HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014_01_09 Big Beers Belgians Barleywines Festival RFP VAIL COMMISSION ON SPECIAL EVENTS
2014 EVENT FUNDING APPLICATION
Name of Event: Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Proposed Dates: January 9 – 11, 2014
Amount of Cash Funding Requested: $50,000.00
Producing Entity
President or Executive Director’s Name:
Laura Lodge
Name and Title of Person Completing the Application:
Laura Lodge, Coordinator/Manager
Business Address:
o Physical
BBBBF, LLC
dba Big Beers Festival
3120 Bellflower Dr.
Vail, CO 81657
o Mailing
BBBBF, LLC
dba Big Beers Festival
PO Box 1704
Vail, CO 81658
Contact Info:
o Telephone
Main: 970/977-0100
Cell: 970/977-0100
Fax: 970/476-7465
o Email Address: bigbeersfestival@hotmail.com
Event and/or Organization Website: www.bigbeersfestival.com
Number of years your organization has been in business:
This will be the 14th Anniversary of the event in January 2014, but the LLC was
created in May, 2011.
Mission Statement:
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival exists to further craft beer education,
to celebrate the craft beer industry’s growth & diversification, and to offer an
opportunity to generate camaraderie among peers in the business. The goal of this
festival is to broaden the consumers’ horizons by introducing them them to
products and styles of beer that they may have not tried before. In the process of
satisfying this primary goal, we have found that the Brewmasters, Brewery Owners,
Importers and other industry folks are excited to gather together to sample each
other’s products, discuss their own, and generally celebrate an incredible weekend
of great beer & food in a fantastic environment. After thirteen successful years, the
Big Beers Festival still finds its roots in education and is benefiting an extremely
worthy cause in the Vail Valley Charitable Fund. However, it has also found an
extremely unique niche of its own within the brewing industry and is growing
annually.
Organization’s Tax Status: For Profit
o Does the Event benefit a charity? Yes, the Vail Valley Charitable Fund.
Event Description:
1. Detailed description of the event and its activities. If the event will have a culinary
component, please include feedback from the Vail Restaurant Group.
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival has grown substantially over the past 13
years, and in 2014 will include 3 Brewmasters’ Dinners, a Welcome Reception, 9
seminars & workshops, a Homebrew Competition Judging, Certified Cicerone Exam, and
the Commercial Tasting.
Big Beers weekend begins at the Vail Cascade Resort on Thursday evening with the
Calibration Dinner, hosted by Avery Brewing Co. & Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and held
at Atwater on Gore Creek.
Friday opens with the Cicerone Workshop (free and open to the public), and continues
with the Welcome Reception, Homebrew Competition Judging, Certified Cicerone Exam,
and the first seminar of the weekend. To close the evening are two Brewmasters’
Dinners, one at Atwater on Gore Creek and the other at the Lord Gore Restaurant in
Manor Vail Resort.
Saturday includes the balance of the seminars and the Commercial Tasting at the Vail
Cascade, closing the weekend at 6pm for scheduled events.
A detailed schedule of events is available on the event website at
www.BigBeersFestival.com
I met with the Vail Restaurant Group on October 15th and presented information
regarding both the culinary components of Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines and a brief
overview of the event. They were comfortable offering their support of both the event
and its culinary components. If you have any questions about their endorsement, both
Brian Nolan and Matt Morgan said they would be available to address them.
2. Where will the event be located within the Town of Vail? Please list specific venues that you
plan to utilize, including dates and times, and whether or not you have contacted them to
confirm availability. The Event Producer is responsible for booking and securing any
necessary venues.
Big Beers will be held at the Vail Cascade Resort for all events except the Friday night
Village Brewmasters’ Dinner. This dinner will be held at Manor Vail in the Lord Gore
Restaurant. Going forward, this dinner will rotate around Vail to other interested
restaurants.
Both the Vail Cascade Resort and Manor Vail have contracts in place for the space
needed for the festival.
3. Will any portion of the event take place outside of the Town of Vail? If yes, please explain.
No.
4. Are additional in-kind services being requested from the Town of Vail? If yes, please explain,
including a description of anticipated impacts on Town of Vail services.
No, although each year the Vail Cascade requests permission to park on the south side of
Frontage Road for additional parking during this time. This is requested/approved/managed
between the Vail Cascade and the Town of Vail Police Department.
5. Is this a new or existing event? If existing, please describe the location(s) of the event in
previous years and the number of years it has been produced.
January of 2014 will be the fourteenth anniversary of the Big Beers Festival. It has previously
been held in the following locations:
8150 Bar & Nightclub in conjunction with the Hubcap Brewery
The Tap Room & Sanctuary
Manor Vail Resort
Vail Marriott Mountain Resort
Vail Cascade Resort
Brewmasters’ Dinners have been hosted at the following restaurants:
Montauk Seafood Grill
The Lord Gore
Restaurant Kelly Liken
Ocotillo
The Blue Tiger
Atwater on Gore Creek
6. People:
a. Number of participants anticipated: 125 breweries/importers
7 industry marketing/sponsors
2 radio stations broadcasting onsite
b. Number of volunteers needed:
None from the Town, we recruit our own – approx. 60
c. Number of event staff:
None, we are all volunteers. There are about 6 – 8 of us that have recurring key
positions.
d. Total number of spectators/attendees anticipated: 1600 (?)
- % Local: 10%
- % In-state: 65%
- % Out of state: 23%
- % International: 2%
7. Description of potential benefits to the Town of Vail, including an estimated # of
incremental room nights and increased spending generated. What ROI should the Town of
Vail expect?
Room Nights
Vail Cascade 400 @ $219 or above
Simba Run 17 @ $289/night (increased rate $30)
Lionshead Inn 50 @ $159/night
Holiday Inn 50 @ $149/night (if they commit)
Montaneros 5 @ $399/night
Lion Square Lodge 5 @ $269/night
Other 20 condo room nights in various locations, including the
Vail Cascade. Estimated rate, $500/night.
Increased Spending
Vail Mountain
Lift Tickets 20% estimated attendees ski/board, prob 1 ½ days
average, full lift ticket price
Food $20 average for lunch
Other Retail, Adventure Ridge, etc. Not a lot, but some.
Vail Village
Food Many guests for dinner on Friday, lots on Sat pm.
Guessing average check would run around $60/person.
Retail Spouses, families – plenty of shopping time. Equipment
rental primarily at Charter Sports at the Vail Cascade,
but not all.
West Vail
Restaurants Breakfast, some lunch, heavier dinner on Sat.
Grocery Stocking condos in particular
Marketing Demographic/Scope – Although discussed in detail later in this application,
the ROI expected by the town can include marketing opportunities to the unusual
demographic represented by the following:
Craft Beer Industry Demographic – financially, culturally, geographically diverse
Homebrewer Demographic – same, but more extremely diverse and in
enormous numbers around the world
International Component – The brewers that attend Big Beers provide
international word of mouth marketing, and actively seek to bring
their international peers to this event.
Industry Media – Perhaps a previously untapped marketing source for the Town
of Vail and other events…like Taste of Vail.
Mass Media – These people love craft beer & craft beer + food, especially in
‘exotic’ places. You will get their ear with this event, guaranteed.
Craft Beer & Food – Generates interest on a crazy number of levels. Is
photogenic, interesting, reaches people of all levels.
Additional Conferences/Meetings – The breweries participating in Big Beers are already
showing up for other conferences and events of their own. This is a wonderful
opportunity to capitalize upon their presence and give them team-building,
board of directors retreats, guild meeting, and lots of other ideas/reasons to
come back multiple times per year.
Repeat Visits/Destination Guests – Many of the destination guests at the Big Beers
Festival are finding reasons to come back during other times of the year. There
could be more opportunities created to get them further information about
summertime events and other ideas for a mountain escape. See the reference
letter in ‘Required Attachments’ for support here.
Budget
1. Please attach a complete & detailed event budget, including anticipated revenues and
expenses, as well as the amount to be dedicated to marketing efforts.
2. What % of the total budget is the CSE being asked to fund? 35% of the “max growth”
budget
3. Describe briefly how you will use the funds that you are requesting from the CSE.
a. Marketing
i. Update website, primary focus on photos
ii. Social media – contract out if can find industry savvy option
iii. Expanded marketing on the Western Slope/awareness
iv. Front Range marketing/awareness
v. National/International marketing/awareness
vi. Travel for staff to arrange/capitalize on marketing/sponsorship
opportunities
b. Staff Support
i. Staff rooms on site
ii. Event staff support (3Q)
iii. Year round staff support
c. Operational Supplies
i. Bus tubs
ii. Storage Unit
iii. Refrigerated Truck Rental
iv. Rental equipment for New Venue & Expansion
v. Purchase of additional bread to augment Avon Bakery donation
vi. Possible creation of additional sign posts if exceed # that Taste of Vail has to
borrow.
4. Should the CSE decide not to support this event, will it still occur?
Yes. However, its longevity is dependent on the growth that must occur in this 3 year
period. As it stands, the event cannot support itself and needs this growth to survive going
forward.
5. What is the $ amount of sponsorships from alternative sources reflected in the event
budget? $6850.00 in cash
CraftBeer.com $1000.00
Hop Union $1750.00
All About Beer Magazine $ 700.00 + 2 full page ads in magazine
Slifer, Smith & Frampton $1250.00
Briess Malting Co. $ 500.00
Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Café $ 500.00
Freshcraft $ 350.00
Birko Corporation $ 350.00
White Labs Yeast Co. $ 250.00
Five Star Chemical Co. $ 200.00 + homebrew prizes
Plus a lot of trade in local advertising, discounted lodging and media hotel rooms
6. What % of the total event budget do you expect the event itself to generate? (ie. Ttcket
sales, merchandise, food & alcohol sales, etc.) 65% of the “max growth” budget
7. If possible, would you intend to host the event in Vail beyond 2014? If yes, for how many
years beyond 2014?
Yes. The contract that is currently signed with the Vail Cascade includes 2015 & 2016. It
is the years beyond that are in jeopardy pending sufficient event growth.
8. Do you anticipate requesting funding from the CSE next year? Yes
If yes, given that the CSE encourages the development of additional sponsors in order to
leverage their own investments, and anticipates that as events become established they will
become less reliant on public funds, please explain how you intend to grow the event and
indicate what %, if any, of the total event budget you anticipate requesting next year.
The contract that was negotiated with the Vail Cascade includes several key elements that
are designed to aid the growth of the event, doubling the capacity of the Commercial
Tasting being primary. With the growth in attendance, both industry and attendee, the
interest in industry sponsorship will increase.
With the support of the CSE, there will be opportunity for actual event advertising that
hasn’t been available before. Previously press releases, emails to the database collected
specific to the event, limited social media, and posters were the only marketing that was
possible without the generosity of our sponsors. Word of mouth by the breweries and
homebrewers has been the #1 marketing tool that has brought the Big beers Festival the
growth that it has seen to date. This is not to discount media and Brewers Association
networking, merely to keep it in perspective with regard to what the brewing community –
professional and private – has accomplished.
The strategy conceived to achieve the growth necessary for the event to continue past 2016
includes the following:
1. Three year contract with the Vail Cascade, including their investment in the event in
order to achieve their goal of increased room nights. (500 by 2016)
2. Apply for funding from the CSE for the same three years.
3. Create staff support and marketing for the event, leveraging the additional space
and financial support to generate incrementally increased attendance and
sponsorship.
4. Decrease funding request incrementally from the CSE as the event gains traction
and growth occurs, estimating 25 – 30% of next year’s budget.
5. Eliminate funding request completely for 2017.
Marketing
1. Please provide a detailed description of your marketing plan and indicate how the budget will
support the program.
Marketing – see budget breakdown for estimated $$
a. Update website, primary focus on photos (will only happen with CSE support)
b. New Social media – contract out if can find industry savvy option (will only happen
with CSE support)
c. Expanded marketing on the Western Slope/awareness (will only happen with CSE
support)
d. Front Range marketing/awareness (will only happen with CSE support)
e. National/International marketing/awareness (will only happen with CSE support)
f. Facebook group – expand/focus (will continue at current pace without funding)
g. Email marketing to our database/expand database (will continue at current pace
without funding)
h. Posters (will continue at current pace without funding)
i. All About Beer Magazine (will continue sponsorship at current pace without
funding)
j. Vail Daily
i. Column weekly prior to event (will continue)
ii. Ads (will continue due to their sponsorship)
k. KZYR/AMT
i. Interview(s) (based upon their sponsorship)
ii. News Releases (based upon their sponsorship)
l. TV8
i. Interviews (3) (based upon their sponsorship)
ii. Mentions/Film Clip/Video (based upon their sponsorship)
2. Explanation of potential for sponsorships and media exposure:
Craft beer, in general, is hot. Its growth doesn’t seem to be impacted by anything; national
economic crisis, industry consolidation, you name it. When you add food to the mix, you get
the added focus of the media in that realm. With the Big Beers Festival, you top that with
high profile celebrity brewers, the support of the Brewers Association, our world class
outdoor wonderland…and the name “Vail”. Plus – the event has a 13 year history of being
well-organized, first class, intimate, boutique, white tablecloth, and living up to the hype.
It’s got the perfect recipe to be the right kind of sexy, photogenic, cutting edge image that
the world wants. And we can define “the world” as the destination traveler as well as the
business who wants that kind of exposure…and would fill the role of sponsor.
3. Specify any marketing support you are requesting.
Anything that’s available that makes sense for the event.
4. Name, telephone number and email addresses of your PR and marketing contacts:
The Vail Cascade is currently sending out press releases and such on behalf of the event.
Contact at the Vail Cascade is Katie Johnson.
Katie Johnson | Director of Marketing Communications, CHDM
Vail Cascade Resort | 1300 Westhaven Drive | Vail, CO | 81657
Denver Office | 10333 East Dry Creek Road, Suite 450 | Englewood, CO 80112
Office 303-268-6811 | Mobile 970-977-0665 | Email kjohnson@destinationhotels.com
However, the Big Beers Festival currently has no PR person or company dedicated to its
efforts other than webmaster, Fluid Elements Web, and graphic artist, Misty Gordon
Creative.
CSE Funding Application
Required Attachments
BBBBF, LLC dba Big Beers Festival
1. References and/or referrals from other communities are required if you do not have a prior
history of producing events in Vail.
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival is the only history I have of producing standalone
events in Vail. However, there are plenty of references/referrals/testimonials to support the
success of the event. Here are some that are highlighted on our website:
"Honestly, I don’t want to tell you anything about the Vail Big Beers Belgians and Barleywine
Festival, but I must. I’d prefer not to list breweries who were in attendance, the beer celebrities
who were milling around the grounds, and I especially would rather not divulge the amazing
bounty of beers that was poured. Why? Because I’m selfish and I just attended one of the best
damn beer fests that I’ve yet to come across and I don't want you overpopulating it in the
future. If you ever find yourself ready to graduate to the truly obsessive level of beer tasting,
this is certainly the event to be in the know about."
-Tristan Chan, Porch Drinking
"The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival is one killer beer festival. It is perhaps the most
comprehensive, educational, and fun-filled festival I've ever been to and the most exciting four
hours of beer tasting I've ever done!"
-Eric Steen, Focus on the Beer
Blogspot Review and Photos - "I highly recommend this festival. There are seminars, beer
dinners, a homebrew contest and a grand tasting session of over 200 different beers!"
- Michael Demers
"A lot of festivals have extraordinary beers. This festival has nothing but extraordinary beers."
- Gary Glass, Director of the American Homebrewers Association
"(Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines) has become my favorite fest of the year. True camaraderie
paired with a high level of brewing knowledge in a relaxed setting."
- J. Todd Usury, Brewery Director for Breckenridge Breweries, Denver, CO
"(We) have made some friends that we see each year at this event and we look forward to it
each year. For us, this festival combines snowboarding, fantastic beer, a beautiful setting, and
great friends...it doesn't get much better!"
- Darrell Maudlin, Homebrewer, Houston, TX
"A world class experience by world class people."
- John Carlson, Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild
“Ocean liners and dust particles aside, the Big Beers Festival is big in the ways that matter – the
flavors of its brews, the dedication of its organizers, and the passion of its fans.”
- Rick Matsumoto, Rocky Mountain Brewing News
“So here’s the prescription: Take a couple of hundred beers, most 7% alcohol or greater with
hardly a dud in the lot, add not one but two beer dinners, mix in a handful of seminars and
tastings, and season with some of the best craft brewers in the land.
