and commemorative tour pint glass. Those interested should RSVP to C.V. to reserve and pay for their spots in advance.

Upslope Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.upslopebrewing.com
303-960-8494

Description: On Wednesday, May 19th we will donate a dollar from every pint sale from our Tap Room to a local charity (which we do every Wednesday). Upslope's Tap Room also offers Dubbin's Sandwiches and for the ACBW we will partner with Dubbin's chef to create a plate which will pair with our Single Batch Series brew. Also - look out for Upslope's 13.5% abv Belgian Quadruple.

Twisted Pine Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.twistedpinebrewing.com
303-786-9270

Description: Monday - "Independence Ale" tapping, $2 pints all night Tuesday - Beer Trivia and t-shirt giveaways Wednesday - Keep the pint night Friday - Happy hour all night long Saturday - 1/2 off sampler trays 12-4pm Sunday - Brewery Olympics Benefit - Events include blind keg tapping, frozen t-shirt contest, ridiculous relay race, beer trivia and chug off. $15 entry fee per team(2-6 people) Winners get free gear, gift certificates and bragging rights. Entry fee and 30% of sales will be donated to a charity tbd.

Boulder Beer Company
Boulder, CO
www.boulderbeer.com
303-444-8448

Description: For American Craft Beer Week, Boulder Beer Co. will be focusing on our specialty "Brewer's Choice" beers that are only found in our pub. All Brewer's Choice experimental brews, as well as cask and nitro beers, will be on Happy Hour pricing Monday, May 17th - Friday, May 21st, from 3-Close. We will have more than usual specialty beers on tap that week, so get them while you can! Our public tours are Monday - Friday at 2pm, but we are also offering a Working Stiff's Tour for ACBW on Wed., May 19th at 5:30pm. No reservations required.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
Boulder, CO
www.bjsrestaurants.com
303-402-9294

Description: 7 Beers for 7 Days. Pick Your Day, Pick Your Beer, Pick Your Perfect Meal! Join us in celebration of craft beer with one of our Daily Featured Handcrafted Beer & Food Pairings for $14.95. Monday, 5/17 - BJ's Brewhouse Blonde® + Chicken Fettucini Alfredo; Tuesday, 5/18 - Harvest Hefeweizen + Sesame Chicken Salad; Wednesday, 5/19 - Piranha® Pale Ale + Santa Fe Salad; Thursday, 5/20 - BJ's Jeremiah Red® + Small Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza; Friday, 5/21 - Nutty Brewnette® + Grilled Chicken Pasta; Saturday, 5/22 - BJ's P.M. Porter® + Chicken Teriyaki; Sunday, 5/23 - Tatonka® Stout + Small Sweet Pig® Pizza. Promotional pricing available where permitted by law. Oregon customers please visit your local BJ’s to find out what specials might be available in your area.

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.averybrewing.com
303-440-4324

Description: To kickoff American Craft Beer Week we've enlisted the help of three stellar Pearl Street restaurants: The West End Tavern, Salt Bistro and Centro Latin Kitchen. Each establishment will feature an Avery beer paired with a cheese of their choice, available on the menu all day on Sunday, May 16th. Do the tour and taste all three! Salt Bistro - Ellie's Brown Ale paired with Haystack Mountain Queso de Mano. Special is available ALL WEEK for Craft Beer Week! West End Tavern - Burninator (limited edition Elmer T. Lee Bourbon Barrel-Aged Smoked Doppelbock) paired with cheese smoked by WET. Centro Latin Kitchen - Avery IPA paired with cheese TBD. Please contact cv@averybrewing.com with any questions. Where: Pearl Street in Boulder (9th-11th blocks) When: Sunday, May 16th, all day Pairing prices change by establishment

Rockyard Brewing Company
Castle Rock, CO
www.rockyard.com
303-814-9273

Description: BEER DINNER - a scrumptuous 4 course meal prepared and served with BEER. Wednesday May 19. BEER & CHEESE TASTING - Taste a variety of cheeses and match (or not) them with your favorite beer. Thursday May 20 SPECIAL TAPPING - Tapping our first One-off. A limited special beer brewed on Big Brew Day. Friday May 21 BEER SCHOOL - A tour and tasting hosted by the brewery staff Friday May 21

Rock Bottom Brewery
Colorado Springs, CO
www.rockbottom.com
719-550-3586

Description: Daily food and beer pairings menu will be availabel soon. May 23rd brew dogs of colorado book signing with dog related businesses in attendance. Bring your dog and hang out on our patio with a pint of Lumpy Dog Best Bitter.

