The Ratings Game

Why Wine Ratings Are Badly Flawed - WSJ.com

I recently came across a good article about the imperfect science of rating wines. Click the link to see it. When reading however, you must keep an open mind. The author teaches and writes about randomness for a living. Perhaps his citations reflect his own personal agenda. My point is that humans are imperfect creatures. Our perceptions are a direct reflection of our own experiences. Beverage reviews and ratings are useful; they give the consumer a starting point of reference. My advice: try to taste without preconceived expectations. Then, drink what YOU like. This applies to all beverages, including my favorite, beer.

Psychographics: What Your Taste in Beer Says About You - Advertising Age - News

Psychographics: What Your Taste in Beer Says About You - Advertising Age - News

As with all marketing research, take it with a grain of salt (not the Corona, the article). According to this story, I am more open-minded than most people, seek out interesting and varied experiences and am intellectually curious. Oh, and yes, I do drive a truck ;-)

Schlitz Is Back

Schlitz, the brand that was once the number one selling beer in America saw a long decline in quality until it finally faded away. Now it's back. The brewmaster resurrected the original recipe and now, the brand is in limited release. I look forward to tasting this one. Read the full article at the link below.

Case Study | Schlitz Is Back - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com

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Congratulations Colorado Brewers!

Well, the GABF has come and gone once again. It's always great to attend the festival and related happenings around town. Denver is truly a beer geek's paradise during GABF week. Opportunities abound for brewers and beer lovers of all sorts to mingle, converse, share ideas and proudly showcase their beers to a multitude of sophisticated palates. This year, about 110 of those palates belonged to the judges, who sampled, evaluated, scored, deliberated and ranked the best of the 3,308 entries in this year's competition.

Colorado brewers did extremely well this year (as they always do), winning 45 medals. More awards than any other state!

Special congratulations go out to Dry Dock Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co. They received the Small Brewing Company of the Year and Large Brewing Company of the Year Awards, respectively!

For the complete winner's list, searchable by state, visit:

http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/medals/medalists.aspx

GABF Week at the Falling Rock Tap House

Fellow beer lovers,

Here's a list of special tappings etc. at the Falling Rock Tap House, the unofficial headquarters of the GABF. Hope to see you there.


Monday September 21st:

5pm. 13th Annual GABF Kickoff Tapping Party. Every year we save kegs to tap at this event. We will be tapping 10-12 kegs at 5pm of harder to find specialty beers from breweries from all over, some sent in just for this event. Some of the breweries: Avery, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Port Brewing.

Wednesday September 23rd:

4pm Flying Dog 20th Anniversary Beer Tapping
5pm Pyramid Snowcap Unveiling
9pm Artisanal Imports Come try out some of their offerings including a new, limited offering, Koenigshoeven (La Trappe) Isid'or 125th Anniversary Beer
Marty Jones & the Great Unknowns with special Guests the Rolling Boil Blues Band

Thursday September 24th:

3pm Boulder Beer Stranahan's Aged Mojo
10pm Upstairs - Stone Brewing. The Folks over @ Stone sent us a few fun kegs to try out like this year's Vertical Epic & a couple others.
10pm Downstairs - Shelton Brother's. Dan Shelton imports some of the most distinctive beers from all over the world as well as running an Export program also. Come & sample some of the beers that Dan is exporting (like Jolly Pumpkin) as well as some of the interesting beers that Shelton Brothers imports. Cost $20
11pm Jewbilation Bar-Mitzvah Schmaltz Brewing is turning 13 so it's time to celebrate. We'll have Jewbilation and oak aged Lenny'y Rye IPA on tap.