Put it all in an idyllic mountain setting and offer some of the lowest hotel prices and shortest
tow lines Vail will see all season, and you have the fest in a fairly compelling nutshell."
- Stephen Beaumont, “Big Beers & Bigger Mountains”, Ale Street News
“The Big Beers Fest in Vail is always one of my favorite events of the year. It sells out quick and it
rules. ”
- Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
“It’s one of the best festivals in the country. The sheer diversity and availability of such exotic
beer styles all in one location really gives the consumer a great opportunity. Plus it’s got a nice
educational component that Bill Lodge has dreamed up, which encourages people to try
different styles and not just stick to one thing.”
- John Carlson, Colorado Brewers Guild Executive Director
“I think this festival is a really important festival for Colorado…There are very few festivals
where you can have the diversity of beers that Bill puts together.”
- Adam Avery, Avery Brewing Company
In addition, here’s a reference supplied by one of our annual attendees:
We have been skiing out West every year for at least three decades, and before The Big Beers,
Belgians & Barleywines Festival (BBBB), it was mostly in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and
California. Since the BBBB it has been much more frequently in Colorado (virtually every year)
and in particular all four of us (Jim Maar, Barbara Williams, Tom Williams, and Larry Heflin) have
made at least one trip a year to Vail.
The reason is that the first three of us mentioned are very much craft beer aficionados and the
draw of wonderful skiing at a magnificent mountain setting with craft beer dinners and tastings
is irresistible! I used to travel from our DC/MD/VA home area to Denver for the Great American
Beer Festival (GABF) in October, but since the BBBB came in to being, I have rarely gone to the
GABF, preferring instead to combine skiing and craft beer tasting in one trip!
Our first BBBB attendance was in 2004 and we have only missed one since then and are coming
again in 2014 (a 13 out of 14 record!). We have witnessed the incredible growth in attendance
from perhaps a hundred or so at the first BBBB to many hundreds (maybe a thousand?)
recently. During the growth period we got to experience hosting of the BBBB by a great variety
of Vail bars, restaurants, hotels and now the excellent Vail Cascade Resort as home to the BBBB.
Not only has the attendance at the Saturday afternoon tasting grown spectacularly, but the
scope of the festival with the addition of craft beer dinners where visitors can learn more about
the great variety of beer and techniques of the brewmasters and their history in the trade has
made it a great learning experience as well.
I am sure many of the BBBB visitors and the people in the brewing industry have also come to
love Vail, from the wonderful skiing to the enjoyable village itself with the wide availability of
spas, varied restaurants and shops. It has had to have had a very positive effect on the
economics of Vail Village and created a new population of skiers who come to ski and enjoy craft
brews, like we do!
Thank you very much, BBBB and in particular, you, Laura Lodge, the BBBB “guiding light”, for
greatly enhancing our now annual and more Vail experience. We hope to come to Vail for many
more years for the BBBB and skiing!
Jim
James R. Maar, Ph.D. (Mathematical Statistics)
10012 Whitworth Way
Ellicott City, MD 21042
410-465-6020
If you would prefer outside references for me personally, you can contact the following. Each of
these people has worked with me for events, mine and theirs, both large and small:
Nancy Johnson, Event Director, Brewers Association, 303.447.0816
Julia Herz, Craft Beer Program Director, Brewers Association, 303.447.0816
John Carlson, Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, 303-257-4610
2. Explanation of how you will direct prospective attendees to book lodging within the Town of Vail
and a description of how you will track the number of lodging nights generated.
- Via the Big Beers website at www.BigBeersFestival.com on the dedicated lodging,
transportation and equipment rental page.
- Routing participants and guests to the website - and by providing information directly - from
direct emails to our email database.
- Routing readers to our website via press releases, posters, and all marketing means.
Room nights are tracked by the participating property by booking codes reflecting the agreed
upon sponsorship lodging discount to the guest. Participating properties for 2014 thus far are
the following:
Vail Cascade Resort
Simba Run Condominiums
Lionshead Inn
Lion Square Lodge
Montaneros
Holiday Inn/Apex Vail (not confirmed yet, but have every year)
Westin Riverfront Resort
Big Beers Festival participants/attendees are already used to this process, so it’s more of a
question of getting the properties to help me with their statistics.
3. Previous year’s event evaluation, including income and expense statement (if existing event).
Big Beers’ Thirteenth Anniversary was marked by two unusual situations; unbelievably cold
temperatures and the Bronco’s playoff game in the middle of the Commercial Tasting on
Saturday. Since this was the fourth year that the event had been held at the Vail Cascade, it was
business as usual with the exception of a large screen TV in the Commercial Tasting set up and
the unusual situation of running completely through the donated fund-raising kegs on Thursday
& Friday. These usually last through the weekend.
The increase in attendance of breweries led us to “kick out” the coat check from the Conference
Center and move it just inside the resort side-entrance to Blue Spruce Conference Room. We
also utilized the foyer in Centennial for brewery set up, which we have not done previously. The
previous Coat Check space in Rocky Mountain Ballroom was also used by breweries.
The attendance increase also exacerbated the service challenge in Fireside throughout the
weekend. Everyone loves to congregate and visit, but there simply isn’t enough space. There
were also food service challenges in both Atwater and Fireside on Friday night when the
Atwater kitchen was providing food for the 150 person Brewmasters’ Dinner in Cascade
Ballroom at the same time as providing regular service in the dining room/Fireside.
Although I was extremely ill, our Conference Services Manager for the Cascade was ill, and the
Banquet Manager was ill, the event went quite smoothly. This is 99% due to the incredible
support of our volunteer team, who rally and carry us through the weekend each year. Notes
were made to ensure that the brewery signs were completed in advance of event week, that the
storage room could be staffed on Thurs/Fri to assist with event load-in by breweries, that
breweries should receive both event packet and glassware at check-in so they don’t have to go
through the line twice, and that seminar coordinators need to remember to invite the VIP Pass
holders to enter prior to ticket holders. Overall, however, everything went very well.
This was also the first year that the event was completely “sold out” online. Expansion is a must
to continue going forward, both in Commercial Tasting space and Fireside/Lounge
space/service.
Income/Expense statement for 2013 is attached.
4. Past or projected demographics of event attendees and estimated spending.
% Local: 10% (increased 2012/2013)
% In-state: 65%
% Out of state: 23% (continues to increase as our reputation as
a destination event increases)
% International: 2% (increasing focus in 2015/2016 with international brewmasters)
I’m not totally sure what kinds of stats are appropriate here, but the range of brewery
participants begins with the shoe string startup brewery and ends with Anheuser-Busch and
Miller-Molson-Coors. There’s a lot of money in the industry, and we have some really successful,
heavy hitters attending annually. There are also a lot of homebrewers and small breweries who
are spending more than they can afford to be here. But they’re doing it.
One of the Vail Restaurant Group members said she was impressed with the demographics of
our group, their casual attitude and interest in fitness & the outdoors. Many of the breweries
have a cultural focus and marketing focus on the outdoors, sponsoring bicycle clubs, running
clubs, marathons, etc. They are also very charitably and community minded, being such a large
employer and integral part of every community. Finally, they are tremendously focused on
recycling, alternative energy sources, and minimizing their impact on the planet.
The marketing reach when you’re targeting this industry and its fans is tremendous, and is a
unique diagonal slice through a lot of different demographic categories. The educational
achievement level is extremely diverse, with the average being high. The income bracket is high
among the homebrewers who attend, with backgrounds varying from farmer to physicist.
Attendees range all over the board, from the local transient who likes craft beer or works at a
liquor store - to the Mathematical Statistician from MD/DC that schedules his timeshare here
every year in order to attend – to the craft beer aficionado who will travel to the best events
from anywhere and everywhere. We have had and will have international brewmasters
attending from Belgium, the Netherlands, and other places in Europe. The push is strong right
now among the participating brewers and importers to bring over more international folks to
participate, which drives the awareness of Vail as an international vacation destination among
this disparate group.
Note: It’s the US brewers who participate in Big Beers who have taken it upon themselves to
bring their international peers to our event in Vail. This but one example of how the brewing
community has grown this event on their own.
The age of attendee varies widely, with strong numbers of 35 – 45 range and a younger slice of
25 – 28. This also mirrors the generations of brewers, which is interesting.
Estimated spending is difficult to pinpoint, but there are some things that we know from 2013:
Lodging:
Vail Cascade = 308 room nights, minimum rate to guest $219, actual total $70,350.92
Holiday Inn = at least 23 different reservations, 2 night minimum, some staying 7 nights,
rate $149 for lodge room and $249 for condos, some were condo nights = a
conservative total of $4,000.00
Simba Run = 15 room nights x $259/nt = $3,885.
Lionshead Inn = was never able to get information from them, but there are many
rooms and they require a 2 night minimum, so I’ll guesstimate 40 room nights at
$159/night for a total of $6360.
Every year there are many condos rented at the Vail Cascade and off-site, none of which
are included in our numbers. I would guesstimate 10 condos, average of a 2
night stay, perhaps $500/night?
Food & Beverage:
There were a total of 250 seats for dinners, 10 of those media comps, so 240 x $107.14
= $25,713.60.
Ancillary food & beverage at the Vail Cascade was very high, especially given the very
cold conditions that weekend. It would be safe to say that 90% of the Vail
Cascade guests had 3 meals/day at the resort.
Every year, breweries and distributors go into town for dinner on Saturday night after
the festival ends at 6pm. This is a high dollar night for them, average cover
$60++ or so as an estimate.
Many of the guests patronize the Vail Alehouse and Mountain Standard – whoever
supports their products. This is additional revenue for the town, and I would
guess that 5% or fewer people venture down valley.
Skiing/Snowboarding:
On a year with normal temperatures, I would guess that 20% of the guests ski with a full
price lift ticket and have lunch on the mountain, estimated spend $120/day.
5. Organizational rosters naming all officers & respective positions/Board of Directors and
positions.
Laura L. Lodge, Coordinator/ Bill Lodge, Founder
BBBBF, LLC Laura L Lodge, President/Owner
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Proposed Budget Detail
2014 Event
2013 Actual 2014 Budget Comments 2014 Budget Comments
(no funding)(with funding)
Income
Event Income 72,059.99$ 80,000.00$ Conservative growth 83,000.00$ event is 3 weeks from funding
substantial increase for 2015
Sponsorship 3,950.00$ 6,850.00$ Existing, could increase 6,850.00$
CSE Funding 50,000.00$ or awarded amount
Total Income 76,009.99$ 86,850.00$ 139,850.00$
Expense
Bank Fees
307.00$ 360.00$ PayPal only 360.00$
Donation
8,500.00$ 2,500.00$ if any, need to invest in growth 2,500.00$
Dues & Subscriptions
327.99$ 300.00$ Industry 300.00$
Event Expenses
A-V Expense
1,551.28$ 1,000.00$ No Bronco's game TV needed 1,000.00$
1,000.00$ New venue awards set up 1,000.00$
Equipment Rental
1,000.00$ New venue - fans, tables, etc.1,000.00$
Event Maps
309.37$ 350.00$ More people/programs 350.00$
Event Misc Expense
1,492.70$ 1,500.00$ 1,500.00$
250.00$ Additional bread to augment donation 250.00$
Food Coupons
5,499.84$ 8,000.00$ Increased attendance 8,000.00$
Glasses
4,115.61$ 6,320.00$ Increased attendance 6,320.00$
Homebrew Competition
2,755.61$ 2,800.00$ About the same 2,800.00$
Lodging - Featured Brewers
7,503.11$ 3,000.00$ Lower, comp Cascade rooms 3,000.00$
Programs Will use staff rooms for staff
1,754.66$ 2,000.00$ Increased attendance 3,000.00$ Nicer program covers
Security
2,100.63$ 3,000.00$ New venue, not sure 3,000.00$
Seminar - Presenter Expense
1,417.26$ 1,250.00$ Cicerone Workshop only 1,250.00$
T-shirts
3,618.40$ 4,000.00$ About the same 4,000.00$
Thank You Packets
746.57$ 850.00$ Increased brewer #s 850.00$
Tickets - Paper
17.70$ 20.00$ Same 20.00$
Truck Rental
2,000.00$ Temp controlled truck on site (est)2,000.00$
Welcome Reception
2,999.87$ 3,750.00$ Increased attendance 3,750.00$
Insurance
Event Insurance
985.00$ 985.00$ Same 985.00$
Work Comp
291.00$ 291.00$ Same # volunteers 291.00$
Legal Fees
875.00$ -$ No trademark necessary -$
Lodging
Media Lodging
1,015.14$ 500.00$ Just in case - should have been none prior 500.00$
Staff Lodging
507.57$ 5,000.00$ Shift lodging expense to staff 7,000.00$
Marketing/Sales
Public Relations/Communications
2,050.00$ -$ No PR for 2014 -$
Web Expenses
1,608.75$ 1,700.00$ Same 2,700.00$ Update photos/overall site
Marketing/Sales - Other
50.00$ 3,050.00$ TV8 - same/ New marketing 23,050.00$ Advertising/Social media/
Meals & Entertainment Spnsorship solicitation
287.42$ 450.00$ Three dinners now/menu development 450.00$
Misc Expense
179.83$ 200.00$ Same # volunteers 200.00$
500.00$ Independent survey team
Office Supplies
423.31$ 500.00$ Same 500.00$
Staff for Event
25,000.00$ 3Q Staff/Year-round support
Page 1 of 2
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Proposed Budget Detail
2014 Event
Storage Unit/Office Organization
2,000.00$
Travel
1,229.05$ 1,500.00$ Same CBC, SAVOR, GABF 3,000.00$ Travel for media and advertising
Venue Cost opportunities
Brewmasters' Dinners
19,380.00$ 23,000.00$ Three dinners 23,000.00$
Room Rental
2,162.80$ 4,500.00$ New venue, staff labor 4,500.00$
Capital Expense 500.00$ Additional bus tubs for breweries 500.00$
1,500.00$ Sign posts? (not sure)1,500.00$
Total Expense 76,062.47$ 86,926.00$ 139,926.00$
Net Profit/(Loss)(52.48)$ (76.00)$ (76.00)$
Page 2 of 2
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Profit & Loss Detail
2013 Event
Date Name Memo Amount
Income
Event Income
11/05/2012 Deposit 2,654.42
11/16/2012 Etix Etix Transfer - payment I 10,000.00
11/19/2012 Deposit 2,236.60
12/03/2012 Dan Turnbeaugh Dinner refund -107.16
12/04/2012 Deposit 1,215.00
12/08/2012 Meagan Francisco Refund 2 Comm Tasting tickets 110.00
12/26/2012 Greg Simonds Dinner refund 107.16
01/12/2013 CC taken by VVCF at event 530.00
01/12/2013 Checks taken by VVCF at event 75.00
01/12/2013 Coat check tips collected by the VVCF 432.00
01/12/2013 Glassware/Merch collected by VVCF 1,259.00
01/16/2013 Etix Post-event Settlement 36,777.95
01/29/2013 Deposit 340.00
01/29/2013 Deposit 375.00
01/29/2013 Deposit 11,817.03
02/01/2013 Doc Damon Returned Check -15.00
02/04/2013 PayPal PayPal Transfer 5,345.39
02/21/2013 Neil Fischer Volunteer refunds -420.00
03/25/2013 PayPal PayPal Transfer 2,023.14
04/02/2013 Deposit 1,040.12
08/20/2013 Tom Behr Refund Calibration Dinner Ticket -107.16
09/16/2013 2013 Brewmaster's Dinner 321.50
J/E Sponsorship Reclass -3,950.00
Total Event Income 72,059.99
Sponsorship
J/E CraftBeer.com 1,000.00
J/E All About Beer Magazine 700.00
J/E Slifer, Smith & Frampton 1,250.00
J/E Briess Malting Co.500.00
J/E Birko Corp 300.00
J/E White Labs Yeast Co.200.00
Total Sponsorship 3,950.00
Total Income 76,009.99
Expense
Bank Fees
08/31/2012 American National Bank Check Imaging Fee 5.00
09/10/2012 American National Bank Refund Check Imaging Fee -5.00
09/11/2012 PayPal Payment Verification -0.05
09/11/2012 PayPal Payment Verification -0.07