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, CO
www.greatdivide.com
303-296-9460

Description: Drink specials, special release beers on draft, tours and tastings.

Strange Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.StrangeBrewingCo.com
720-985-2337

Description: Strange will be celebrating our Grand Opening during American Craft Beer Week. Each night we will tap a new brew in our Tasting Room. So come check out Denver's newest and smallest microbrewery! Cheers!

Rock Bottom Brewery
Downtown Denver, CO
www.rockbottom.com
303-534-7616

Description: We will be featuring four different beers aged on wood. Two of them on a medium toasted Oak. Our House I.P.A. which we call Falcon on Trees. Another Oak Aged will be our Oak Bomb. We also have the Dirty Bird, our Falcon Pale aged for 6 months in a Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel. And finally Aged for 18 months in a Woodford Reserve we have Blitzen a Scottish Ale

Ska Brewing
Durango , CO
www.skabrewing.com
970-247-5792

Description: Fri., May 21 5 – 8 p.m. – “She’s Crafty…” the Craft Beer Week Blowout Party featuring: Special Ska Taps: Expand your craft beer horizons with these special, limited release Ska beers on tap: Black Trippel, American Amber, Imperial Brown, Flanders Red & Merlo Stout! Live Ska Music from “The Casual Fridays”, with “Shadow Hills Trio” opening. One free pint for all the crafty, craft-beer lovin’ women who come out! Final chance to sign the Beer Declaration of Independence Cover? Nope. Just bring some canned goods for the Durango Food Bank!

Ska Brewing
Durango , CO
www.skabrewing.com
970-247-5792

Description: Monday, May 17, 5 p.m. – “A Community Toast” is an informal event at Ska Brewing’s World Headquarters in Bodo Park. Beginning at 5 p.m., the craft-beer loving public is invited to join Durango’s Mayor Michael Rendon to toast the important role that craft beer and craft beer brewers play in our community. A special tour of Ska’s World Headquarters brewing facility will be led by one of the Ska Brewing founders. Complimentary appetizers from Zia Taqueria. - All Week: Canned Food Drive to Benefit Durango Food Bank - All Week: Community members are encouraged to sign the Beer Declaration of Independence - 5 – 7 p.m. – Craft Beer Week Kick-Off Party, featuring $2 pints (all taps) from 5 - 7 p.m. - Two special beers on tap all week: True Blonde on Nitrogen, and Special ESB on cask and dry-hopped with Fuggles Hops … plus 5 more special beers to be tapped on Friday!

Ska Brewing
Durango, CO
www.skabrewing.com
970-247-5792

Description: Wednesday, May 18 - 5 p.m. – Scheduled Brewery Tour - 5 – 8 p.m. – Bike Night / Canned Food Drive: Ride your bike to Ska and $1 for every beer you buy will go to the Durango Food Bank. Throw some canned goods in your pack, and if you drive, bring even more! - $3 Pinstripes & ESB’s – Sample 2 of Ska’s flagship beers, each for 1/3 of the cost of a downtown parking ticket.

Ska Brewing
Durango, CO
www.skabrewing.com
970-247-5792

Description: Thursday, May 20 4 p.m. - Craft Beer & Cheese Pairing & Canned Food Drive at Ska Brewing’s Tasting Room. Bring some canned goods down to support Durango Food Bank and for every beer you purchase you’ll receive a complimentary, specially selected cheese from Guido’s to pair with it. A small menu will explain which cheese is paired with each beer, and why. - 5 – 7 p.m. Live music from “The Assortment”. Local beers, local music, tasty cheeses. Don’t miss!

Rock Bottom South Denver
Englewood, CO
www.rockbottom.com
303.792.9090

Description: Tuesday, May 18th - 7pm - Chef & Brewer's Dinner featuring beer-inspired food (all food made w/ beer, too!) Thursday, May 20th - 3pm - Patio Brew Day! Brew with Rick on a homebrew set and get hands-on experience Starting May 31st w/ feature beers: Mon/Vanilla Brown, Tues/Black IPA, Wed/Hair of the Tongue IPA, Thurs/Black Bull Bock, Fri/Naughty Scot

New Belgium Brewing Company
Fort Collins, CO
www.newbelgium.com
970-221-0524

Description: A weeklong celebration? Yes, please. We will be toasting to Craft Brewer-ness with extra special beers. Folly ensues with random giveaways, discounts, and general glee.