Friday September 25th:

Noon Sierra Nevada Kill-A-Keg See if we can drain a keg in less than last year's 15 minutes 4 seconds.
12:30 Sierra Nevada Estate. Not only did Sierra Use Hops grown on their own Property, they grew the Barley as well. Try out this new, very limited edition Wet-Hopped Ale.
1pm Meet Chris Brouwaerts, Founder of Brasserie La Chouffe from Belgium.
2pm Left Hand/Terrapin Brewing Depth Charge Espresso Milk Stout Collaborative Brew on Cask
10 pm Downstairs All About Beer, Dogfish Head & Others "Up Your Reinheitsgebot - an Evening of Impure & Illicit Beers" Taste Exotic beers from Dogfish Head, Avery Allagash & New Belgium that definitely plead the 5th on the German Purity Law of 1517.

Saturday September 26th:

4pm Boulevard Brewing Smokestack Beers on tap. Try out some of Boulevard's Specialty Offerings.
10pm New Belgium Brewing Rarities with Special Guests Elysian Brewing Company. Come try out some of New Belgium's Harder-to-Find Beers on Tap. We'll have Love, La Folie, Transatlantic Kriek, La Fleur Misseur & Le Terroir. Also in the House will be Beers from Elysian Brewing.

Denver Beer Fest

VISIT DENVER to Sponsor Denver Beer Fest in September
An Anticipated 60 Events to Celebrate All-things Beer at Locations Across the Mile High City

DENVER – (DRAFT, 2009) – To celebrate Denver’s claim as one of the world’s great beer cities, VISIT DENVER is presenting the first Denver Beer Fest (www.DenverBeerFest.com), which will take place September 18-27, 2009.

“The Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins urban area brews more beer than any other metropolitan area in the United States, giving the Mile High City claim to another moniker – ‘the Napa Valley of Beer,’” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO, VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The week-long celebration of beer-centric experiences will include beer tastings at restaurants, beer-paired dinners, “meet the brewer” nights, beer tappings, brewery tours and a variety of entertaining beer events.

Denver Beer Fest will be a celebration of all things beer leading up to America’s most prestigious beer festival and competition, the Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Denver Beer Fest is also sandwiched in between the two weekends of Denver’s Oktoberfest on Larimer Street.

“Denver has so many beer attractions that it seemed natural to pull them all together under one umbrella the same week as the GABF and Oktoberfest,” Scharf said. He described how many of the breweries visiting Denver for the GABF have historically held special beer-tasting dinners and events, but there was no central place to look for information.

“The GABF had their events on their Web site, Oktoberfest had their information on their Web site, and brewers had information about their events posted on a variety of restaurant Web sites so someone would have to look at 15 resources to see everything that was going on,” said Scharf.

The Web site, www.DenverBeerFest.com, will be a one-stop shop for all things beer that week.” He explained that a similar beer extravaganza in Philadelphia, timed around their annual beer festival, created 60 beer events the first year, but swelled to 600 new beer events the second year.

Two landmark events bookend the 10-day Denver Beer Fest:

• Oktoberfest on Larimer Street: This 40-year Denver tradition will be held Sept. 18-20 and Sept. 25-27.
• The Brewers Association’s 28th Great American Beer Festival (GABF) at the Colorado Convention Center: The GABF, Sept. 24-26, has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as offering the largest number of beer’s tapped of any place on earth and attracts 46,000 beer lovers each year, as well as the nation’s top beer writers and critics. More than 400 breweries are expected to attend, offering more than 2,000 beers for tastings and medal competitions.

“VISIT DENVER started Denver Restaurant Week five years ago to increase awareness of Denver’s fine dining,” Scharf said. “In five years, we’ve seen Restaurant Week grow from 84 restaurants to 225 this past year, with nearly 300,000 special-priced meals being served. We are inspired by the success of restaurant week, and the business it drove for our local restaurants. We hope Denver Beer Fest will increase awareness, both locally and nationally, of Denver’s important role in the nation’s brewing industry and of how many fine beers are made and sold in Colorado.”