09/11/2012 PayPal Payment Verification 0.12
09/28/2012 American National Bank Check Imaging Fee 5.00
10/02/2012 American National Bank Refund Check Imaging Fee -5.00
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Nov PayPal Monthly Chg 30.00
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Dec Pay Pal Fee 30.00
02/01/2013 ANB Bank Returned Check Fee 7.00
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Jn PayPal Fees 30.00
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Feb PayPal Fees 30.00
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge March Pay Pal Fees 30.00
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge April Pay Pal Fees 30.00
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge May Pay Pal Fee 30.00
08/05/2013 Laura Lodge June Pay Pal Fee 30.00
09/17/2013 Laura Lodge July Pay Pal Expense 30.00
10/06/2013 Laura Lodge Aug PayPal Fee 30.00
Total Bank Fees 307.00
Donation
01/12/2013 Part of VVCF donation - CC processed 530.00
01/12/2013 Part of VVCF donation - checks deposited 75.00
01/12/2013 Part of VVCF donation - coat chk tips 432.00
01/12/2013 Part of VVCF donation - retail 1,259.00
01/12/2013 Part of VVCF Donation - sponsorship 1,250.00
Page 1 of 5
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Profit & Loss Detail
2013 Event
Date Name Memo Amount
10/17/2013 Vail Valley Charitable Fund Balance of $8500 donation 4,954.00
Total Donation 8,500.00
Dues & Subscriptions
10/25/2012 American Homebrewers Association Annual Dues 33.00
12/15/2012 All about Beer Magazine Annual Subscription 19.99
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge Beer Connisseur Subscription 55.00
08/05/2013 Imbibe Subscription 32.00
09/25/2013 Brewers Association BA Membership 155.00
10/06/2013 American Homebrewers Association AHA Membership 33.00
Total Dues & Subscriptions 327.99
Event Expenses
A-V Expense
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Bronco's TV/Awards risers & Mic/BYO Projector Set up1,551.28
Total A-V Expense 1,551.28
Event Maps
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy - Event Maps, People's Choice, etc.309.37
Total Event Maps 309.37
Event Misc Ecpense
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy - Event Collateral 109.72
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - Brewers Envelopes, Supplies 286.11
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy - Event Collateral 33.64
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - Event Supplies 12.91
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Wal Mart - menu ribbon, homebrew stickers, etc.77.99
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Home Depot - zip ties, drop cloths for kegs, duct tape...308.71
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy - Event Collateral 38.78
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Lift Tickets for Avery/Dogfish Head 158.00
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge City Mkt - Bread for Commercial Tasting 78.00
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge UPS Store - Shipping to Bradleys 21.93
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Supplies 274.45
05/08/2013 The Wing Hut Dry Dock/Firestone Walker Dinner Menu Tasting Food 92.46
Total Event Misc Ecpense 1,492.70
Food Coupons
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Food Coupons 5,499.84
Total Food Coupons 5,499.84
Glasses
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Event Glassware 3,100.71
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge VIP Glassware/Retail 583.64
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Glassware - freight/balance 431.26
Total Glasses 4,115.61
Homebrew Competition
07/12/2012 Laura Lodge Thank you dinner for coordinators 274.64
07/12/2012 Laura Lodge Homebrew Competition Reg for 2013 30.00
10/22/2012 Alpine Wine & Spirits Prize Package Freight 200.00
12/31/2012 Breckenridge Brewery Homebrew Assembly 332.01
01/15/2013 Donna Geithman Supplies for Homebrew Comp 370.53
01/20/2013 Copy Copy Homebrew Comp Results packets 120.86
01/23/2013 Nobel Sysco Plastic Cups for Homebrew Comp 235.51
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Wal Mart - Homebrew Comp Results 99.38
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Postage for results 186.34
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - Homebrew Prize Box Supplies 173.38
08/12/2013 Alpine Wine & Spirits Shipping Homebrew Prizes 518.00
10/06/2013 Laura Lodge Dinner for 2013 Homebrew Organizers 214.96
Total Homebrew Competition 2,755.61
Lodging - Featured Brewers
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Features/VIPs 7,503.11
Total Lodging - Featured Brewers 7,503.11
Page 2 of 5
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Profit & Loss Detail
2013 Event
Date Name Memo Amount
Programs
01/05/2013 Copy Copy Programs 1,649.44
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge The Blue Star - Graphic Artist Dinner 105.22
Total Programs 1,754.66
Security
01/27/2013 Lone Star Security 2013 Security 1,560.63
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Town of Vail Police - Sat 540.00
Total Security 2,100.63
Seminar - Presenter Expense
01/04/2013 Elite Brands Aecht Schlenkerla beer for Smoke seminar 167.26
09/05/2013 Craft Beer Institute Cicerone Workshop 1,250.00
Total Seminar - Presenter Expense 1,417.26
T-shirts
01/05/2013 JB T's Volunteer T-shirts & other wearables 3,028.70
08/12/2013 JB T's Wearables 2013 - Jackets/Hoodies/T-shirts 381.57
09/23/2013 JB T's Staff Jackets 208.13
Total T-shirts 3,618.40
Thank You Packets
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Thank you Brewers/Sponsors 217.36
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - supplies 58.51
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy - packet info 301.14
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge Postage for packets 169.56
Total Thank You Packets 746.57
Tickets - Paper
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Copy Copy 17.70
Total Tickets - Paper 17.70
Welcome Reception
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Welcome Reception Food/Service 2,999.87
Total Welcome Reception 2,999.87
Total Event Expenses 35,882.61
Insurance
Event Insurance
01/07/2013 Alpine Insurance Agency Event Insurance 985.00
Total Event Insurance 985.00
Work Comp
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Work Comp for 2013 291.00
Total Work Comp 291.00
Total Insurance 1,276.00
Legal Fees
10/09/2012 Candace L Moon Esq Trademark Atty Retainer 275.00
11/05/2012 Candace L Moon Esq Trademark Processing 600.00
Total Legal Fees 875.00
Lodging
Media Lodging
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Holiday Inn - Eric Steen 338.38
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Holiday Inn - Eric Steen 169.19
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Holiday Inn - Valliere 338.38
03/13/2013 Laura Lodge Holiday Inn - Valliere 169.19
Total Media Lodging 1,015.14
Staff Lodging
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge Holiday Inn - Rubesne 507.57
Page 3 of 5
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Profit & Loss Detail
2013 Event
Date Name Memo Amount
Total Staff Lodging 507.57
Total Lodging 1,522.71
Marketing/Sales
Public Relations/Communications
08/23/2012 Key Link Inc PR Aug 2012 300.00
10/02/2012 Key Link Inc Sept PR 250.00
10/19/2012 Key Link Inc Oct PR 250.00
12/19/2012 Key Link Inc Nov 2012 250.00
02/04/2013 Key Link Inc Dec PR 250.00
02/10/2013 Key Link Inc January 2013 250.00
03/28/2013 Key Link Inc Feb 2013 250.00
05/01/2013 Key Link Inc April PR 250.00
Total Public Relations/Communications 2,050.00
Web Expenses
11/08/2012 Fluid Elements Web Design Website Updates 877.50
08/01/2013 Fluid Elements Web Design Website work through 6/15 731.25
Total Web Expenses 1,608.75
Marketing/Sales - Other
01/20/2013 Vail Resorts TV8 Interviews 50.00
Total Marketing/Sales - Other 50.00
Total Marketing/Sales 3,708.75
Meals & Entertainment
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Avery/Dogfish Tasting at Avery - Lunch 104.00
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Freshcraft - GABF 22.00
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Lola - GABF 118.28
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Euclid Hall - GABF 43.14
Total Meals & Entertainment 287.42
Misc Expense
02/11/2013 Laura Lodge City Mkt - Volunteers 58.72
06/23/2013 Postmaster PO Box Renewal 60.00
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge Postage 16.11
08/05/2013 Laura Lodge Brewers Association 45.00
Total Misc Expense 179.83
Office Supplies
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge Vistaprint - Business Cards & possible Retail Items 80.86
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - Toner for Printer 86.65
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - 1/2 New Printer/Fax/Copier 177.43
10/06/2013 Laura Lodge Office Depot - Toner/Mailing Labels 78.37
Total Office Supplies 423.31
Travel
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Gas 42.30
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Gas 59.25
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Gas - GABF 56.04
01/13/2013 Laura Lodge Gas to Dry Dock for Brewmasters Dinner Tasting 53.40
04/07/2013 Laura Lodge To CBC - gas 50.11
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge Air to DC for SAVOR - Frontier 338.00
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge CBC - Urban Sombrero Meals 22.34
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge CBC - Sleep Inn 81.66
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge CBC - Westin - Meals 80.70
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge CBC -US Airport Parking 49.57
06/03/2013 Laura Lodge Travel Insurance on DC Flight 10.95
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge LLL Visa- SAVOR Expense 124.58
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge SAVOR - Meals - The Breslin 13.89
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge SAVOR - Meals - Tres Carnes 12.75
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge SAVOR -Taxi 52.28
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge SAVOR - US Airport Parking 33.05
07/06/2013 Laura Lodge SAVOR - Gas 58.13
Page 4 of 5
8:21 PM
10/20/13
Accrual Basis
Big Beers Festival
Profit & Loss Detail
2013 Event
Date Name Memo Amount
08/05/2013 Laura Lodge Gas to Salida Festival 49.53
10/06/2013 Laura Lodge Gas to Dinner 40.52
Total Travel 1,229.05
Venue Cost
Brewmasters' Dinners
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Calibration Dinner 9,690.00
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Brewmasters' Dinner 9,690.00
Total Brewmasters' Dinners 19,380.00
Room Rental
02/14/2013 Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Includes some seminar set up 2,162.80
Total Room Rental 2,162.80
Total Venue Cost 21,542.80
Total Expense 76,062.47
-52.48
Page 5 of 5
Festival Admission
Welcome Reception & Educational Seminars
Friday, January 10, 2014 • 8:30am - 7:30pm
Educational Seminars & Commercial Tasting
Saturday, January 11, 2014 • 9:30am - 6:00pm
Additional Events*
AHA Sanctioned Homebrew Competition & Brewmaster’s DInners
• Additional events are separate from the Commercial Tasting Ticket
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa
1300 Westhaven Drive • Vail, Colorado
BIG BEERS
www.BigBeersFestival.com
Festival
Belgians Barleywines&20
1
4
January 9th - 11th
Vail, Colorado
Avery | Dogfish | Deschutes | Captain | Goose | Funkwerks
LawrenceHead Island
Misty GordonCREATIVE
AC Golden • Alaskan • Allagash • Altitude Chophouse • Aspen • Atom • Backcountry • Baere • Bell’s • Big Choice • Blue Spruce • Bockor
Bocq • BOM • Bonfire • Bootstrap • Bosteels • Boston Beer • Boulder Beer • Boulevard • Breckenridge • Brewery Colorado • Bristol
Brunehaut • Butcherknife • Cambridge • Caution • Coronado • Crazy Mountain • Crooked Stave • Crystal Springs • Denver Beer • De Proef
Dillon Dam • Dry Dock • Echo • Elevation • Epic • FATE • Firestone Walker • Flying Dog • Gore Range • Grand Teton • Gravity
Great Divide • Green Flash • Grimm Brothers • Gulden Draak • Headlands • Jagged Mountain • Jolly Pumpkin • Karbach • Kasteel • Lagunitas
LaTrappe • Left Hand • Les 3 Fourquets Lexington • Lindemans • Lone Tree • Lost Abbey • Lost Highway • Loveland • Malheur • Marble
New Belgium • Odd 13 • Odell • Ommegang • Orval • Palisade • Papago • Paradox • Perennial • Piraat • Port • Prearis • Pretty Things
Pug Ryan’s • Redstone Meadery • Renegade • River North • Roadhouse • Rochefort • Samuel Smith • Sanitas • SEEF • Shmaltz
Sierra Nevada • St. Feuillien • Ska • Stone • Strange • Surly • Telluride • Three Barrel • Timmermanns • Tivoli • Tommyknocker • Trinity
Twelve Degree • Upslope • Verboten • Very Nice • Verzet • West Flanders • Widmer Brothers • Westmalle • Wit’s End • Wynkoop • Yak & Yeti
*
MFC%**#EF%+J<GK<D9<I)'()A LL A BOUT B EER(
ON TAP
:FM<I1Kf[[9\d`jXkMX`c:XjZX[\I\jfik JgX%G?FKF9PD@:?8<CI8NC@E>J#:FLIK<JPM8@C:8J:8;<%
N_`c\Y\\iXe[]ff[
gX`i`e^j_Xm\Y\Zfd\
]Xidfi\ZfddfegcXZ\
`ei\Z\ekp\Xij#
k_\gif[lZk`fef]
Xdlck`gc\$Zflij\
Y\\i[`ee\igi\j\ekj
Xe\ek`i\cpe\nj\k
f]Z_Xcc\e^\jXe[
fggfikle`k`\j%Kf[[
9\d`j#\o\Zlk`m\Z_\]Xk
MX`c:XjZX[\I\jfik`e
:fcfiX[f#Xe[_`jk\Xd
fi^Xe`q\[X^Xi^XklXe
[`ee\iXkcXjkp\XijËj
9`^9\\ij#9\c^`Xej
9Xic\pn`e\j=\jk`mXc%
B\eN\Xm\i\ogcfi\j
k_\nfic[f]_fn
Z_\]jZi\Xk\k_\`iY\\i
[`ee\ij%
New Brewery
Business Models
9LP<IËJ>L@;<
=FI9<<ICFM<IJ
One “Ale” of a Good Friend:
A case for ales
as the beer of summer
by Thomas SulinskiChina’s Craft
Beer Revolution
MFC%**#EF%+J<GK<D9<I)'()ALL ABOUT B EER+.
+/A LL ABOUT B EERMFC%**#EF%+J<GK<D9<I)'()
or came in with some homebrewing knowledge, the
event’s concept and intricacies were new to Bemis.
Born in Edmond, OK, and raised in north Texas,
Bemis started cooking professionally at age 16. He’s
managed hotels and overseen banquet operations. In
his position at Vail Cascade, he and his team accom-
modate more than 1,000 daily visitors during peak
holiday seasons. Logistics weren’t the issue.
As Bemis explains, “I grew up in Texas, and my idea
of beer was, you sit down on a log after you mow the
lawn and have a beer.” Bemis would be responsible for
formulating a five-course pairing menu for the festi-
val’s main dinner, which would highlight two industry
heavyweights: Breckenridge Brewery
from Denver and Bell’s Brewery from
Kalamazoo, MI. The event also would
be Bemis’ first foray into craft beer.
Welcome to the Jungle
While beer-and-food pairings have
become far more commonplace in re-
cent years, crafting a multiple-course
pairing menu can present all sorts of
new considerations.. Most educational
resources (like books and websites) fo-
cus on one plate and one beer at a time.
In planning for a full dinner, chefs are
called upon to think on a considerably
grander scale about everything from
how the courses will work cohesively, to
managing portions, to managing people, to accounting
for constraining menu themes.
Sean Z. Paxton of the TV show The Homebrew Chef
is one of the country’s renowned beer chefs and has
been involved in elaborate menu planning. “Are you
working with one brewery and their whole beer lineup?”
Paxton asks rhetorically, reflecting on the themes that
he’s encountered. “Are you looking at something like a
Belgian beer dinner, where you’re celebrating Belgian
beer and all the different complexities of all the different
styles and flavors? I’ve done dinners where it’s focused
all on hops and IPA, and six courses of IPAs—would
you hit a lupulin threshold?”
,'A LL ABOUT B EERMFC%**#EF%+J<GK<D9<I)'()
There’s the goal of mak-
ing each course part of a
progression of flavors, as
Paxton puts it, as well as
showcasing each beer suc-
cessfully. While there’s no
lack of resources on how
to generally pair beer styles
with different foods, the
devil’s often in the details.
“Name me three IPAs
that taste the same,” Pax-
ton says as a way of mak-
ing the point. Accounting
for underlying nuances
can be as important to
the process as knowing classic pairings, particularly
when working with craft beers far outside traditional
style guidelines.
To better understand the beers they would e work-
ing with, the Vail Cascade group traveled to Denver’s
Breckenbridge Brewery where brewmaster Todd Usry
organized a tasting.
Usry describes the scene that developed: “I had
myself, my quality-control brewer, our lab guy, another
one of our brewers who’s just got a real good palate,
and my wife (who does public relations for the brew-
ery), and then they brought down their contingent.
You should have just seen the table we sat down at
with 24 beers on it.” Bemis’
first formal craft-beer tasting
included Breckenridge’s 72
Imperial Chocolate Cream
Stout and whiskey-barrel-
aged Vanilla Porter, as well
as Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
and Hopslam Ale.
