Winter Brew Fest ’08

Posted on January 8, 2008
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The 2nd Annual Winter Brew Fest at the recently remodeled Oriental Theater in Denver, Colorado will happen on Friday, January 25, 2008 from 7-10pm. The event also helps benefit the Colorado Environmental Coalition.

15 local breweries have confirmed for the event and tickets are going fast, so go to the Oriental Theater’s website and pickup your tickets. Last year’s event sold out.

The first 600 people get a 10 ounce commemorative sampler glass and there will be live music during the festivities followed by The Reals as the headliner act. Tickets are $22 in advance and $30 at the door. The sampling of beer is unlimited.

We’ve got our tickets and it should be a great time!

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Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival January 10-12, 2008

Posted on January 4, 2008
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The eighth annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival will happen January 10-12, 2008 at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa in Vail, Colorado. This festival features Belgian-style beers and over 7% alcohol “Big Beers” from around the world including several of the local breweries here in the state.

Although the Thursday night opening dinner is already sold out, the remainder of the festival is packed with interesting “seminars” from some of the country’s big name brewers as well as the commercial tasting Saturday afternoon. The Saturday morning Experimental Brewing Seminar sounds interesting. It is more of a “brainstorming” session than a fixed presentation. It may be good for the home brewers in the mix.

Don’t be fooled though, this isn’t like the GABF where sampling can run amok. Education is key at this festival, where according to the web site, “each guest is limited to one sample of each beer for the first two hours of the event, as tracked by the extensive event program dedicated to educating the guest. This system encourages the guest to learn about the various breweries and beers available from around the world, and also slows consumption of the rather high octane brews available.”

With the over 7% alcohol beers and the high altitude, I have a hunch that most folks attending are going to be okay with that limit. It should be a great time up in the high country if you can make it.

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A Jewbelation Christmas in which we Spotted Cow

Posted on January 3, 2008
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I’ve been off the radar a bit this holiday season due to traveling back to my wife’s family’s homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. We had a great time visiting both homes and were blown away by how we were spoiled both with gifts and hospitality. Unfortunately, I came down with a severe cold on Christmas that lasted the whole time we were out there. In my opinion there are not too many things worse than being sick and traveling. I ended up not wanting to be the “party pooper”, but in the end I probably should have quarantined myself to get better sooner. I’m actually still trying to kick the cough portion of the cold and the voice goes in and out, but oh well, you only have opportunities for a Jewbelation and having a Spotted Cow so often.

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Winter Seasonal Session: Round 1

Posted on December 18, 2007
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On Hiber! On Jubi! On Iso! On K-9!?! Below is my review of four winter ale brews I recently had during a tasting session. I’ve ranked them in order of my least favorite to favorite.

4. Isolation Ale – Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)

Isolation Ale is a simple, winter-ale that lacked the strong bold flavors of your typical winter seasonal. It poured light brown and had light hops and malts that left a bit of a sweet taste behind for me. Overall, it was a little too bland for my liking.

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BrewGlass.com – Custom Craft Beer Pint Glasses

Posted on December 18, 2007
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I just stumbled upon BrewGlass.com through the Tech Talk emails I receive with my AHA membership. The site is still in the early stages, however it definitely has potential for the craft beer enthusiast. The site features your favorite brew or brewery logos on custom pint glasses. It’s a great idea for adding to a collection. Purchases are currently managed through www.egrandstand.com/brewglass/, so definitely bookmark this and check back as they make enhancements and get up and running. Good luck to them!