Some of the beer events VISIT DENVER is planning during Denver Beer Fest include:

• Former brew pub owner and current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will tap the first keg and read a proclamation declaring Sept. 18-27 as Denver Beer Fest at Oktoberfest on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m.
• Rioja, Vesta Dipping Grill, Stubens, TAG, Elways, Wynkoop Brewing Company, Rialto Café, Oceanaire, the Tavern, Duo and many other restaurants will be offering beer-pairing dinners, many with the brewer present.
• Pints for Prostates will be hosting a beer tasting of twenty rare beers.
• “Beer and Burlesque, Tastings and Tassels,” an Avery Brewery tasting and “meet the brewer” night at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, Sept. 21.
• The Golden Hotel will be promoting events featuring the rare Coor’s Barman beer.
• The Dusty Boot will have a bartending contest to benefit charity.

Information on Denver Beer Fest and a current of list of events can be found at: www.DenverBeerFest.com. People should check back frequently as more events are being added every day.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 100 years of promoting the Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Tourism is the second largest industry in Denver, generating $2.9 billion in annual spending in 2007, while supporting 65,000 jobs. For more information on Denver call 800-2-DENVER or visit Denver’s official Web site at VISITDENVER.com.
C * H * E * E * R * S

With press or photo inquiries, please contact:
Rich Grant: (303) 571-9450 or rgrant@visitdenver.com
Jen Elving: (303) 571-9451 jelving@visitdenver.com

Beer and red wine marinade may cut cancer risk from beef

Beer and red wine marinade may cut cancer risk from beef

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That's right folks, cooking with beer is not only tasty, but may be beneficial to your health. Click on the link above to read the full article. After reading, pop open a beer, fire-up the grill and try out one of my favorite grilling recipes.

Michael's beer marinated grilled flank steak:

1 flank steak (about 1.5 lbs.)

8 oz. beer (nothing too bitter; Brown Ale, American Lager, or Amber work well)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a 1 gal. size zip lock bag, add steak and squeeze-out excess air from bag before sealing. Marinate in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Prepare a grill for direct high heat. When hot, oil grill grate with a paper towel dipped in oil. Grill steak for about 5 min on the first side, flip and cook 4 min on the second side for medium-rare. Grill temperatures will vary, times are approximate. Remove steak from grill and let rest 5-10 min before slicing.

After resting, thinly slice steak diagonally across the grain and serve. Try pairing the steak with the same beer you used in the marinade.

Serves 6

Notes:
Flank steak is a lean and flavorful cut of beef that is best cooked quickly and served rare to medium-rare to retain it's natural juices. I do not advise cooking flank steak past medium doneness (unless you are the sort of person who enjoys chewing on doggie toys).

US Open Beer Championship Winners Announced

Congratulations to Avery Brewing, Fort Collins Brewery, Oskar Blues and Silverton Brewery, Colorado breweries that won medals in the 1st annual US Open Beer Competition.

The competition was open to professional brewers AND home brewers who competed side-by-side in 50 beer catagories. One home brewer took home a Gold.

For more information and the complete winner's list, visit: www.usopenbeer.com

Odell Brewing Company embarks on new expansion

It was golden ales not golden shovels on June 9, 2009, as Odell Brewing Company officially broke ground on its new expansion. The project, which includes an expansion of the existing manufacturing, office, and tap room facilities, will help the brewery accommodate increased and enhanced brewing operations. “While we are expanding capacity, we are really viewing this as an investment in innovation in both style and process,” said brewery owner Wynne Odell. Not only will the brewery gain much needed space, but it will also improve its creative brewing processes with investments such as a single-serve packaging line and a new barrel aging cellar. Odell Brewing has partnered with local businesses RB+B Architects, BHA Designs, Northern Engineering, and Delta Construction for the project. The brewery has also incorporated multiple environmentally friendly installations and “green” considerations in its plans. “The design team made a concerted effort to create a facility that is both healthy and efficient,” said project manager Brendan McGivney. The brewery will work with Abound Solar on a roof mounted photovoltaic system. Abound’s solar panels, installed by Wirsol, will generate 50 KW of energy, which is approximately 1/3 of the brewery’s summer daily peak demand. Solar tubes in the brewery’s new warehouse will provide natural lighting, and a day-lighting system will actually turn off light fixtures when this natural light is sufficient. The brewery will also include a water recovery system in its bottling line that will capture clean rinse water and use it for landscape irrigation. In addition to the building, the brewery will include improvements to its parking, shipping, and overall landscaping. Drought-resistant plants will be used throughout the landscaping, and porous pavers will be used in the parking lot to minimize rain runoff. These porous pavers will be showcased by the city of Fort Collins as one of their Low Impact Development Pilot Projects. Odell Brewing expects to complete the expansion in early 2010.