Odell Brewing Company
Fort Collins, CO
www.odellbrewing.com
970-498-9070

Description: Odell Brewing Company will celebrate American Craft Beer Week with weeklong events, tastings, and fun. Each day a different pilot, cask, or limited release brew will be featured including the debut of Woodcut No. 4. We will also offer beer/food education, live music, and chocolate and cheese pairings. Stay tuned for specific dates and times.

Odell Brewing Co
Fort Collins, CO
www.odellbrewing.com
970-498-9070

Description: Monday 5.17 @ 7 pm @ Star Bar 2137 Larimer St. Denver. Saboteur Sampling. Wednesday 5.19 @ 3 pm @ Watercourse Foods 837 E 17th Ave. Denver. St. Lupulin, Cutthroat Porter, Saboteur, and Woodcut No. 4 (Marzen style lager aged 6 months in American Oak) Samplings. Friday 5.21 @ 4 pm @ Mayfair Liquor @ 1385 Krameria St. Denver. Woodcut No. 4, St. Lupulin, IPA, and Saboteur Sampling & giveaways.

Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, CO
www.lefthandbrewing.com
303-772-0258

Description: Left Hand will be rockin out during Craft Beer Week with special beers, live music, and fundraisers all week. Tuesday: the return of our Warrior Colorado Wet Hopped IPA on tap Wednesday: 400# Monkey IPA on cask Thursday: the return of our Fade to Black Export Stout on tap Friday: fundraiser for Avon Breast Cancer with live music Saturday: fundraiser for the Longmont Youth Symphony with live music by Andy Eppler

Oskar Blues Brewery
Longmont, CO
www.oskarblues.com
303-776-1914

Description: Join Oskar Blues Brewery for American Craft Beer Week!!! We’ll have a variety of events and specialty brews throughout the week at all different locations. Select Oskar Blues locations will have the famous Short Bus Imperial Brown Ale and Barrel-Aged Selections as well as our usual Tasty Tuesday and Firkin Friday. Take a peek at what’s on tap for the week!! www.oskarblues.com/blog/oskar-blues-celebrates-american-craft-beer-week-may-17th-to-23rd

Rock Bottom Centerra
Loveland, CO
www.rockbottom.com
970 622 2077

Description: Featuring a different beer each day. Monday 17th American Wheat Tuesday 18th American Amber Wednesday 19th IPA Thursday 20th Milk Stout Friday 21st American Premium Lager Saturday 22nd American Pale Sunday 23rd Molly's Brown Ale

Pagosa Brewing Co
Pagosa Springs, CO
www.PagosaBrewing.com
970-731-2739

Description: Kicking off American Craft Beer Week, our town of Pagosa Springs will be hosting a Classic Car show May 14-16. We're brewing a special Classic American Pils to commemorate the event! We don't do many lagers, so we encourage you to stop by that weekend for a true American Event. We'll be featuring Classic American Chili Burgers and Chili Dog too!

Silverton Brewery
Silverton, CO
www.silvertonbrewing.com
970-387-5033

Description: Monday:Tapping of Award Winning Seasonal Brew Brian’s Wit Tuesday: Extended Happy hour 4-7pm Wednesday: Beer & Chesse hour 4-6pm Thursday:Drink with a brewer night 4-7pm Friday: Our intern brewer will be giving a home brew demonstration Saturday:Extended Happy hour 4-7pm Sunday:Beer & Chesse hour 4-6pm

Rock Bottom Brewery @ the Orchards
Wesminster, CO
www.rockbottom.com
303-255-1625

Description: Monday May 17th Dopple Bock, Tuesday May 18th Sub 0 winter lager, Wednesday May 19th 2nd Anniversary Ale, Thursday May 20th El Chango Loco, Fiday May 21st Flatbed Wheat, Saturday May 22nd Hop Bomb IPA, Sunday May 23rd Terminal Stout

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
Westminster, CO
www.bjsrestaurants.com
303-389-6444