“He was very, let’s say,
introspective,” says Usry.
“We’d throw out kind of
our design on the beer, what
we were trying to achieve
in making the beer and the
flavors we were looking for—
and you’d see him smile to
himself. He’s got this kind of a wry smile, and you
could see him smile to himself and nod his head and
know… that his brain was just churning away.”
Having established common ground, the groups
gradually tasted the full lineup of beers, exposing Be-
mis to the craft-beer lexicon while trying to formulate
pairings. They eventually narrowed it down to seven
pairs of beers, which helped shape the underlying
structure of the final menu.
For the first time, Bemis came to terms with what
was being asked of him in his inaugural beer dinner
“What I find is most people don’t really think about
what they’re tasting,” Bemis says. “It’s just good or it’s
N_f1J\XeQ%GXokfe#K_\?fd\Yi\n
:_\]
<m\ek1)'(':iX]k9i\n\ij:fe]\i\eZ\
XnXi[j[`ee\i
CfZXk`fe1:_`ZX^f#@C
Elkj"9fckj1=`m\Zflij\j%)#'''g\f$
gc\%-''_flijf]nfib%),'^ifnc\ij%
K_\:_Xcc\e^\1ÈN_Xk[fpfl]\\[
)#'''Yi\n\ij]ifd++[`]]\i\ek
Zfleki`\j6É
:fejkiX`ek(1È@kËjXcjfXle`fe_fk\c#
jfk\Z_e`ZXccp@ZXeËkg`ZblgXbe`]\
\oZ\gkkfj_fnfi[\dfejkiXk\_fn
kf[fXk\Z_e`hl\kfg\fgc\%É
:fejkiX`ek)1ÈK_XkgXik`ZlcXi[`ee\i
@Zffb\[n`k_-,'^Xccfejf]Y\\i%¿
?fn[fpflgflik_XkdlZ_Y\\i6É
K_\<]]fik1È@kkffbknfg\fgc\e`e\
_flij\XZ_[Xpaljkkfjc`Z\Xcck_\
d\Xkjk_Xkn\j\im\[n`k_aljkk_\
ÔijkZflij\%@kËjZiXq`e\jj%<m\ek_\
Z_\\j\#`kkffbk_i\\g\fgc\knf[Xpj
kfjc`Z\Xcck_\Z_\\j\Xe[^\k`kXcc
i\X[p%É
K_\GXpf]]1È@knXj\m\ipYf[pXe[
XepYf[p@Ë[\m\inXekkfZffb]fi`e
fe\iffd%É
Beer Chef WAR STORIES
J\XeGXokfe
MFC%**#EF%+J<GK<D9<I)'()ALL ABOUT B EER,(
not, for the average guy or gal. But when I sat down
and talked with the guys at Breck[enridge], what I
began to realize is these guys really think about what
they’re tasting. And that’s where I had to go.” The beer
pairings decided, the rest of the menu would be up
to Bemis and his team.
“I left with a lot to think about,” he says. “A whole
lot to think about.”
Rules of Three
At an earlier point in his career, Bemis worked a
restaurant where one of his duties was to crumble
up Stilton cheese for a French buffet. Not a fan of the
cheese, he referred to it as stinky socks’ Eventually the
German chef he worked with took him aside and told
him to get some Stilton. When Bemis refused to eat
the sock-like cheese, the chef went to the restaurant
bar and returned with an old bottle of port.
“He said, ‘Eat the cheese,’” Bemis recalls. “And I’m
like, really? And he goes, ‘Shut up and eat the cheese.’
OK. Yes, chef. And I ate the cheese, and then he gave
me the port.”
Bemis recounts the incident clearly, as something
of a gastronomic signpost. The classic pairing of Stil-
ton and port worked, and he remembers wondering,
“How can two things that taste so different taste so
good together?” He took the lesson to heart.
There’s a notable shift in Bemis’ intonation when
he changes from talking beer to talking food. From the
beginning, it was established that the chefs wouldn’t
be cooking with the beers. After doing a bit of basic
research, he lost interest in cut-and-dried recom-
mendations pretty quickly.
“The reality is, once I got to tasting the food with
the beers and things like that, the nuances that made
the beers go together, you just had to find that right
note in-between to hit with the food. That’s kind of
what made it a challenge.”
Some of the pairings fell into place more easily than
others. Breckenridge ESB and Bell’s Hopslam Ale were
the welcome drinks, while Breckenridge’s Regal Pilsner
and Bell’s Quinannan Falls Special Lager Beer (both
crisp, hoppy lagers) were a natural fit for the lighter fare
of artisan cheeses and winter fruits. The other pair of
reception beers—Summer Cab Ride from Breckenridge
(a lower-alcohol golden ale aged in Cabernet barrels)
and Bell’s Cherry Stout (reminiscent of a lightly tart
chocolate-covered cherry)—were worlds apart and
required a bit more effort. The common core notes
between the two of them were fruitiness and acidity,
which worked well with a range of charcuterie and
foie gras pâté rolled into balls that were then dipped
into a sweet-tart gelatin. The two reception courses
brought together meat, cheese and fruit, with the
8ifdXk`Z]i\j_jXcdfeYXb\[feZ\[XigcXebj#
n`k_jX]]ifeYlkk\iXe[XkXiiX^feZ_\iip
i\c`j_X[[`e^XZ`[`kp%K_`j[`j_nXjgX`i\[n`k_
9i\Zb\ei`[^\Ëjn_`jb\p$YXii\c$X^\[MXe`ccXGfik\i
Xe[9\ccËj9cXZbEfk\YfliYfe$YXii\c$X^\[jkflk%
AC Golden • Alaskan • Allagash • Altitude Chophouse • Anchor • Anheuser-Busch • Aspen Brewing
Backcountry • Bell's • Belzebuth • Big Choice • Bockor • Bonfire • Bootstrap • Bosteels • Boston Beer
Boulder Beer • Boulevard • Brasserie Brunehaut • Brauerei Aying • Breckenridge • Brewdog • Bristol • Coronado
Crazy Mountain • Crooked Stave • Denver Beer • DeProef • Des Rocs • Deschutes • Dillon Dam • Dupont • Duvel
Elevation • Epic • Fate • Flying Dog • Foret • Funkwerks • Glenwood Canyon • Goose Island • Gore Range
Grand Teton • Gravity • Great Divide • Green Flash • Green's • Grimm Brothers • Kasteel • Lagunitas
Lakewood • LaTrappe • Left Hand • Lindemans • Lost Abbey • Loveland Aleworks • Lucifer • Malheur
Mission • Mountain Sun • Moylan's • New Belgium • Nostradamus • Ölvisholt Brugghús • Odell • Ommegang
Orval Trappist • Oskar Blues • Papago • Pug Ryan's • Redstone Meadery • Renegade • River North • Roadhouse • Rockyard
Samichlaus • Samuel Smith • Shmaltz • Sierra Nevada • Ska • St. Bernardus • St. Feuillien • Stone • Straffe Hendrik • Strange
Surly • Tenth & Blake • Three Barrel • Timmermans • Tommyknocker • Trappistes Rochefort • Uinta • Upslope • Van den Bossche
Van Eecke • Van Steenberge • Wells & Youngs • West Flanders • Westmalle Trappist • Widmer • Wit's End • Wynkoop • Yak & Yeti
Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival
Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival
Vail, Colorad o • January 10-12, 2013
13th Anniversary
www.BigBeersFestival.com
Avery • Dogfish Head • Firestone Walker • Dry Dock
Big Beers Festival Admission
Welcome Reception & Educational Seminars
Friday, January 11, 2013 • 8:30am - 7:30pm
Educational Seminars & Commercial Tasting
Saturday, January 12, 2013 • 10am - 6pm
Additional Events*
AHA Sanctioned Homebrew Competition & Brewmaster’s Dinners
*Additional events are separate from the Big Beers Festival Admission
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa
1300 Westhaven Drive • Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado • January 12, 2013
13th Anniversary
Big Beers, Belgians &Big Beers, Belgians &Big Beers, Belgians &Big Beers, Belgians &Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival
Vail, Colorado • January 12, 2013
Barleywines Festival
Vail, Colorado • January 12, 2013
Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival
Big Beers, Belgians &Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival
Program Schedule
1300 Westhaven Drive • Vail, Colorado
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa
www.BigBeersFestival.comwww.BigBeersFestival.com
2 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Our Organzational Mission
The Vail Valley Charitable Fund helps people who live and
work in Eagle County who have overwhelming fi nancial
needs due to medical crisis.
A Brief History
Formed in 1996 as a Colorado 501(c) (3) non-profi t organi-
zation the Vail Valley Charitable Fund has assisted nearly
1,000 individuals and families and raised and dispersed more than $5 million dollars.
The Vail Valley Charitable Fund gives direct aid grants, and can serve as a platform for fundraising events.
The organization facilitates and assists with fundraisers when the fi nancial need is greater than a direct aid
grant can address. Grassroots community support has been crucial to the VVCF’s fundraising success.
For more information see vvcf.net, email: info@vvcf.org, or write to PO Box 2307 Edwards, CO 81632 or
call (970) 926.9795.
Thank you
Our “lucky thirteen” event owes many thanks to a plethora of wonderful folks who continue to help make
the Big Beers Festival possible in and year out. Once again, tremendous thanks to CR Goodman Colorado
for receiving, shipping & delivering all of the out of state beer from our participants. For their Homebrew
Competition hospitality and everything that entails, thanks as is due to Breckenridge Brewery. For making
the homebrew competition happen, much appreciation to Donna & Bill Geithman, Geoff Humphrey & Dot-
tie Clapp. The beautiful poster, program, and magazine/newspaper ads are all possible due to the talents
of Misty Gordon. And for helping to pick up all of the pieces and make it happen, our traditional, annual
thanks to Amy & Bill Phillips and Judy & Charlie Wood.
Additional kudos this year to Lindsay Wooten for helping to shoehorn all of the additional breweries into
the Conference Center, and to the amazing culinary team at the Vail Cascade for embracing craft beer
on every level.
Thanks to you all, and cheers to a wonderful weekend!
Laura & Bill Lodge
3www.BigBeersFestival.com
AC Golden
Alaskan
Anchor
Allagash
Altitude Chophouse
Anheuser-Busch
Aspen
Ayinger
Avery
Backcountry
Bell’s
Big Choice
Bockor
Bonfire
Bootstrap
Bosteels
Boston Beer
Brew Dog
Boulder Beer
Boulevard
Breckenridge
Bristol
Caracole
Brewers Unleashed
Coronado
Brunehaut
Crazy Mountain
Crooked Stave
Denver Beer
De Proef
Deschutes
Des Rocs
Dilllon DAM
Dogfish Head
Dry Dock
Dupont
Duvel
Elevation
Epic
Fate
Firestone Walker
Flying Dog
Funkwerks
Glenwood Canyon
Gore Range
Goose Island
Gravity
Grain d’Orge
Grand Teton
Green Flash
Great Divide
Grimm Brothers
Green’s
2013 Brewery Index
Het Anker
Lagunitas
Lakewood
LaTrappe
Left Hand
Lost Abbey
Lindeman’s
Loveland Aleworks
Malheur
Mission
Mountain Sun
Moylan’s
New Belgium
Odell
Orval
Olvisholt
Ommegang
Papago
Pug Ryan’s
Oskar Blues
Renegade
Redstone Meadery
River North
Roadhouse
Rochefort
Rockyard
St. Bernardus
St. Feuillien
Samuel Smith
Shmaltz
Sierra Nevada
Schloss Eggenburg
Ska
Stone
Strange
Surly
Straffe
Three Barrel
Timmerman’s
Tommyknocker
Uinta
Upslope
Van den Bossche
Van Honsebrouck
Van Steenberge
Westmalle
West Flanders
Widmer Brothers
Wells & Young’s
Wit’s End
Wynkoop
Yak & Yeti
4
4
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
8
8
8
9
9
9
10
10
10
11
11
12
12
12
13
13
14
14
14
14
15
15
15
15
16
16
16
17
17
17
18
18
18
19
19
19
20
20
21
21
21
24
24
25
25
25
25
25
26
26
27
27
27
28
28
28
29
29
29
30
30
30
30
31
31
32
32
32
33
33
33
33
34
34
34
35
35
35
36
36
37
37
37
38
38
38
39
39
39
39
40
40
40
41
41
41
4 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
AC Golden Brewing Company
Golden, CO
www.acgolden.com
Colorambic
Our humble interpretation of Lambic. We brew a wort identical to a lambic base beer containing malted
barley, raw wheat and 3 year old Slovenian hops. After the 4 hour boil, we knock this out to our “coolship”
and then immediately add the wort to oak barrels with all the yeasts and bugs we could get our clean
brewers hands on. 100% of the fermentation occurs in these barrels. This version of Colorambic came
from one of our favorite barrels and is keg conditioned with Brettanomyces.
Belgian Style Saison
Brewed with malted barley, wheat and oats with Styrian Golding hops. We conditioned with one of our
favorite strains of Brettanomyces for added dryness, complexity and funk. 25 IBUs, 5.1% ABV
Alaskan Brewing Company
Juneau, AK
www.alaskanbeer.com
Alaskan Imperial Red
A full-bodied deep mahogany ale with ruby red highlights. Citrus notes of chamomile, grapefruit and
Meyer lemon brighten the aroma. A zesty array of hop fl avors from mango and bitter orange to green
mint and hibiscus meld with the nutty, roasted caramel and subtle dried fruit fl avors of the complex malt
profi le to create a surprisingly fresh, yet warming example of the style.
Alaskan Smoked Porter 2008
The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky fl avor of this limited edition beer make it an adventure-
some taste experience. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited “vintages” each year on November
1 and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle much like fi ne wine.
Alaskan Baltic Porter 2009
Full-bodied and jet-black in color with brilliant garnet highlights and a dense tan head. The smooth, deep
maltiness is accentuated by raisin and licorice notes, as well a chocolate and mild coffee characters. A
touch of cherry and dried fruit fl avors are also evident with a mellow vanilla background rounding out
the fi nish. The oak brings hints of bourbon and hot toffee to this richly fl avorful beer. 53 IBUs, 9.8% ABV
Anchor Brewing
San Francisco, CA
www.anchorbrewing.com
Old Foghorn
Introduced in 1975, Old Foghorn® Ale was the fi rst modern American barleywine sparking renewed
interest domestically and in Britain. The name was derived from the English tradition of attaching the
word “old” to barleywines to denote their tradition, intensive brewing process and cellar aging, and
“Foghorn” gave it a San Francisco fl air.
Anchor Brewing (Surprise)
Surprise!! Anchor has one in store for us, so visit their station to check it out!
5www.BigBeersFestival.com
Allagash Brewing Company
Portland, ME
www.allagash.com
Allagash Fluxus
The name Fluxus is Latin for continuous change, something we seem to fi nd ourselves in. Every year,
Fluxus is brewed with a different recipe, giving our brewers a chance to push the limits of beer. Allagash
Fluxus is brewed to help fund a scholarship set up for pediatric nurses at The Barbara Bush Children’s
Hospital at Maine Medical Center.Allagash Tripel
This strong golden ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with suggestions of
banana and honey in the complex palate. The Tripel has a remarkably long and smooth fi nish. 9% ABV
Allagash Interlude
The fi rst yeast strain, a Belgian farmhouse yeast, establishes the fl avor foundations of a classic
Belgian-style ale. The second yeast, a house strain of Brettanomyces yeast, brings it to the next level
contributing an intriguing myriad of fl avors including pear, apricot, graham cracker, and bread crust.
Finally, a portion of the Interlude is aged in French Merlot and Sirah oak barrels, which impart a
distinctive vinous plum character and a drying, almost tannic fi nish. 9.5% ABV
Altitude Chophouse & Brewery
Laramie, WY
www.altitudechophouse.com
Prancer
Belgian Session dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin and named after the darn cutest reindeer one ever did
see. 6% ABV
Blitzen
This Belgian Stout is named after a reindeer who, I think we all know, can be kind of a jerk. 7.5% ABV
Sparkles - Sour Mash
Employing yogurt in the mash tun, this tart, herbed ale is named after one of nature’s most baffl ing &
terrifying gifts to the human race.
Aahhhh! Saison
A darker version of the traditional saison, brewed & spiced with ingredients from this earth.