New Posts Coming Soon

My apologies for not posting anything recently on this blog. I have been away, dealing with family matters. Will start posting again soon.

Brewery Tour: Chimay

Here is a glimpse into the world of the brewing monks at Abbey of Scourmont-Lez-Chimay with a brewery tour hosted by Father Thomas, Director of the Brewery.

Odell Brewing Set To Release Woodcut #2

Woodcut #2 will be released this Monday, April 20th at 2:00 pm in the tap room at Odell's in Fort Collins. Woodcut #2 is a strong golden ale aged in virgin oak barrels. This 11% ABV limited edition beer will be available in hand signed and numbered 750 mL bottles. I can't wait to try this beer! Woodcut #1 sold out very quickly so be advised, if you want to get your hands on some #2, don't delay. For more info visit: www.odellbrewing.com

Sour Beers May Be Catching On

Last night, I attended a meeting of the Brewnion Colony Homebrewers club. There were many fine beer, mead and cider samples passed around for all to enjoy, including two Belgian-inspired sour beers. Today, I came across an article in the Chicago Tribune that explores this unique style and how It's gaining favor with American craft brewers. Here is a quote from the article:

"In the beer geek population, sour beers are the Holy Grail," said Lauren Salazar, New Belgium's sensory specialist. "They're difficult to produce. They're impossible to control. But in the end, you end up falling in love with them."

Here's a link to the full story.

Colorado Beer Events 2009

Spring is here! It's time to put on your festival hats and get out and about! I have put together a list of events (festivals, beer dinners etc...) of interest to Colorado brewers and beer lovers. This document contains links that you can follow for complete information about each event. I will update the list and add new events periodically, so check back for updates. If you would like your event listed, just let me know! See the list here.

"Beer Wars" One Night Only

April 16, 2009 - "Beer Wars - Brewed in America" will be showing at a theater near you. This special screening will feature a live panel discussion after the film with Ben Stein. Ben will be joined by several of the country's leading independent brewers and industry experts, including Sam Calagione - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder, Rhonda Kallman - founder of New Century Brewing Company and co-founder of Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams), Greg Koch - founder of Stone Brewing Company, Charlie Papazian - Brewers Association president, Maureen Ogle - historian and author of Ambitious Brew and Todd Alstrom, Beer Advocate founder. For more info visit: www.beerwarsmovie.com

Beer Tasting and Evaluation by Joe Schiraldi

The following article appeared in the most recent email newsletter from Left Hand Brewing Company in the "Brewer's Corner" section. I enjoyed reading it, and thought you might also. The author has graciously granted me permission to post it here. Thanks Joe.

You may or may not be aware of the existence of the Beer Judge Certification Program. Its purpose is to promote beer literacy, promote the appreciation of real beer and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. Founded in 1985, the program has administered exams to 5000 judges worldwide, has judged 500,000 or so beers and sanctioned almost 4000 competitions. This August, Left Hand Brewing Company will sponsor an exam in our tasting room. If you haven’t been aware of this then I’m sorry but the chances for you to be able to take the exam are very slim. We are four spots away from reaching our 25 examinee limit. On alternate Mondays we have been conducting study sessions here at the brewery as well. Every two weeks we will be discussing technical aspects of brewing, the frailties and challenges of beer judging using human beings as the testing medium and of course tasting many different styles of beer through the whole gambit of beer diversity. The exam consists of 70% written material and 30% tasting. The scope of knowledge required to score high enough for National ranking as a beer judge through the BJCP is daunting to say the least. We have our work cut out for us.

