271 breweries in Colorado, over 100 in Denver
Many judges for GABF arrive the Monday before the festivities begin. It’s the combination of the events around town and the awards ceremony that make this week unlike any other of the calendar year. In part two of our coverage, we’ll give you a quick hit of the things we experienced in and around the oldest, largest craft beer festival in America.
Green Flash Citra Session at the Treasure Chest
Green Flash Treasure Chest 2014 at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabret
The San Diego company is barely 12 years old, and is already distributing beer to all 50 states. Brewmaster Chuck Silva and company are building a second brewery on a 9-acre space in Virginia Beach expected to open in 2016.
Treasure Chest is the red wine barrel aged version of their Saison Diego Farmhouse Ale with Italian Plum puree added. Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. For the Denver version of the event they partnered with The Brew Night featuring Marty Jones for a show at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret. Once we heard about plans for this variety show with music, interviews and performances we literally changed our flight to be in attendance.
Marty Jones our host, also conducted interviews and led the band
Green Flash Brewmaster, Chuck Silva
GABF Founder, Charlie Papazian
fourth edition of The Joy Of Homebrewing
This is the fourth iteration of the beer, the original vintage was Brett-fermented Belgian Pale Ale. This was followed by a Belgian Blonde then a Belgian Brown for year 2 and 3. To date the Treasure Chest series of events has raised 90,000 for Susan G. Komen.
Host Marty Jones is a powerhouse. This guy kicks off the show with a monologue, he’s the lead singer of the band, then he conducts interviews!
Chuck Silva shared the deets behind Belgian Coast IPA, a collaboration with Brasserie St. Feuillen in Le Roeulx, Belgium. 7 different hop variety (including European, American and Australian). This time around they brewed in Belgium to keep it fresh for the locals. St. Feuillen CEO, Dominique Friart is the fourth generation of the family to run the brewery since 1873. This is their second collaboration with Green Flash.
The evening’s next guest really needed no introduction. Charlie Papazian founded the Association of Brewers in 1979 and the Great American Beer Festival In 1982. There were 20 beers from 40 breweries back then, 700 people attended in the party Boulder, Colorado. When he arrived on stage, Marty compared the moment to hosting The Tonight Show and have the Pope as your first guest.
Charlie just released the fourth edition of The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing, a book that to-date has sold 1.3 million copies.
The Top 10 Things Not To Say To Charlie Papazian At The Great American Beer Festival – Presented by Draft Magazine.
10.) How did you like that bottle of homebrew I gave you back in 1995?
Top 10 Things Not To Say To Charlie Papazian, Presented by Draft Magazine
9.) You have a Great American Beard!
8.) I hope your career survives after going on the Brew Night Show!
7.) No, I’m incredibly ‘Craft’ Drunk
6.) Nancy Johnson called, the fest is out of beer!
5.) So when will you come out with The Complete Joy Of Homegrowing?
…………
3.) The Joy Of Homebrewing has made my drinking habit so much more hands on and affordable.
2.) My wife said if she were to describe me as beer it would be – a meager head, thin body, and too fast of a finish.
1.) I’ve always admired your work Mr. Grossman.
Charlie mentioned that craft beer is a world-wide phenomenon with 7000 breweries popping up all over the globe in the last seven years.
The Oskar Blues Ordeal
A 5 stop, 8 hour whirlwind tour to all of Oskar Blues’ restaurants, their Hop Farm and both of their Colorado brewhouses. A marathon, not a sprint, quite possibly the coolest event of the weekend.
It was a party from the word Go. A brunch at the original brewhouse, followed by a tour of the Hops and Heifers Farm, lunch at Cyclhops Cantina/ bicycle shop, a trip to the Tasty Weasel Taproom / production facility, then whisky sundaes at CHUBurger.
The Ordeal 2014 got started at the original brewhouse in Longmont for a brunch with Mama-Mosas
Death By Coconut! Oskar Blues 2014 Silver Medal Winner
Hops & Heifers Farm!
but seriously, raise your hand if you knew Oskar Blues had 5 different restaurant concepts.
Oskar Blues Cyclhops Bike Cantina
The Weasel Taproom/ Production Facility
tequilla barrel aged Gubna IPA
The Denver Beer Bus
In a town with over 100 breweries this Visit Denver excursion was a must. They were 2 tracks, we opted for Track 2 with author -Ed Sealover running the show. His book Mountain Brew: A Guide to Colorado’s Breweries is highly regarded as the definitive piece on the subject. Ed also covers the brewing industry for the Denver Business Journal. Denver Beer Company’s newest venture Canworks, Diebolt Brewing and Jagged Mountain were the stops. The last pair of stops have now combined for a total of 7 GABF and World Beer Cup medals.
Diebolt Brewing Company. Silver Medal Winner at GABF ’14
There are 271 breweries in Colorado,
more per capita than any other state.
–Nkosi
*Green Flash Treasure Chest photos courtesy of Nam Pham
The Brewers Association luncheon paired 6 beers from last year’s GABF winners. Reception Beer: Hop The Vote by DryDog Brewing, Aurora, CO