Anheuser-Busch
St. Louis, MO
www.anheuser-busch.com
Revenge of Tomahop (Experimental)
The Revenge of Tomahop is an IPA brewed with 2 row, caramel and rye malts. Plenty of Columbus and
Cascade hops are used in the brewhouse. Extensive dry hopping is another key for this beer. This is a
big beer at 75 IBUs, 8.6% ABV
Murder of Crows (Experimental)
This Wood Aged Imperial Stout is brewed with 2 row, caramel, and chocolate malts. Domestic Wilamette
and Hallertau hops are used and the beer is aged on toasted oak and vanilla beans. This beer is 7.3% ABV
Wild Blue
This blueberry fruit beer has a taste that is full, round and warm with a slightly sweet taste and pleasant
ripe blueberry aroma/fl avor.
6 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Aspen Brewing Company
Aspen, CO
www.aspenbrewingco.com
Saison
Our GABF medal winning saison is a traditional French style saison brewed with Belgian Pils, soft
wheat malts, curacao orange peel, and fermented hot with a very special yeast strain. 6.7% ABV.
Brett Barrel Saison
We took our award winning Saison and let it age in red wine barrels for nine months with brett bruxel-
lensis for this beer. Layers of jammy red wine, oak, and ‘bretty’ funk take this farmhouse beer to
another level. 7.2% ABV
Double Conundrum
This Imperial Red was brewed with over 200 pounds of fresh picked cascade hops, and a generous
helping of rye, munich and caramel malts to create an exceptionally well balanced imperial red ale. 85
IBUs, 8.7% ABV
10th Mountain Stout
Our winter seasonal is an imperial oatmeal stout brewed with eight types of malts and a blend of
American and English hops. It pours as black as a cold winter night and is guaranteed to warm you up
on one of them. 87 IBUs, 9.3% ABV
Brauerei Aying
Munich, Germany
www.merchantduvin.com
Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock
A rich, dark elixir with cascading layers of malt complexity balanced by elegant hops. Notes of toffee,
caramel, elegant dark-malt roastiness, and pure malt. Pinpoint conditioning and semi-dry fi nish. 24
IBUs, 6.7% ABV
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.averybrewing.com
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel. Amazingly complex, coal black,
velvety and liqueurish, this demon has a bouquet of vine-ripened grapes, anise and chocolate covered
cherries with fl avors of rum-soaked caramelized dark fruits and a double espresso fi nish. Cellarable for
10+ years. 80 IBUs, OG: 1.135, 15-17% ABV
Rumpkin
We wondered what would happen if a monstrous pumpkin ale, plump full of spicy gourdiness, were aged
in fi ne fresh rum barrels to add suggestions of delicate oak and candied molasses. Rumpkin is what
happened! This fi rst member of the Annual Barrel-Aged Series was brewed with roasted pumpkins from
a local Boulder County farm, and spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. OG: 1.135, 15-18% ABV
Uncle Jacobs
Jacob Spears, our 6th Great Grand Uncle, is credited as the fi rst distiller to label his whiskey “Bourbon.”
In his honor, we present this robust, silky smooth, full-bodied and altogether extremely American rendi-
tion of an Imperial Stout aged for 6 months in the very fi nest Bourbon barrels. This explains a lot about
our penchant for big brews! It’s in our blood! OG: 1.140 ABV: 17.42%
Avery Continued -->
Our GABF medal winning saison is a traditional French style saison brewed with Belgian Pils, soft
7www.BigBeersFestival.com
Beast
The Beast is a seducer – accomodating, complicated, powerful, dark and created to last the ages. With
a deep burgundy color and aromas of honey, nutmeg, mandarin orange and pineapple, this massive and
challenging brew has flavors akin to a beautiful Carribbean rum. Dates, plums, raisins and molasses are
dominant in a rich vinous texture. Cellarable for 10+ years. 63 IBUs, OG: 1.135, ABV: 15-17%
Samaels
Samaels is a super-caramelly, oak-aged English-style strong ale. Perhaps the least hoppy (sacrilege
here at Avery!) beer we’ve brewed, to accentuate the malt. The oak is very apparent in this rich and high
gravity ale, adding additional depth and complexity with a woody and cask-like nose and a pronounced
vanilla flavor on the palate. With the addition of a more roasted malt in 2007, Samaels now delivers
subtle bitterness to add balance to the natural sweetness. Cellarable for 10+ years. 41 IBUs, OG: 1.135,
ABV: 15-17%
Czar
Behold the stunning crimson hues through the inky blackness. Inhale the noble Hallertau hops, spicy and
floral. Savor the flavors redolent of English toffee, rich mocha, sweet molasses, candied currants and a
hint of anise. We highly recommend cellaring additional bottles, as the Czar will continue to mature and
become denser and more complex with age. 55 IBUs, OG: 1.104, ABV: 10-12%
Maharaja
Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, meaning “great”, and rajan, meaning “king”. Much
like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he
rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy,
vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley – fashioning a dark amber hue and
exquisite malt essence. Welcome to his kingdom! 102 IBUs, OG: 1.090, ABV: 10-12%
Kaiser
The Kaiser once said, “Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world.” If the Kaiser and
his significant other had tipped this bottle, we’d all be “sprechenden Deutsch!” We took all that is good
in a traditional Oktoberfest – gorgeous, deep copper sheen, massive malty backbone and spicy, floral,
pungent noble hops – then intensified each into this, an Imperial Oktoberfest. 24 IBUs, OG: 1.085, ABV:
9-10%
Hog Heaven
This dangerously drinkable garnet beauty is a hop lover’s delight. The intense dry-hop nose and the
alcohol content are perfectly balanced for a caramel candy-like malt backbone. This is a serious beer for
serious beer aficionados. 104 IBUs, OG: 1.085, ABV: 9.2%
Reverend
The Reverend, was created in tribute to the life of Sales Mgr. Tom Boogaard’s grandfather, an ordained
Episcopal Reverend. True to the spirit and character of the departed Reverend, this beer is strong willed,
assertive, and pure of heart. Our brewers included as many authentic imported Belgian specialty malts
as they could, making this the perfect beer for folks who love malty beers and are ready to take the next
step. A divinely complex and beautifully layered beer with hints of dark cherries, currants, and molasses,
complimented by an underlying spiciness. Sinfully smooth considering the high alcohol content. 24 IBUs,
OG: 1.085, ABV: 10.0%
Salvation
The success of Hog Heaven and The Reverend clearly demonstrates that beer drinkers are willing to
embrace “BIGGER” beers. In the fall of 2001, we decided that a lighter BIG BEER would complement its
darker-colored predecessors. Luscious apricot and peach aromas are delicately interwoven with spicy
suggestions of nutmeg and cinnamon in this heavenly soft, champagne-like elixir. 33 IBUs, OG: 1.077,
9% ABV
Odio Equum
No. 13 in our barrel-aged series, this sour ale is brewed with red raspberries and aged in Cabernet
Sauvignon barrels. Such a strong and ugly word, but unfortunately true. Our vintner friend just doesn’t
appreciate the depth and character of the aromas and flavors that Brettanomyces creates like we do.
Like you do. But the dude has some seriously fine Cabernet Sauvignon barrels that he shared with us to
create this wondrous sole ale. 7.1% ABV
8 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Backcountry Brewery
Frisco, CO
www.backcountrybrewery.com
Imperial Saison
Expect big notes of citrus (mostly lemon) slight tropical fruit, and a light peppery fi nish in this strong,
golden Saison. 2011 GABF Silver Medal winner. 9.2% ABV
Imperial Saison with Brett
Our Imperial Saison that went through a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces. This beer will have
notes of citrus, pineapple, and “barnyard.” 9.4%
Old Beer-Wagon Barley Wine 2011
A crimson, malt forward American Barleywine. Big notes of caramel with a mild hop background. This
beer has been aged for a year and a half. 9.5%
Bell’s Brewing Company
Kalamazoo, MI
www.bellsbeer.com
Bell’s Dagger Stout
Dagger Stout is a very young, heavily hopped imperial stout that presents an aggressive bitterness with
strongly roasted malt notes and noticeable levels of dry-hop aroma. 85+ IBUs, 10.5% ABV
Bell’s Sparkling Ale
Conceived as an American interpretation of the classic Belgian Triple, Sparkling Ale combines notes
of cloves, honey and dried fruits from a blend of two Abbey-style yeast strains with citrusy hops from
the Pacifi c Northwest to offer a heady, fragrant mix. These aromas are enhanced by an effervescent
carbonation, while a degree of residual malt sweetness serves to balance the complex array of fl avors.
32 IBUs, 9% ABV
Hopslam Ale
Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop
addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s
repetoire. Selected specifi cally because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacifi c Northwest varieties
contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and fl oral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dol-
lop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable
rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style. 60+ IBUs, 10% ABV
Bell’s Raspberry Wild One
Every batch of Raspberry Wild One begins not as a single beer, but as dozens of distinct batches fer-
mented in wooden barrels, each with its own unique combination of wild yeasts & other microorganisms.
By blending to taste from multiple barrels and then aging on locally sourced raspberries, the brewers
produce a fruit forward ale with refreshing tartness, complemented with a heady fragrance of toasted oak
& vanilla. 20 IBUs, 6-8% ABV
Big Choice Brewing Company
Broomfi eld, CO
www.bigchoicebrewing.com
Malleus Malefi carum Belgian Quad
A dark fruit fl avor, which includes cherry, plum and fi g, with a slight caramel taste and a tart fi nish. 26.9
IBUs 10.6% ABV
Hemlock Double IPA
A balanced sweet fl avor with hints of chocolate and roasted malts keeping the onslaught of 47 pounds of
Warrior, Centennial, Columbus and Cascade hops in check. 104 IBUs, 9.5% ABV
9www.BigBeersFestival.com
Bockor Brewery
Bellegem, Belgium
www.artisanalimports.com
OMER Belgian Blonde Ale
Bright golden in color with a dense, pillowy white collar of foam, Omer has a subtle, fi ne, hop bitterness
and a supple, full maltiness. It fi nishes dry with a long, pleasant and “more-ish” character, inviting and
sophisticated. 8% ABV
Bellegems Bruin
A regional classic. A traditionally-brewed Flanders brown ale is blended with 18-month old lambic to
create this tart, refreshing, medium-bodied benchmark ale. Reddish-amber with a tan head. Hints of tart
fruit and an underlying light lambic sourness dominate the nose. The palate has apple and raisiny fruit
notes offset by a touch of brown ale caramel sweetness and a toasty-woody fi nish with just a light touch
of hops. 13 IBUs, 5.5% ABV
Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge is a Flemish Sour Ale, red in color with a beguiling balance of malty sweet-
ness and acidic sharpness. It is made from a spontaneously fermented and barrel-aged beer of at least
18 months in age. The beer is cooled overnight in a large, shallow metal vessel called a coolship and
then fermented and aged in large oak foudres which are made in France and assembled on-site at
Bockor. 5.5% ABV
Bonfi re Brewing Company
Eagle, CO
www.bonfi rebrewing.com
Dark Dog India Black Ale
A big India Black Ale. Coming in at 7.5% ABV, we used four different malts — crystal, black, chocolate,
and victory — resulting in a complex-you’d better sit down for this-fl avor. It’s not a coincidence that you
start looking for a DD after one of these.
Farmer Wirtz IPA
With the approach of fall imminent, we wanted a hop-tastic beer to welcome it. A traditional IPA, the
Farmer Wirtz uses mostly two-row malt with a bag of pale malt in the mix for color. Using Summit and
Columbus hops in generous quantities, we also added 15 lbs of our own fresh hops for the fi rst batch,
grown just outside the front door over the last two years. “Farmer” Wirtz, who also happens to brew all
the beer, grew and picked the hops that brought this tasty IPA up to 94 IBUs and 7% ABV.
Kilt Dropper Strong Scotch Ale
A traditional Strong Scotch Ale, this beer underwent an extra-long boil to caramelize the wort, giving the
beer hints of caramel in the aroma. Fermented at 20% lower temperatures than most ales, the beer re-
tains distinct sweet and malty fl avors, balanced by the strength of the ABV. A touch of black barley gives
the beer most of its color, with Fuggle hops added in very small quantities as well. At 7.3% ABV, good
luck keeping your kilt on. 19 IBUs, 7.3% ABV
Bootstrap Brewing Company
Niwot, CO
www.bonfi rebrewing.com
Insane Rush IPA
Our fl agship beer. Light on hop bitterness and heavy on Simcoe hop fl avor and aroma. 80 IBUs, 7% ABV
Mo-Mentus
An American-style Imperial Amber made with front range, fresh-off-the-vine Chinook and Cascade hops.
93 IBUs, 10.1% ABV
10 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Bosteels Brewery
Buggenhaut, Belgium
www.artisanalimports.com
Tripel Karmeliet
Brewed with three grains (oats, wheat and barley) and moderately hopped, Tripel Karmeliet is slightly
sweet, malty and spicy on the palate, with tones of coriander and white pepper. On the nose it’s coriander
and a very mild hop resin note mingling with full, fruity nose that fades to a beautiful honeyish aroma.
8.4% ABV
Pauwel Kwak
Kwak is full-bodied and malty, with beautiful, juicy caramel notes. Lightly hopped, Kwak has just enough
bitterness to offset its malty sweetness so the fi nish is demi-sec and “moreish”. Great with food, fun to
drink in its signature glass and approachable, Kwak is the perfect Belgian Ale for any beer list anywhere.
8.4% ABV
Boston Beer Company – Samuel Adams
Boston, MA
www.samueladams.com
Samuel Adams Utopias (2013)
To enhance this beer’s distinct vanilla and maple notes, the liquid has aged in hand-selected, single-use
bourbon casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery. This year’s beer also spent time in a
variety of fi nishing casks: Tawny Port casks and Vintage Ruby Port casks from Portugal, contributing to the
slightly more elegant, dark fruit aromas, and Run barrels from Nicaragua, adding fl avors of fi g, chocolate,
raisin, vanilla and a slight spice. This year’s release is a blend of batches that includes some of our
original Triple Bock barrels that have been aging for nearly twenty years. 25 IBUs, 29% ABV
Thirteenth Hour Stout
This Belgian Stout is brilliant black with red edges and a white foam head. A combination of chocolate
and cherries with hints of raisin, rum, and oak and notes of spice and dark fruit leave a full-bodied and
smooth mouthfeel with a soft maltiness and a touch of acidity to keep it light. 17 IBUs, 9% ABV
Samuel Adams Triple Bock
The ‘95 is still a bit of a “bad boy”: a little rough around the edges, but with a heart of gold. The aroma is
reminiscent of the ‘94, with savory leather thrown in for complexity. The fl avor is chocolate, malty, with
a little suggestion of red fruit. A hint of herbs and earthiness fi nish the taste sensation of this 16 year old
beer. 17.5% ABV
Dark Depths
A re-imagined Baltic Porter combining the style’s dark roasted malts and aged smoothness with a bold
hop complex character of grapefruit, orange, fl oral and pine. The dark roasted malts create a deep,
robust and smooth hint of espresso. 55 IBUs, 7.6% ABV
Brew Dog Brewing Company
Fraserburgh, Scotland
www.brewdog.com
Jura
This barrel-aged Imperial Stout is brewed using Marris Otter, Dark Crystal, Caramalt, Chocolate Malt,
Roast Barley malts, Galena and Bramling Cross hops and then aged in Jura Whisky casks for 9 months
15% ABV
Tokio
This imperial stout is brewed with copious amounts of speciality malts, jasmine and cranberries. After
fermentation we then dry-hop this killer stout with a bucketload of our favourite hops before carefully
ageing the beer on French toasted oak chips. 18.2% ABV
11www.BigBeersFestival.com
Boulder Beer Company
Boulder, CO
www.boulderbeer.com
Killer Penguin Barleywine
Our extremely limited winter barleywine ale. Traditional winter seasonals are warm and comforting -- not
this bird! Diving in at around 10 percent alcohol by volume, Killer Penguin uses over twice the malt as
other winter beers. Aged to perfection, this beer doesn’t ferment, it hibernates -- and wakes up with an
attitude! 60 IBUs, 10% ABV
Mojo Risin’ Double IPA
Released annually in January. Mojo Risin’ Double IPA is a souped-up, extreme version of the one and
only Mojo IPA. We added more than a half ton of extra malt and twice the amount of Amarillo hops, so be
prepared for a full sensory explosion. The double dry-hopped addition elevates the grapefruit-like aroma
and fl avor to an outrageous intensity. 80 IBUs, 10% ABV
A Honey of a Saison
A Honey of a Saison is a swarm of fl avor and a stinger at 11% ABV! The French Saison yeast produces
big, estery, phenolic aromas and fl avors, while the Wildfl ower Honey lends a spicy, sweet aroma with
essence of dried fruits. Champagne Yeast is also used to complete fermentation and create a dry fi nish.