Like many simple things in life, beer tasting and evaluation is easy until you allow human beings to get involved. Suddenly, all bets are off. When tasting beer we are hopelessly constrained by the fact that we are offering an opinion of what we taste. Depending on what philosophical schools of thought you cater too it can be said that anything that involves the senses is to be regarded only as opinion. There are many variables involved in how a beer tastes. Even when drinking bottles from the same six- pack there can be differences. A high oxygen content, bacterial infection or storage conditions can radically change the way two bottles from the same batch taste. These defects however are the easier elements to evaluate when tasting beer. Determining whether a beer exemplifies a particular style or, the degree to which it exemplifies that style when compared to other beers is another matter altogether. Accepting your personal variability is the first step to becoming an effective beer judge.

First, lose the ego. Admit that you are a human being subject to the frailties and weaknesses of the human condition. Remember that your pallet is just that, your pallet. What you do to it before tasting beer affects its performance more than anything else. That is why one judge does not a judging panel make.

There is a difference between casually enjoying and tasting beer and sitting in a controlled environment with controlled administering of beer samples for the purpose of evaluating which is the better example of an American IPA. These two environments should never be confused with one another. The first difference is distraction. With recreational beer drinking we are most certainly distracted from the taste of our beer either by conversation, a strikingly beautiful member of the opposite sex or the cologne the gentleman next to you is wearing. In a controlled tasting environment these outside distractions should be eliminated. So how do we have fun fooling our pallets?

One of my favorites is to put two samples of the same beer in a tasting flight say of Pale Ales or whatever. If the tasters do not know that two of the samples are the same beer, I guarantee you will get two different evaluations of the same beer. Why is this? For one thing ask a person a question and they are compelled to answer. If you ask me what the difference is then there certainly must be one and my ego takes over. I must give you an answer. If I fail to give you the difference you’re asking for, then I’m just not an intelligent and educated person. My mind’s defense systems take over and there is suddenly perceived difference. Secondly, fatigue certainly comes into play. Drinking a lot of beer makes the samples at the end of the tasting have less taste. The more flavorful and robust the beer the bigger the fatigue factor will be. Consider that next time you judge 14 IPAs for style conformity. This is much like that first bite of spicy food. It is the hottest. You build a resistance to the heat with subsequent bites. The same holds true for beer. What are some more fun tasting games for those just wanting to get an understanding of the madness?

We can look outside of the taster to affect the taste of beer. Temperature has a major influence on how a beer tastes. Try drinking beer from the same bottle but served at different temperatures. You are drinking two different beers.

There has been a resurgence lately of food and beer pairing. Why is this? The answer is simple; food affects the way a beer tastes. Proof positive once again that it is easy to change the beer taster pallet, that objective (Not!) tool of evaluation. Try tasting beer with different foods. Soon you will be much more concerned with your choice of beer at a meal.

The serving vessel has a huge influence on how beer tastes. There are many kinds of beer glasses out there designed…nay engineered to bring out the best of the beer that they serve. Try drinking the same beer out of different glasses and see how much of a difference it makes in taste as well as presentation. Belgian breweries devote a lot of time and energy developing glasses specifically designed to serve their beer.

These are some of the basics to hopefully turn you on to the fun and exciting world of evaluating beer. The scope of this discussion far exceeds the space allotted here. There are some important things to remember. As human beings, we really stink at evaluating anything objectively. Machines do a much better job at this. One person’s opinion is like putting all your money into mortgage backed securities. Diversification is much better. Be sure to invite lots of friends.

Joe Schiraldi
VP Brewing Ops
Left Hand Brewing Company

Video: 1930's German Brewery

Brewers, check out this excellent video that shows the workings of a German brewery in the 1930's, including decoction mashing and the use of a coolship.