Description: 7 Beers for 7 Days. Pick Your Day, Pick Your Beer, Pick Your Perfect Meal! Join us in celebration of craft beer with one of our Daily Featured Handcrafted Beer & Food Pairings for $14.95. Monday, 5/17 - BJ's Brewhouse Blonde® + Fish 'N Chips; Tuesday, 5/18 - Harvest Hefeweizen® + Balsamic Glazed Chicken; Wednesday, 5/19 - Piranha® Pale Ale + Cajun Pasta; Thursday, 5/20 - BJ's Jeremiah Red® + Small Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza; Friday, 5/21 - Nutty Brewnette® + Grilled Chicken Pasta; Saturday, 5/22 - BJ's P.M. Porter® + Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak; Sunday, 5/23 - Tatonka® Stout + Small Sweet Pig® Pizza. Promotional pricing available where permitted by law. Oregon customers please visit your local BJ’s to find out what specials might be available in your area.

Rock Bottom Brewery
Westminster, CO
www.rockbottom.com
720-566-0198

Description: Come join us on Wednesday, May 19th for "Firkin Wednesday" where brewer Phil Phifer elects one of our lucky guests to hand tap a Firkin. Phil will be on hand to share his knowledge of "Cask Conditioned Ale". On Thursady, May 20th our brewers will be available for brewery tours and attendees will get to sample all 7 of our "featured" beers as our brewers talk about each one in detail. May 17th Rockvar Pilsner, May 18th Liquid Sun Wit, May 19th Cask Conditioned Ale, May 20th Hop Bomb IPA, May 21st Velvet Rye Porter, May 22nd Red Rocks Red Ale, May 23rd Gila Pale Ale

Craft beer industry growing in Fort Collins | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan

Check out this link to a great story about the growing Fort Collins beer scene. Is Fort Collins becoming the "Napa Valley of beer?"

Craft beer industry growing in Fort Collins | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan

UPS and FedEx Favor Wine and Reject Beer

Some stories in the news recently have brought to light the difficulties that brewers have when trying to ship beer. UPS and FedEx appear to welcome wine shipments, but prohibit beer shipments even though the two products are, for all practical purposes, very similar. Why the discrepancy? I don't know, but I can tell you that I have personally experienced difficulty when trying to ship beer to a competition.

I once had to go to two different FedEx locations to ship my entries. The counter person at the first location seemed thoroughly confused and needlessly apprehensive. After consulting with her supervisor, she informed me that I would have to go to the main hub/warehouse to ship my "yeast samples." Long story short - when I got to the hub, the agent gladly accepted my package for shipment. My mind screamed - WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! - as I smiled and swiped my debit card. Ultimately, it was worth my time and aggravation, for the beer in that box earned two medals when they reached their destination.

For more information on the perils of shipping beer and what you might do to help improve the situation, please check out the linked story.


UPS and FedEx Favor Wine and Reject Beer When It Comes to Businesses Shipping to Consumers

Troopers raid popular bars for unlicensed beers | Philadelphia Daily News | 03/08/2010

Not a Colorado story, but an interesting one none the less. Some of these "unlicensed" beers are widely available brands. Can you say neo-prohibitionist?

Troopers raid popular bars for unlicensed beers | Philadelphia Daily News | 03/08/2010

Beer Quote

Beer drinkers have been duped by mass marketing into the belief that it makes sense to drink only one brand of beer. In truth, brand loyalty in beer makes no more sense than 'vegetable loyalty' in food. Can you imagine it? "No thanks, I'll pass on the mashed potatoes, carrots, bread and roast beef. Me, I'm strictly a broccoli man."
— Stephen Beaumont

Tour of Ska Brewing

Ska Brewing Co. is located in Durango CO. Here is a video tour of their facility.






Part two of the tour:

Beer consumption could strengthen bones

A recent study conducted at UC Davis, linked beer consumption to stronger bones. Apparently, the stronger the beer, the more silica it contains. Silica has bone strengthening qualities. Of course one must be careful when consuming strong beers, because no matter how strong your bones are, if you fall down you might just break something!
You can search the web to find more details about the study. Here is an article to get you started:

Beer and Bone Study a Boon for Microbrews? - DailyFinance

Colorado Breweries Make RateBeer Top 100 List

Congratulations to the following Colorado Breweries who were awarded the designation of top 100 brewers in the world for 2010 by ratebeer.com. Well deserved! Keep brewin' that world class beer!