A strong malt bill imparts a rich, golden honey color to the ale. Low hop bitterness at 25 IBU’s, 11% ABV
Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO
www.boulevard.com
Dark Truth Imperial Stout
Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the
secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. Ladies and
gentlemen, we present for your consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of
our modern day alchemists who have turned humble grains—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—into black,
liquid gold. Layers of complex fl avors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fi g, crème brulée.
Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the
rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky fi nish. 60 IBUs, 9.7% ABV
Long Strange Belgian Tripel
Lately it occurs to us that if, back in 1989, you planned on starting a brewery in the back of your carpentry
shop, you’d been wise to seek out someone like Harold “Trip” Hogue. A collector of ancient Volvos, Trip
was well qualifi ed for the make-do engineering required to coax recalcitrant equipment out of retirement
and into making the fi rst Boulevard beers. Today, he is our longest-tenured employee. We offer this rich,
golden Tripel in grateful tribute to dedication, everywhere. 23 IBUs, 9.2% ABV
Rye on Rye, Specialty Grain Beer
Why Rye? This assertively fl avorful grain is more often associated with whiskey than with ales. Even in
that arena, it has largely been eclipsed by corn and barley, the sources of bourbon and scotch. But when
we procured some seasoned barrels from our friends at Templeton Rye, we asked ourselves, “Why not?”
Why not brew a rich, tawny rye ale, then mellow it in the warmth of charred oak rye whiskey casks? Two
kinds of malted rye provide spicy sweetness, giving way to notes of caramelized wood and the citrusy
tang of Perle, Magnum, and Saphir hops before easing into a dry, lingering fi nish. 47 IBUs, 12% ABV
Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Most breweries have at least one piece of equipment that’s just a bit persnickity. Here at Boulevard we
have fermenter number seven, the black sheep of our cellar family. Ironically, when our brewers were
experimenting with variations on a traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale, the perfect combination of
elements came together in that very vessel. You could call it fate, but they called it Tank 7, and so it
is. Beginning with a big surge of fruity aromatics and grapefruit-hoppy notes, the fl avor of this complex,
straw-colored ale tapers off to a peppery, dry fi nish. 38 IBUs, 8.5% ABV
12 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Breckenridge Brewery
Breckenridge, CO/Denver, CO
www.breckbrew.com
Well Built ESB
A brew well built.This extra special brew was well built intentionally. In team effort with our neighbors and
Colorado’s own, Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery, we combined the warming malt notes and pronounced
hop characteristics of our Small Batch ESB with their ambrosial whiskey fl avors to create the fi rst ever
collaboration of its kind. Aged for 6 months in Well Built Oak Whiskey Barrels. 55 IBUs, 7.8% ABV
Extra ESB
Extra, extra? You better believe it.
We like to say it’s double extra special. The balance of malt and hops makes it truly one-of-a-kind.
Warming malt notes at the onset with a hop kick in the back and opens up to a nice dry fi nish. Our small
batch ESB is a big, strong traditional ale with characteristics that break tradition and a complexity that
constantly surprises. 55 IBUs, 7.8% ABV
471 IPA
Hoppy? Brother, 471 IPA redefi nes hoppy.
471 is a small batch, limited edition ale that was created by our Brewmaster to separate the weak from
the strong. 471 is a double IPA, that combines Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils and Torrifi ed Wheat
malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by
more hoppiness than you’ve ever had at one time. Enjoy. 70 IBUs, 9.2% ABV
Holidale
Bottled joy to the world.
The chill of a Colorado high-country winter calls for a beer with extra fl avor and strength. Here it is. At
over 7% alcohol, with a sturdy texture and rich fl avors of caramel and chocolate, our holiday seasonal is
the fermented equivalent of a good fi re. 22 IBUs, 7.4% ABV
Bristol Brewing Company
Colorado Springs, CO
www.bristolbrewing.com
Bristol’s Belgian-Style Dubbel Ale
We’ve always admired the Trappist monks of Belgium, what with their brewing prowess and calm
demeanor. Our tribute to their centuries-long reverence for the malt and hop is our Belgian-style beer
series. A frothy marriage of deep, caramelizing richness, fruity undertones, and the lush complexity that
bottle conditioning brings.
Bristol’s Belgian-Style Tripel Ale
A golden, richly aromatic beer that’s high in nuance, low on fuss. Clean, dry, and biscuity with a dense,
snow white head. Gezondheid!
Old #23 Barleywine
An annual Bristol tradition, Old No. 23 revives an English farmhouse brewery practice of making a
complex ale to set aside for special occasions. Our version, while painstaking and time-consuming to
brew, rewards the connoisseur with an ale that has the depth and complexity of a good brandy or single
malt scotch. Massive quantities of malt and hops, a long aging time and limited availability make this a
special ale worthy of its reputation. 36 IBUs, 10.4% ABV
Brasserie Caracole
Falmignoul, Wallonia, Belgium
www.specialtybeer.com
Nostradamus
A very complex artisinal Wallonian brown ale, rich, warming, little piquant in the mouth with licorice,
mocha fl avors, pear and toasted bread background notes. Perfect after dinner drink or nightcap.
We’ve always admired the Trappist monks of Belgium, what with their brewing prowess and calm
13www.BigBeersFestival.com
Brewers Unleashed, Tenth & Blake
Denver, CO/Chicago, IL
www.tenthandblake.com
Bubblelicious Weisse
Wheat and Pale Malts. CDH (Debittered Hops). Top-fermenting wheat beer, with the quenching
sourness of a lactic fermentation. This classic sour German beer is served with an Asian bubblelicious
twist. This new addition is a translucent gummy ball that contains fl avored juices in the center which
“pops” with every bite. The bursting bubbles come in Lychee, Mango, Orange, Passion Fruit, or
Strawberry. 5 IBUs, 3.3% ABV
Running Honey Bear IPA
Specialty blend of Pale, Pils, Munich, and Patagonia 55 malts as well as Magnum, Taurus, Cascade, and
Citra hops, and 160 LBS of pure clover honey. Brilliant copper with apricot highlights and a lacey off white
foam crown. Bready and malty with subtle but complex hop aroma of citrus and pine. Hop complexity,
piney, citrusy with mango and pineapple coming thru. Malty sweet backbone with some tangy honey
sweetness coming thru, slight yeasty fruit esters. Medium to full bodied, velvety and smooth. Lingering
and warming, a nice bitter hop bite on the fi nish. 67 IBUs, OG: 19.66, 9.15% ABV
Baltic Porter
Leinenkugel Big Eddy Series aged with licorice root Red Sabina Habanero grown behind the brewery;
aged in a bourbon barrel. (notes TBD—brewer will be onsite to discuss)
Russian Imperial Stout
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company’s Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout, aged in an 18 year old
bourbon barrel along with sour cherries: Amazing fl avor, with a strong backbone of 11 different malts
in the beer combined with the aroma of the bourbon barrel and a slight tartness and aroma from the
cherries. Very balanced. 10.5 % ABV
Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company’s Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, aged in Rum Barrels acquired
from Seralles (PR) by way of Death’s Door (WI): This has been a fun one; before Seralles had the barrels
for rum-making, they came from all over the place. The Wee Heavy, which typically runs in the malty/
smokey/peaty profi le has taken on some tartness in the barrel, bringing the dark fruit notes forward.
Looking forward to seeing how this one continues to age. 10.5 % ABV
Crispin Cider: Double Barrel Saint
We are starting with an apple base wine that has been fermented with Belgian Trappist yeast. The
primary fermentation has occurred in a stainless steel vessel. We have transferred this base wine to two
bourbon barrels. In the barrel we will add maple syrup and additional Belgian Trappist yeast and vanilla
bean for a secondary fermentation. Following the second fermentation the cider will rest in the barrel until
it is time to be kegged off. 9% to 9.5% ABV
Coronado Brewing Company
Coronado, CA
www.coronadobrewingcompany.com
Idiot IPA
A generous blend of nugget hops and the 4 “Cs”: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus bring
forth a myriad of tropical fl avors and a brawny bitterness. A true Southern California style IPA.
Red Devil Imperial Red Ale
A robust, roasty, aggressively hopped red. Heaps of Amarollo & Simcoe hops provide a clean, botanic
citrus slicing through a sweet caramel base of chocolate malt.
Stupid Stout
A deep, dark viscous stout with an infusion of 3 hop varieties; Amarollo, Cascade and Chinook. This rich,
chocolaty stout is quickly becoming a wintertime favorite!
Wheat and Pale Malts. CDH (Debittered Hops). Top-fermenting wheat beer, with the quenching
14 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Brunehaut Brewery
Brunehaut-Rongy, Belgium
www.brunehaut.com
Cloak of St. Martin
The Cloak of St. Martin is Brasserie Brunhaut’s fi rst beer made using double fermentation. The fi rst round
of fermentation makes a dark quadruple with Brunhaut’s house yeast dating back a few centuries. This
round fi nishes at 9% ABV. For the second round of fermentation, the brewery uses a rare champagne
yeast that bumps the beer to a whopping 13%. The Cloak is then cellared for 6 weeks, and then condi-
tioning yeast is added. 13% ABV
Crazy Mountain Brewery
Edwards, CO
www.crazymountainbrewery.com
Lawyers, Guns & Money - American Barleywine
This beer is a celebration of our fi rst anniversary as well as one of our favorite songs. We use an as-
sortment of crystal malts and throw a little Belgian Candied Sugar into the Brew Kettle. Dry hopping with
American Hops gives this English style a refreshing American twist. Be cautious with this beer as overin-
dulgence can result in the shit hitting the fan. 80 IBUs, SRM: 19, OG: 1.09, 10% ABV
Old Soul Belgian Strong Ale
A healthy amount of wheat gives this beer a very smooth mouthfeel that is accompanied by a fruity yeast
character. Belgian candy contributes to this beer’s light body and complex fl avor. European hops team
up with Juniper berries to offer a soft, subtle spiciness. 25 IBUs, SRM: 7, OG: 1.070, 7.5% ABV
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Ft. Collins, CO
www.crookedstave.com
Saison Vielle Artisinal
Saison, reminiscent of 19th century Saison aged in large oak casks with a portion of old Saison blended
in from smaller casks.
Surette
5 grain rustic Saison, a 19th century provision Saison with an authentic tart character aged in large oak
casks.
L’Brett d’Or
100% Brettanomyces golden sour ale aged in oak barrels.
En Origins
Burgundy sour ale aged in red wine barrels
Wild Wild Brett Violet
Brettanomyces primary fermentation with Pomegranate, Violets and Lavendar added.
Denver Beer Company
Denver, CO
www.denverbeerco.com
Killer Icicle Eisbock
This big malty beer is the result of freezing our dopplebock, removing the ice and leaving behind a
warming, rich beer that will remind you of cherries, raisins and caramel. 14.2% ABV
Barleywine
Our Barleywine is vintage 2012 and is weighing in at around 12.5% ABV
15www.BigBeersFestival.com
De Proef Brouwerij
Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium
www.artisanalimports.com
De Proef Zoetzuur
From the Flemish translation for “sweet-sour.” This is a unique amber colored ale of multi yeast strain
fermentation, with a hint of Belgian Kriek (cherry) juice added. The brewer has combined these elements
in a subtle and complex blend where sour notes are balanced by tart fruit, hints of wood, and a velvety
fi nish. 21 IBUS, 7% ABV
De Proef Reinaert Wild Ale
Fermented three times with two different yeasts, including a strain of brettanomyces - the “wild yeast” of
lambic brewing. Pale golden color with an enormous rocky white head. Brett and spicy aromatic notes,
with a malty, juicy note on the palate. Finishes with Brett and dry hop notes. 33 IBUs, 9% ABV
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR
www.deschutesbrewery.com
Abyss Imperial Stout
A deep, dark Imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of
molasses, licorice and other alluring fl avors make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate. As
for the great “drink it now or let it age” debate, we stand clearly on the fence. Distinct and delicious on
release, the fl avors meld and fuse into an entirely different pleasure a year on. 65 IBUs, 11% ABV
Stoic Quad
A prized, potent, Belgian-style Quad of stirring depth and complexity. Four nuanced fermentations. Aged,
sequestered, in select rye whiskey & wine casks. Ergo a stoically brewed quad, with the spellbinding
complexity of its medieval ancestors. 20 IBUS, 11% ABV
Brasserie Des Rocs
Montignies-sur-Rocs, Belgium
www.specialtybeer.com
Abbaye des Rocs
A pure malt beer, with no added sugar. Some traces of burnt wood are detectable, but never scorched.
The foretaste is very prolonged because of its rich and unctuous development throughout the mouth. The
bitter and sugar tendencies (even though there is no sugar in its composition) compete and come back
together to the taster’s great satisfaction. It is a deep, mystic and extremely mature beer to be classed
among the great products of our soil. 9% ABV
Dillon DAM Brewing Company
Dillon, CO
www.dambrewery.com
Biere de Garde
Aged on clean white oak. This coppery-blonde ale is fermented with farmhouse ale yeast for spicy-fruity
esters balanced by mild, toasty malts and a mellow wood fi nish. 7.7% ABV
Double DAM IPA
Aged in Breckenridge Whiskey Barrel. A huge pile of ~90 IBUs, slightly balanced with rich malts and a
smooth but wild whiskey fl avor. 9.7% ABV
DAM Winter Warmer
A little bit of our small-batch holiday ale saved for you! Rich, complex, brown maltiness and oven-roasted
apple sweetness balanced with spicy cloves, nutmeg, cinamon, orange rinds and vanilla beans. 7% ABV
16 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
www.dogfi sh.com
Birra Etrusca Bronze
This Ancient Ale proves that beside the wine on every Italian’s dinner table, there should be a place for
beer. The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat.
Specialty ingredients include hazelnut fl our, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildfl ower
honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-fl ower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes
from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Euthopian myrrh resin.
120 Min IPA
Too extreme to be called beer? 120 Minute IPA is brewed to a colossal 45-degree plato, boiled for a full
two hours while being continuously hopped with high-alpha American hops, then dry-hopped daily in the
fermenter for a month and aged for another month on whole-leaf hops! Clocking in at 15-20% ABV and
120 IBUs, 120 Minute is by far the biggest IPA ever brewed! It’s easy to see why we call this beer THE
HOLY GRAIL for hopheads!
Immort Ale
Pour this over pancakes. Vast in character, luscious and complex, Immort Ale was born at our brewpub
in 1995 and made its way into bottles in 1997. For this beer, we use maple syrup from Red Brook Farm
-- Sam’s family farm in Western Massachusetts, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries and vanilla. Immort
is fermented with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, then aged in the big oak tanks at the brewery.
The sweet and earthy fl avors meld magnifi cently in the Immort Ale. But be warned, the ABV is 11%, so
after one or two you may start feeling immortal (even though we promise you won’t be).
Dry Dock Brewing Company
Aurora, CO
www.drydockbrewing.com
Wee Heavy
A strong acotch ale and winner of a silver medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup Awards. Richly malty with
big caramel notes, wee heavy is a ruby red color and clocks in at 10.0% ABV
Shotgun Stout
A Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels from a well-known Colorado distillery. 9% ABV
Triple
A strong golden and rich Belgian style Abbey ale. A substantial amount of sugar keeps this beer from
being too heavy. The yeast strain gives this beer a spicy and complex fl avor. 8.7% ABV
Brasserie Dupont
Tourpes, West Hainaut, Belgium
www.brasserie-dupont.com
Foret Organic
The fi rst of Dupont’s 100% certifi ed organic ales and the fi rst organic ale from Belgium. Bold, dry and
herbal. Bottle conditioned and suitable for cellaring. Named one of the ten best beers of the year by Wine
Enthusiast.
17www.BigBeersFestival.com
Duvel Moortgat Brewery
Breendonkdorp, Belgium
www.duvelmoortgatusa.com
Duvel Single
Dry and crisp with mild yeasty citrus notes. More hops on the palate than in the nose. This single-
fermented, cold-fi ltered beer is carefully balanced so that hops play off equally with malt and citrus.