RMMS 2009 - Part 1

The 14th annual Rocky Mountain Microbrewing Symposium Was held February 20, 2009. Once again, the event was hosted by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The Symposium was founded by Dr. James Mattoon of the UCCS Center for Biotechnology & Bioinformatics. Dr. Mattoon helped host the event, and along with Jeff Biegert of New Belgium Brewing, introduced many of this year's outstanding presenters.

This year's sold-out symposium was a great success. The presentations were informative, breakfast and lunch were tasty and fortifying, there were dozens of excellent beers to sample, and the camaraderie among attendees was second to none. When a group of 120 brewers and allied trade professionals get together in one room, knowledge is shared, ideas are born, friendships are strengthened, and a good time is had by all. Thank you Chris Stubbs, RMMS Coordinator and the event organizers for another great year.

The morning session got rolling with Andy Parker and Matt Thrall, the wood experts from Avery Brewing. They discussed how Avery Brewing Company approaches barrel-aging beer. During their talk, Matt and Andy shared what they have learned about barrel-aging, and discussed some of the successes and failures they've had along the way. They talked about different types of barrels for aging beer: wine, whiskey, port, etc., how to care for barrels, sources of equipment, blending aged beers, and different types of bacteria that can be found in (or added to) barrels.

Andy and Matt shared some aged beer samples with us. Among those samples was Avery's recently released Brabant. Brabant was aged for 8 months in zinfandel barrels, and inoculated with two strains of Brettanomyces. This beer is dark, slightly tart, and immensely complex. It weighs-in at 8.65% ABV.

The next session was on beer stabilization, presented by Mustafa Rehmanji of International Specialty Products. He discussed the importance of stabilization in the production of beer. He explained that drivers for beer stability include:

* Increased competition from imports
* Expanded brewery distribution range
* Consumer expectations for better quality and product consistency
* Need to reduce costs from returns of beer

Mustafa talked about the benefits of clarification of wort in the brew kettle, and how it can simplify and reduce the cost of downstream processing before filtration. He discussed some of the causes of haze in beer such as oxalates in malt, tannins and over sparging, and the importance of proper temperature control prior to and during filtration. He compared and contrasted the benefits of various beer stabilizers and presented research to support his discussion.

Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Company was up next with a talk on pilot brewing and recipe development. He talked about the 5 barrel pilot system at Odell Brewing. They use the pilot system for testing ingredients, developing new recipes and training employees. Odell Brewing connects with home brewers through the GABF Pro-Am Competition and a CSU brewing class gets to brew their own recipe on the system each semester. Also, the brewers at Odell's get to use the pilot system to express their brewing creativity and produce single batch brews for the tasting room. Having an ever-changing variety of beers available in the tap room helps keep customers coming back to discover "what's new."
















Doug walked us through his new recipe development process. He explained how employees do a blind tasting of commercially available examples of the target style. From this tasting, they discuss the qualities of each brew and decide how the new Odell recipe will fill a niche within the style. After an initial pilot brew of the new recipe, all of the beers (including the new Odell beer) are blind tasted again, and recipe adjustments are made if needed. This level of refinement would be difficult and costly without a pilot brewing system.

Tour: New Belgium Brewery

7th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest.

I'd like to tell you about a great beer festival coming up this Friday and Saturday Feb. 27 & 28. The Boulder Strong Ale Festival. There will be some outstanding beers on tap at this event, but beware, they are all over 8% ABV. The following is from the Avery Brewing website:

Featuring 60+ of the finest high gravity draft beers from across America. Beers will be over 8% abv, with some created especially for this event. We have planned that ALL beers will be available at the start both sessions. $25 at the door gains you entry, a commemorative tasting glass, and sixteen, 2oz pour, tasting tickets. Additional sample tickets are two for $1. There are no advance ticket sales to this event. Proceeds will go to support The Colorado Brewers Guild.
The 2009 fest will be bigger than ever. We have a ton of new participants with exciting offerings!