• #93 Odell Brewing Company
• #80 Left Hand Brewing Company
• #42 Oscar Blues Grill and Brew
• #23 New Belgium Brewing Company
• #20 Avery Brewing Company
• #08 Great Divide Brewing Company

For the complete list, visit the rate beer site here.   

A Limerick

Limericks are a fun, clever, sometimes bawdy form of poetry. They follow a very specific, well defined form. A limerick has five lines. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other, as do the third and fourth. The form looks like this: a-a-b-b-a. The rhythm is defined also, with three stresses on lines 1, 2 & 5 and two stresses on lines 3 & 4. Due to their musicality, limericks are best spoken aloud!

Here is a limerick for today, written by yours truly:

Mother thought gin was just dandy,
But father was fond of his brandy.
Tho' barley and hops,
In my book are tops!
Together they’re better than candy!

Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines 2010 (Day 2)

Here are some pictures and commentary from Day 2 (Saturday, Jan. 9) of the 2010 BBB festival in Vail CO. I highly recommend this festival. There are seminars, beer dinners, a homebrew contest and a commercial tasting session of over 200 different beers!

(you can click on the pictures for larger views)

The morning started at 10:00 AM with a seminar called "Brewing Outside the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!" The panelists spoke about their experience and experiments with unusual/extreme styles.

Panelists included: Kevin DeLange - Dry Dock Brewing, Sam Calagione - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, John Mallett - Bell's Brewing Co., Steven Pauwels - Boulevard Brewing Co., David Edgar - White Labs Yeast Co.

Here I am, listening intently, at 10:00 AM, with 7 beer samples in front of me. This brewing business is hard work!


The next seminar was called "Brewing With The Trappists" and featured Lodewijk & Gijs Swinkels from LaTrappe at Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven in The Netherlands. They talked about what it's like to brew at a Trappist Monastery and the brewing climate in The Netherlands and Europe.

Lodewijk Swinkels

Dan Bradford - publisher, All About Beer Magazine

 The next brewmaster's seminar was called "La Folie: Wood Aged Sour Beers." It featured Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing Co. He explained the brewing process for various sour beer styles. His two sons helped with visual aids.

Peter Bouckaert and sons.


 And now, the commercial tasting with over 200 different strong beers from around the U.S. and abroad!

Congratulations to Nick Callaway, who won three medals in the homebrew competition!

Chad and John-Michael of Michelob Brewing Co.

Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Here's to good friends!

Nick, Luke, Me.

Sam Calagione, meet Luke Moore.

Sam Calagione and Adam Avery.

Rob Todd of Allagash Brewing Co.

Me with Ray Daniels and Nick Callaway.


Here's a link to photos from day 1

Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines 2010 (Day 1)

Here are some pictures and commentary from Day 1 (Friday, Jan. 8) of the 2010 BBB festival in Vail CO. I highly recommend this festival. There are seminars, beer dinners, a homebrew contest and a grand tasting session of over 200 different beers!

(you can click on the pictures for larger views)

Sampling off-flavors in beer during the Cicerone workshop

Ray Daniels lecturing at the Cicerone workshop. Ray developed the Cicerone certification program to train sellers, servers and distributors of beer how to better care for, understand and present beer.
For more info, visit: http://www.cicerone.org/



Welcome reception on Friday after the Cicerone workshop. Lots of great food and special beers brewed exclusively for the 10th anniversary of the festival.

Dave Mentus of the Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont, CO

Below are some of the beers (but not all) I sampled at the welcome reception.

After the welcome reception, it was time for the judges to convene. 60 judges sampled, rated, critiqued, scored and ranked well over 100 entries from top notch homebrewers. Nick and I stayed to help out.

Room full O' judges!

My table.

Nick standing at his table.

Friends gather after the judging. (L to R) Dan Rabin of Celebrator Beer News, David Edgar of  Mountain West Brewery Supply, John Carlson of Colorado Brewers Guild


Later in the evening it was time to head in to the gourmet beer dinner. 6 courses, each paired with beer from New Belgium and LaTrappe. Dinner was fantastic! Here is the menu:

We finished dinner at about midnight. What a day! Time to crash and get ready for day 2. Here's the link..