Intentionally not heavy or complex. 6.8% ABV
Elevation Beer Company
Poncha Springs, CO
www.elevationbeerco.com
Oil Man Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout
Much like the “sweet crude oil” from the eastern plains of Colorado, this beer pours deep black with a
tantalizing off-white head. Aromatics of sweet malts and bourbon envelop the nose like the sunset of the
eastern plains. The malt profi le continues through the palate from beginning to end with subtle hints of
chocolate, coffee, and course bourbon. 10% ABV
Prostator
This beer is an extremely special edition release from Elevation in collaboration with the Base Beer
Club™ and Pints for Prostrates, a role 3 non-profi t raising awareness of prostrate cancer by reaching
men through the universal language of beer. A portion of the proceeds of every beer sold will go to help
support the mission of Pints for Prostrates. 24 IBUs, 7.5% ABV
Señorita, Horchata Imperial Porter
This beer pours a deep dark brown with a snow-white head. Aroma notes of Vanilla, Cinnamon and
sweet milk hit the nose bringing up images of the delicious Mexican drink this beer is styled after. The
beer hits the palate with Vanilla, sweet chocolate malts, and a hint of cinnamon; all with a medium body
and a balancing hop bitterness. 31 IBUs, 8.2% ABV
Epic Brewing Company
Salt Lake City, UT
www.epicbrewing.com
Big Bad Baptist – Imperial Stout
The 2012 release boasts a new coffee fl avor, Caffé Ibis Sumatra Dark, and was aged primarily in
whiskey barrels, rather than bourbon. The coffee offers fl oral aromas with notes of plum and sweet
caramel. Additional hints of dark chocolate, whiskey, and fruit will defi nitely keep you warm.
Barley Wine
The fi rst sip of this brilliant, red-brown beer reveals a robust mouth feel and complex fl avors including
raisin, dark bread, some sherry fl avors sure to increase with age. With the fi nish comes the fl avor of
Columbus hops followed by the alcohol warmth that can be felt down your throat.
Hopulent IPA
Hopulent IPA is a big beer with lots of complex malt fl avor and excessive hops. The character of
Hopulent IPA is over the top, too much of everything—a real HOP HEAD’S DELIGHT!
Blue Law Porter
We added blackberry puree to the fermentation of this English-style porter and fi nished it with
house-made spruce tip extract harvested from Blue Spruce trees found on the grounds of Utah’s State
Capitol building. It has a roasting profi le with a fruity tartness and an aftertaste of resinous spruce.
18 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Fate Brewing Company
Scottsdale, AZ
www.fatebrewing.com
Eisbock
Fate Brewing Company & Echo Brewing Company Collaboration Beer. Eisbock is a traditional specialty
beer of the Kulmbach district of Germany that is made by partially freezing a doppelbock and removing
the water ice to concentrate the fl avor and alcohol content, which ranges from 9% to 13% by volume.
This beer is clear with a deep amber color, rich and sweet fl avor with notes of dark fruit, raisins, plums
and toffee. There is a signifi cant warming alcohol presence. 9.5% ABV
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA
www.fi restonebeer.com
Abacus
Big boozy bourbon and American oak aromas combined with soft chocolate malty undertones. Complex
malt fl avors framed in oak, with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, coconut and just a touch of
dark cherry. This is defi nitely a sipping beer, best served in a brandy snifter. This ale pairs well with dark
chocolate and sturdy cheeses. 42 IBUs, 13% ABV
Lil Opal
This oak-aged Saison was aged for four years in American Oak Barrels.
Parabola
Big boozy bourbon and American oak aromas combined with soft chocolate malty undertones. Complex
malt fl avors framed in oak, with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, coconut and just a touch of
dark cherry. This is defi nitely a sipping beer, best served in a brandy snifter. This ale pairs well with dark
chocolate and sturdy cheeses. 60 IBUs, 13%
Wookey Jack
Wookey Jack is our fi rst foray into the dark outer world of black IPAs. Rich dark malts and spicy rye
careen into bold citrus laden hops creating a new dimension in IPA fl avor. This brew has been left
unfi ltered and unfi ned to retain all of its texture and character. At 80 IBUs, Wookey Jack is gnarly on the
outside yet complex and refi ned on the inside. 8.4% ABV
Flying Dog Brewery
Frederick, MD
www.fl yingdogbrewery.com
St. Eadman Belgian Dark Ale
Two yeast strains, a careful selection of imported malt and dark candi sugar combine to make St. Eadman a
truly remarkable beer. Like its namesake, Ralph Steadman, this beer can be unpredictable with whimsical
layers of complexity. Aromas of pears and brown fruit greet you before you plunge into the depths of
caramel fl avors intertwining with alcoholic notes before the dry fi nish releases you. 35 IBUs, 10% ABV
Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout
A special blend of Ethiopian coffee beans custom roasted by Black Dog Coffee Company puts the “Joe”
in this dog. This stout is dark as night and capped with a dense tan head. Aromas of coffee and chocolate
greet you followed by toffee caramel sweetness, nutty roasted fl avors and a hint of bitterness to round
out this beer’s robust body. 35 IBUs, 8.9% ABV
Centennial Single Hop Imperial IPA
A straight forward grain bill is the key to letting the hops shine in our single hop series. Centennial Single
Hop Imperial IPA opens with a potent aroma of citrus and spice that leads you into an ale infused with
intense orange and pine notes and enough alcoholic warmth to fi ght off the chill of the coldest night. 75
IBUs, 10% ABV
Two yeast strains, a careful selection of imported malt and dark candi sugar combine to make St. Eadman a
19www.BigBeersFestival.com
Funkwerks
Ft. Collins, CO
www.funkwerks.com
Saison
This is our fl agship saison. This tawny orange-hued beer pours with a rocky white head. Aromas of
passion fruit, tangerine and black pepper hit the nose. Flavors are a cascade of orange, lemon verbena,
ginger and pepper. It fi nishes with a dry and lingering bitterness that awaits another sip. 6.8% ABV
Tropic King
Our Imperial Saison! It bursts with fruity tropical characteristics of passion fruit, mango, and peach from
the New Zealand Rakau hops we use. Combined with the pepper and ginger fl avors produced by our
house yeast, this beer is a fl avor extravaganza! 8% ABV
Dark Prophet
This dark mahogany colored saison has a wonderful aroma of vanilla, dark fruits, and spice. The fl avor
is chocolatey with slight fruity and spicy notes. The chocolate fl avors linger in the fi nish with a slight
warmth. 9% ABV
Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company
Glenwood Springs, CO
www.glenwoodcanyon.com
Carbonator Dopplebock
A deceptively smooth, malty lager with a hefty 8.5% abv and a burgundy color. Made with 8 different
malts and 3 varieties of hops. This brew was a gold medal winner at the 2010 Great American Beer
Festival.
Sopris Strong Ale
A rich malty brew with a garnet color, it is 7.5% abv with plenty of hops, too. Made with 7 different malts
and 3 varieties of hops, this brew was a gold medal winner at the 2006 World Beer Cup Competition.
South Canyon Imperial Red
This brew is big and bold with 7.5% abv. Made with massive quantities of caramel malts and American
variety hops, resulting in a robust beer with intense fl avors. It has a deep ruby color and lots of complexity.
Gore Range Brewery
Edwards, CO
www.gorerangebrewery.com
Discombobulation Belgian-Style Triple
A special yeast strain is used with this golden ale to produce that distinctive Belgian character with
fl avors that are spicy and complex, while not complicated. Continuing to be enigmatic, this beer is strong,
but not heavy, and fi nishes light, while not especially dry. 9.3 % ABV
Tipsy Tartan Strong Scotch Ale
Malt from the Scottish barley variety Golden Promise forms the backbone of this rich, delightful brew.
And, careful fermentation control has been incorporated to prevent excessive ester formation, allowing
for this malt to dominate and be the star of the show. 8.0% ABV
20 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Goose Island Brewing Company
Chicago, IL
www.gooseisland.com
Sofi e
Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel, Sofi e is a tart, dry, sparkling ale.
A subtle, spicy white pepper note, a hint of citrus from the orange peel and a creamy vanilla fi nish make
Sofi e an intriguing choice for Champagne drinkers and beer drinkers who are fond of Belgian Saisons.
25 IBUs, 6.5% ABV
Matilda
Wild in character, with a slightly fruity aroma and a spicy yeast fl avor that is as unique as it is satisfying
– Matilda is an intriguing choice for beer and wine lovers alike. Dry and quenching, it’s the perfect
accompaniment at the dining table or for casually socializing at the bar. 32 IBUs, 7% ABV
Pere Jaques
Brewed with loads of malt and Belgian yeast, Pere Jacques is a wonderfully fruity, malty ale. Pere
Jacques’ complex fl avors stand shoulder to shoulder with the Belgian Dubbels enjoyed in the world’s
fi nest beer bars. At the dining table it’s the perfect alternative to a glass of vintage port. 26 IBUs, 8.7% ABV
Bourbon County Brand Stout
Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as
a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak,
chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more fl avor than your average case of beer. 60
IBUs, 14.5% ABV
Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
Everyday Goose Island smells the wonderful coffee roasting next to our brewery at Chicago’s Intelligentsia
Coffee and Tea. This world class roaster puts the same passion and skill into their coffee as Goose
Island does with its beer. This excellent stout is made with a different coffee from our friends next door
each year. With the change in coffee comes a change in the fl avor profi le, making each release truly
unique from the previous years. 60 IBUs, 14.3% ABV
Madame Rose
Madame Rose is a crimson colored Belgian style brown ale fermented with wild yeast and aged on
cherries in wine barrels. Layers of malty complexity, sour cherry, spice and wood notes make Madame
Rose an ideal beer to suggest to Bordeaux enthusiasts and beer drinkers fond of Belgian Kriek and
Flanders Brown Ales. 25 IBUs, 7.1% ABV
Gravity Brewing
Louisville, CO
www.thegravitybrewing.com
Tsar Bomba
Aged on oak, layers of roasted grains and sweetness of molasses and brown sugar makes this beer
HUGE! 60 IBUs, 11% ABV
Acceleration
Full of Pacifi c Northwest and local Colorado hop bitterness, fl avor and aroma, yet wonderfully balanced.
It’s all in the numbers. 98 IBUs, 9.8% ABV
Hound Beast
An American-style barleywine aged on oak creates a velvety, malty sweetness with a noticeable hop
bitterness and alcohol burn. This beer is to be savored! 108 IBUs, 13.3% ABV
Mendacious
Highly drinkable Belgian Strong Pale brewed with Belgian Pilsner Malt and Noble Hops. Barrel-aged in
Breckenridge Distillery Bourbon Barrels. 28 IBUs, 8% ABV
Aged on oak, layers of roasted grains and sweetness of molasses and brown sugar makes this beer
21www.BigBeersFestival.com
Brasserie Grain d’Orge
Ronchin, France
www.brasseriegraindorge.net
Belzebuth Blonde Ale
Not surprisingly for a 15% abv beer, it is dominated by the alcohol. Behind this is a strong barleywine
character and a full, very tangy, moderately fruity, amber malt.
Grand Teton Brewing Company
Victor, ID
www.grandtetonbrewing.com
XX Bitch Creek Double ESB
We took our Bitch Creek ESB and doubled the recipe. Bitch Creek perfectly balances big malt
sweetness and robust hop fl avor for a full bodied, satisfying mahogany ale. Like the stream for which it is
named, our Bitch Creek ESB is full of character... not for the timid. 60 IBUs, 8% ABV
Coming Home Holiday Ale 2012 Barley Wine
Brewed with Southern Idaho 2-row pale malted barley combined with German and Belgian specialty
malts to produce a mahogany to dark ruby red color, generous malt body and pleasing sweetness. The
malt is balanced by about fi ve pounds of bold American hops per barrel. Chinook and Galena, hops
developed and grown in Idaho, along with Idaho-grown Bravos give this strong ale a decidedly American
fl avor. Piney fl oral hops are evident when this beer is enjoyed fresh. Cellaring will enable these fl avors to
mellow, allowing the malt to shine with additional notes of raisin and fi g. 75 IBUs, 10% ABV
Black Cauldron Imperial Stout
Our thick, rich version was brewed with plenty of caramel and roasted malts and subtly spiced with Nugget
and Cascade hops. We’ve accentuated the natural smokiness of the brew by adding a small amount of
beechwood-smoked malt. At 22 degrees starting gravity and 8.0% alcohol by volume, this beer boasts
fl avors of chocolate and coffee, along with raisins and dried fruit soaked in sherry. 43 IBUs, 8% ABV
Pursuit of Hoppiness Imperial Red
Brewed to showcase the brash beauty of American hops: Chinook, Centennial and Columbus at 100
International Bitterness Units (IBU). The hops grown in the United States are considered to be some
of the best in the world. Compared to their more traditionally subdued, elegant European counterparts,
American hops are bold, bright, piney and zesty. This ale is brewed with Idaho 2-Row malted barley
and German specialty malts to provide a rich, slightly caramel fl avor and bold reddish color. 100 IBUs,
8.5% ABV
Green Flash Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
www.greenfl ashbrew.com
Imperial IPA
San Diego IPA, as it has come to be known by many, is pale in color, super-hoppy, high-gravity, yet a
highly quaffable ale. Our Imperial IPA is created in this new tradition with intense hop fl avors and aromas
from a unique blend of Summit and Nugget hops. 101 IBUs, 9.4% ABV
Barleywine
A four hour boil intensifi es the caramel malts and enormous Pacifi c Northwest hop charge. The result is
a rich, estery brew with toffee notes and citrus hop fl avors layered throughout. Enjoy fresh today or lay it
down and see how the fl avors of each vintage evolve. 85 IBUs, 10.9% ABV
Rayon Vert - Belgian Pale Ale
If Green Flash were founded in historical Belgium, Rayon Vert would have been our fl agship brew. A
bold layering of hops fi nds balance from traditional malts. Bottle conditioning with fresh ale yeast and
Brettanomyces fi nishes the beer, adding a delightful effervescence, dryness and continuously evolving
character. Rayon Vert is Green Flash. 32 IBUs, 7% ABV
22 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Signature Sponsors
Gold SponsorsGold Sponsors
Misty Gordon
CREATIVE
23www.BigBeersFestival.com
Platinum SponsorsPlatinum Sponsors
Silver SponsorsSilver Sponsors
Bronze SponsorsBronze Sponsors
24 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.greatdivide.com
Old Ruffi an Barleywine
Old Ruffi an is a hefty, hop-forward Barleywine-Style Ale. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit
aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with its bold hop fl avors and
huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character come
together to work wonders on your palate. 10% ABV
Hibernation English-Style Old Ale
Hibernation has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty
richness balanced with a complex hop profi le and hearty, warming character. 8.7% ABV
Hercules Double IPA
Hercules is not for the faint at heart. It is however, fi t for the gods. HERCULES delivers a huge amount
of hops from start to fi nish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop
profi le. 10% ABV
Yeti Imperial Stout
Yeti is an onslaught of the senses. It starts with big, roasty malt fl avor that gives way to rich caramel and
toffee notes. YETI gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of American hops. It weighs in
at a hefty 75 IBUs. 9.5% ABV
Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
A generous infusion of espresso adds yet another layer of complexity to this beer, combing with the
vanilla oak character, intense roasty maltiness and bold hop profi le to create a whole new breed of
mythical creature. It’s offi cial: You can now have Yeti with breakfast! 9.5% ABV
Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Another revered incarnation of our legendary imperial stout, we toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa
nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa
to create an aroma and fl avor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively,
adding just a bit of heat to the fi nish. Another great Yeti? Hell yes. 9.5% ABV
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse
Loveland, CO
www.grimmbrosbrewhouse.com
Weinacht Bier
Weizenbock. The strongest versions of the weizen beers, this complex, malty libation packs a very
noticeable banana and cloves character with a side order of bubblegum. It will have you singing holiday
joy in no time. 9.8% ABV
Wee Heavy Bourbon Barrel Brett
Scottish Strong Ale. A long name sure, but this Scottish ale is laced with a deep malty undertone and a
hint of sweetness. Nine months in bourbon barrels adds soft wood, vanilla, and bourbon notes that blend
harmoniously with the brettanomyces. 9%+ ABV
Grandfather Grimm
Foreign Export Stout. Our Pro-Am beer for GABF 2012. Paint it black and malty, this complex sweet
stout leaves a lingering astringent note that blends with a soft fi nish. Hints of tropical fruits and yummy
chewiness. This will make you feel young again. 7.6% ABV
Brettoberfest
Sour Lager. Now you’ve done it! The base beer of our seasonal lager, Farmer’s Daughter Oktoberfest,
aged in wine barrels and wild yeast, Brettanomyces, for over a year. Using a lager yeast allows soft malt
tones that will let the wild yeast shine. Yum diggity. 6.8% ABV
25www.BigBeersFestival.com
Green’s Gluten-Free
Stockport, England
www.merchantduvin.com
Green’s Belgian Gluten Free Dubbel
In the classic dubbel fashion, a hint of dark-sugar and toffee fl avor; and a traditional Belgian yeast
bouquet. 24 IBUs, OG: 1.064, 7.0% ABV
Green’s Belgian Gluten Free Tripel
Fairly light body for beer of this strength; spice and herb nose with fl avors of candied fruit. Aromatic, long
fi nish. 32 IBUs, OG: 1.072, 8.5% ABV
Brouwerij Het Anker
Mechelen, Belgium
www.hetanker.be
Lucifer
Pours clean and golden yellow with a lasting and lacing full white head. The aroma of yeast carries into
the fl avor with slight metallic and spiced accents. A note of fruit compliments the dry and bitter fi nish.