Friday, February 27th: 4:00pm-10:00pm, Saturday February 28th: Noon-6:00pm

Featuring:
Avery (CO), Allagash (ME), Full Sail (OR), Shorts (MI), Stone (CA), Pizza Port (CA), Lagunitas (CA), Jolly Pumpkin (MI), Shorts (MI), Snake River (WY), Smuttynose (NH), Russian River (CA), Bear Republic (CA), Dogfish Head (DE), New Holland (MI), Moylans (CA), Flying Dog (MD), Left Hand (CO), Boulder Beer (CO), Golden City (CO), Pumphouse (CO), Mountain Sun (CO), Twisted Pine (CO), Oskar Blues (CO) Wild Mountain (CO) with still more to confirm!

Where: Harpos Sports Grill, 2860 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder 80303
www.harpossportsgrill.com
There will also be discount hotel rooms available at The Boulder Outlook Hotel and Boulder Inn, both walking distance form the fest.

If you have any questions regarding the Boulder Strong Ale Fest please contact peter@averybrewing.com.

Call To Action

Preserve Your Right to enjoy Colorado Craft Beer

Go to www.votesmart.org to find your legislator's phone number and email address.

This information provided by the Colorado Brewers Guild

www.coloradobeer.org

• Colorado is home to 106 craft brewers spread across the state in local communities. Colorado craft brewers contribute financially and culturally to Colorado. These breweries flourish, in large part, due to a strong tier of independent retailers that provides vital access to market.

• Independent Colorado retailers promote our local economy, stock many craft beer brands, and offer vital access to market for Colorado craft brewers.

• Continued access to market is crucial for Colorado craft brewers and the state’s growing beer culture. Many Colorado craft brewers have limited distribution outside of Colorado. Some small, local craft brewers will disappear if access to market is limited.

• Colorado craft brewers and independent retailers in Colorado provide 67,000 jobs and inject $12 Billion annually into our economy and create beer tourism.

• Oppose upcoming legislation allowing chain grocery stores to sell full-strength beer. Large national chain stores make beer stocking decisions from out of state headquarters often without considering interest in local beer. Protect your freedom of beer choice and protect Colorado jobs! YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW TO OPPOSE UPCOMING LEGISLATION. Contact your State Legislators NOW and let them know that you OPPOSE State Representative Buffie McFadyen ( D-Pueblo West ) and State Senator Jennifer Veiga's (D - Denver) bill HB1192 that would allow out-of-state owned chain grocery stores to sell full strength beer. Go to www.votesmart.org to find your legislator's phone number and email address. Protect your freedom of beer choice and preserve Colorado Craft Beer. Information provided by the Colorado Brewers Guild Coloradobeer.org

Beer Books

I recently discovered a great place to buy brewing related books. One of the best selections I've seen. Please use the link below. Your purchase will help support The Colorado Brewer.

Welcome!

Greetings, and welcome to The Colorado Brewer. I will be bringing you news and views about the Colorado brewing scene. Did you know that Colorado produces more beer than any other state? Those of us fortunate enough to live here can experience one of the most vibrant and diverse beer cultures in the nation.




Friday, Feb. 20th, I will be traveling to Colorado Springs to attend The Rocky Mountain Microbrewing Symposium. This is an annual educational event which features presentations from some of the region's most successful brewing professionals. This year, the speakers include: Mike Bristol (Bristol Brewing), Mustafa Rehmanji (ISP), Dale Katechis (Oskar Blues), Brendan McGivney (Odell Brewing Co.), Joe Schiraldi (Left Hand), Nathan Venner (Altitutde Chophouse), Doug Odell (Odell Brewing), Dave Thomas (EcoLab), Andy Parker (Avery Brewing), Matt Thrall (Avery Brewing), Alan Stiles (Shamrock Brewing), and Jason Yester (Trinity Brewing).

Check back for my post-symposium report in The Colorado Brewer.