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Petaluma, CA
www.lagunitas.com
Cappuccino Stout
Big, Dark and Scary Imperial-esque Stout Brewed With Plenty of Dark Malts and Roast Barley And
Loads of Sebastopol’s Hardcore Coffee for Deep Roasty Flavors and that Extra Krunk. 9.2% ABV
Gnarley Wine
Our Barley Wine Style Ale is dated and built to Last. Flavors Evolve as Hop Bitterness Yields to Crazy
Carmel and Rich Toffee Flavors. 11% ABV
Lakewood Brewing Company
Garland, TX
www.lakewoodbrewingcompany.com
Bourbon Barrel-aged Temptress
Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Milk Stout with a thick, rick milk chocolate head, sweet caramel notes, a
warm complexity with a touch of vanilla. 56 IBUs, SRM: 33, OG: 1.091, 9.1% ABV
Hot Trap
Belgian-style OPA with a rich malt, refi ned bitter backbone, fl oral hoppy notes, a complexity from
Trappist yeast with a touch of coriander. 54 IBUs, SRM: 14, OG: 1.060, 6.4% ABV
LaTrappe - Abdij Koningshoeven
Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands
www.artisanalimports.com
La Trappe Quadrupel
Quadrupel is deep russet in color with deep sweet and spicy notes in the aroma. Very full bodied,
sweetish and malty but fi nishes with a drinkable balance and leaves a warming, soothing trail of
happiness down your throat. 10% ABV
La Trappe Isid’or
Originally brewed to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Abbey at Koningshoeven and named
after it’s fi rst brewer, Brother Isidorus. Amber in color, fruity and full fl avored on the palate with a sweet,
malty nose. 7.5% ABV
26 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Left Hand Brewing Company
Longmont, CO
www.lefthandbrewing.com
Barrel-aged Wake Up Dead
Wake Up Dead hibernates in our cellars for over 12 months before being blended to woody perfection.
Hints of raisins, cherry, licorice and toffee, followed by earthy, herbal hop notes that rise up, joining you
in your fi ght for a better life. Don’t be afraid of the dark. All power to the stouts! 50 IBUs, 10.2%
Smoke Jumper – Smoked Imperial Porter
Smoke Jumper Imperial Porter is a tribute to our fearless wildland fi refi ghters - a twenty-one degree plato
porter made with barley malt hand-smoked by our brewers. Roasty brown in color, the long lingering
smokiness wraps around fl avors of molasses, toasted malt and an earthy hoppiness. Here’s to smoke in
your glass, not in the woods. Smokejumper is the offi cial beer of The National Smokejumper Association.
www.smokejumpers.com. 50 IBUs, 8.8% ABV
Chainsaw – English Strong Ale
Chainsaw is a connoisseur version of our award-winning Sawtooth Ale, designed to befuddle silly gen-
eralizations about life. This Double ESB pours a brilliant deep ruby amber with a rocky near white head.
The nose opens with bright spicy and herbal hops, with hints of dried fruit and port. The fl avor starts with
a chewy, bready malt and hints of brulee and kola nut that are suddenly swept away by thyme-like and
hoppy bitterness. The strong herbal fl avors then give way to a dry fi nish of licorice, gentian, and Italian
bitters. We hope you enjoy! 72 IBUs, 9% ABV
Lost Abbey Brewing Company
San Marcos, CA
www.lostabbey.com
Carnevale
Our version of the farmhouse classic styled saison. Made with Amarillo and Simcoe hops for a nice citrus
nose. We referment the beer with Brettanomyces for a decidedly rustic fi nish. 6.5% ABV
Saint’s Devotion
Gold Medal Winner at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival for Belgian Style Pale Ales. A kicked up
version of our year round Devotion Blonde Ale styled offering. Bottle refermented with Brettonmyces
Brux. This beer is to be re-released in February or March of 2013.
Cuvee de Tomme
One of the most complex and decorated beers we make. Barrel aged dark strong ale blended with sour
cherries and wild yeast cultures make this a beer of exceptional depth. 12.5% ABV
Serpent’s Stout
Our Lost Abbey Winter Seasonal. Made from a Double Mash, this HUGE Imperial Stout is the perfect
beer after bombing down the mountain side all day. 12.5% ABV
Gift of the Magi
Nothing says Merry Christmas like three wise men sitting on camels! Inspired by the Winter Biere de
Garde styled beers of Northern France, this smooth sipper will have you convinced not all winter beers
have to taste the same. 9.8% ABV
Red Barn
A year round spiced Saison. Brewed with Ginger, Orange Peel, Grains of Paradise and Black Pepper.
Incredibly refreshing 6.7% ABV
Mayan Appocolypse Judgment Day
A one off brew and bottling of our Lost Abbey Judgment Day. We fi gured there was no better way to
celebrate the end of the world than to add some Chiles, Cinnamon and Tamarind to our already complex
Judgment Day. Since we’re all still here, the Mayan’s must have taken pity on us. 10.5% ABV
27www.BigBeersFestival.com
Lindeman’s
St. Pieters, Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium
www.merchantduvin.com
Lindemans Framboise – Lambic
Magnifi cent aroma, delicate palate of raspberries with undertones of fruity acidity; elegant, sparkling
clean taste. Style—Raspberry Lambic. Color—Rose. 12 IBUs, OG: 1.050, 2.5% ABV
Loveland Ale Works
Loveland, CO
www.lovelandaleworks.com
Imperial Stout
Coffee and chocolate aromas introduce caramel, raisin and liquorice fl avors that balance the abundance
of roasted malts. 62 IBUs, OG: 1.099, 9.5% ABV
Saison
A highly carbonated Belgian farmhouse ale with coriander and citrus notes that has a refreshing dry
fi nish. 25 IBUs, OG: 1.053, 5.4% ABV
Abbey Grand Cru
This dark amber colored ale has complex malt notes that are accompanied by a fruity nose that contains
banana, fi g, dark cherries and fi nishes with hints of molasses. This beer will warm your palate up with
balanced malty goodness. The presence of alcohol is complimented by a medium bodied mouthfeel. 22
IBUs, OG: 1.082, 8.7% ABV
Belgian Strong Ale
Clean malt notes combine with mild Belgian esters to create this well balanced Strong Ale. With hints of
cider at fi rst glance, this medium bodied, copper toned anomaly will leave you with hints of sweetness
and coriander. 20 IBUs, OG: 1.078, 8.6% ABV
Belgian Pale Ale
This smooth pale ale has light fl oral notes produced by Belgian yeast and a refreshing crispy hop
bitterness from tettnager hops that balances this crisp, sessionable Belgian ale. 20 IBUs, OG: 1.045,
4.4% ABV
Rye Extra Pale Ale
This American pale ale was brewed with 14% malted rye, Warrior, Cascade and Willamette hops, and
American Ale yeast. Its fresh, citrusy hop aroma will not disappoint you as this beer follows through with
big hop fl avors and a balanced bitterness. The malted rye comes through in the fi nish with a nice earthy
spiciness. 61 IBUs, OG: 1.060, 7.0% ABV
Malheur
Buggenhaut, Belgium
www.malheur.be
Malheur 10º
This Strong Pale Ale has a Rose-like, peachy aroma. Orangey, lemon-grass and lemon-curd fl avors.
Rich, oily, honeyed texture. Medium to full body. Dig, orange-zest and a hint of bitter sourness in a
warming fi nish. 10% ABV
Malheur 12º
A dark brown ale with beautiful and rocky “café latte” light brown foam. The fl avour is malty and cereal
and might invoke thoughts of fresh cut bread. The taste of Malheur 12º is full, round, with a touch of
sweet alcohols, but the ale is still dry and bitter coffee, with touches of nuts, honey and rum from the
brown candy sugar. The aftertaste is bitter-sweet, long and warm, 12% ABV
28 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Mission Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
www.missionbrewery.com
Shipwrecked Double IPA
A amazingly balanced and hoppy beer, yet finishes as smooth as silk with no hint of high alcohol hotness
usually associated with strong double IPA’s. Super citrus and grapefruit aromas and flavors from the
generous use of Cascade, Magnum, Centennial and CTZ hops. 75 IBUs, 9.25% ABV
Dark Seas Russian Imperial Stout
The ancient legends that abound about the Russian Imperial Stouts of yore are filled with tempestuous
romance, sinful thievery and scurvy, too. So highly regarded was this historic recipe, the Russian Kings
tried to keep it all to themselves. They failed. Today we bring you our own dastardly dark version, with
a rich and roasty aroma, notes of plum and port and a velvety texture so luscious it just might make a
grown man weep. 75 IBUs, 9.8% ABV
Mountain Sun Brewery & Restaurant
Boulder, CO
www.mountainsunpub.com
Cat Burglar
In our American-Belgo IBA, American hop flavor complements the spice and fruit notes from the Belgian
yeast. Although this beer is black in color, we’ve kept the roast flavors to a minimum allowing the hop and
yeast flavors to dominate the profile. 8.5% ABV
Champagne Lady
Our Belgian Strong Golden Ale is a complex ale that is light in color, but packs a serious punch. Stong
Golden Ales are often known for their deceptive alcoholic strength, and the Champagne Lady is no
exception! Never ones to stick to traditional ingredients, we added a healthy dose of Orange Blossom
Honey to this beer. The result is a beer with a pleasant sweetness, notes of citrusy hops, and a subtle
spice contributed by the yeast. 10% ABV
Saison D’Tesh
Our traditional Belgian Saison is golden in color and light bodied due to the use of white rice in the mash.
The beer is sour mashed for 24 hours to produce a dry, tart finish that balances the dominant notes of
ripe fruit, bubblegum and peppery spice. 6.9% ABV
Moylan’s Brewery
Novato, CA
www.moylans.com
Raspberry Kiltlifter
Rich malt balances perfectly with delicate hops to provide a concentrated and intense flavor; an ideal
companion for hearty foods, or as a meal unto itself. Allow this ale to warm slightly in your glass to
enhance its truly bold character .Sharing is encouraged, as this is one beer that lives up to its name! Hey!
No peeking! Slainté! Aged in Girard Chardonnay barrels. 8% ABV
Black Wet Hopsickle
Moylan’s Hopsickle Imperial Ale- Triple Hoppy
This is a “Hop” tribute, worthy of a King’s Imperial Court! Enjoy the blast of fresh Tomahawk, Cascade
and Centennial Hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly imperial fashion. Pucker Up! Aged in
Girard Chardonnay barrels. 9.2%ABV
29www.BigBeersFestival.com
New Belgium Brewing Company
Ft. Collins, CO
www.newbelgium.com
Lost Abbey Collaboration
New Belgium Brewing and The Lost Abbey brewery from San Marcos, California have a shared passion
for a variety of things, not the least of which is the wild Belgian yeast, Brettanomyces. So they decided
to join forces and collaborate. Lost Abbey Collaboration is brewed simply with pale malts accompanied
by Target, Centennial and Sorachi hops for a hint of citrus. Focusing on their mutual respect for the
ingredient, the spotlight shines on the brettanomyces, where a full brett fermentation offers bold pine-
apple overtones and funky, sour edge. This beer is a shining, golden shade and is warming and dry.
Brewery Vivant Collaboration
New Belgium, and Michigan’s own Brewery Vivant, each stuck a hand in the mitten for this wonderful
collaboration. A bright Biere de Garde with a pale copper sheer, this beer is brewed from pale malt, and
some oats for creaminess. Hopped with Sorachi Ace to reinforce the citrus bite from the bergamont
addition, the Brewery Vivant Collaboration is refreshing and strong. A hint of clove from Vivant’s house
yeast brings a spicy bite to the extra dry fi nish.
Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout
A Stout from New Belgium? You better believe it! This is dark and rich, strong and roasty, and packed
with Fort Collins own Café Ricessee Espresso. Brewed from roasted barley and midnight wheat, the
extra dark color is partnered with a fi rm pillow of mocha colored head. This malty imperial stout is spiced
with fair trade cocoa nibs after fermentation for a nice chocolate fl avor, and the coffee brings a pick-me-
up zing for a full bodied and full addition to the Lips of Faith series.
Odell Brewing
Ft. Collins, CO
www.odellbrewing.com
The Meddler
A resurrected style from the Flemish region of Belgium, The Meddler oud bruin is a crafty concoction,
comprised of several generations of brown ales, barrel aged and blended. Wild yeasts, Lactobacillus,
and Brettanomyces meddle with the brew for over 18 months creating complexity and depth of fl avor.
Hints of malty sweet chocolate and vanilla toy with a hauntingly sour fi nish. Intricate yet balanced, The
Meddler will leave you craving more of the mysterious brew. 8.9% ABV
Friek
An evolution, an imaginative amalgamation invented by our brewers. Multiple KRIEK Lambic style ales
are fermented with WILD yeast and TART cherries and then moved into OAK BARRELS to age and
sour taking on the CHERRY fl avors. As the beer matures, FRAMBOISES (raspberries) from Schroyer
Family Farms in Fort Collins are handpicked and readied for the beer. The fresh RASPBERRIES are
added immediately prior to the fi nal blending. The sweet and tart fl avors MINGLE on the tongue with a
sparkling dry fi nish. 6.5% ABV
Lugene – Chocolate Milk Stout
If you’ve ever been to our brewery, you’ve likely seen the old, beat-up truck that hauls away our spent
grain. That truck belongs to Lugene, who’s been feeding his dairy cows hearty malts for over a decade.
Named in his honor, Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout is brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate. The
rich and creamy brew reminds us of a cold glass of chocolate milk and our hometown “Aggie” roots.
8.5% ABV
Orval Abbey
Florenville, Belgium
www.merchantduvin.com
Orval – Belgian Strong Ale (Trappist)
Sunset-orange color; a fruity and slightly acidic bouquet, fi rm body, profound hop bitterness, and long,
dry fi nish. Orval is bottled with Brettanomyces, a yeast strain that leads to superb dry complexity and
ageworthiness. 32 IBUs, OG: 1.055, 6.9% ABV
30 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Olvisholt Brugghus
Ölvisholti Flóahreppi, Iceland
www.brugghus.is/english/lava.php
Lava Smoked Imperial Stout
Full bodied, pitch black beer with a thick brown head. Sweet with chocolate and roasted malt in the fl avor.
The aftertaste is roasted malt, smoke and warming alcohol. Aroma is smoke, chocolate and bit of alcohol.
The active volcano Hekla is visible from the brew house door and occasionally, eruptions are visible from
the Ölvisholt farm. 9.4% ABV
Brewery Ommegang
Cooperstown. NY
www.ommegang.com
Ommegang Three Philosophers
The one beer of its kind in the world: a masterful blend of a strong, malty quadrupel ale and authentic
Belgian Kriek, offering a heady confl uence of dark cherries, roasted malts and dark chocolate. The beer
is decidedly strong and slightly sweet, yet the ABV is masked by the exquisite balance of fl avors and
aromas, the smooth mouth feel, and the gently warming fi nish. 19 IBUs, 9.7% ABV
Ommegang Art of Darkness
Our limited edition Art of Darkness Ale is deep, dark and magical, with champagne-like carbonation and
rich matiness from a complex recipe of multiple barley and wheat malts, as well as fl aked oats. Using
no spices or fl avorings, Art of Darkness gains all its rich aromas, tastes, and apparent spiciness from
the malts and Ommegang’s proprietary house yeast, creating a complex & deep character. 8.9% ABV
Papago Brewing
Scottsdale, AZ
www.papagobrewing.com
Oude Zuipers Belgian Triple
A truly authentic Belgian Tripel. “Old Drunk” is brewed for us in Belgium. Rich golden color, lots of
Belgian yeast character. Very strong. 11% ABV
Orange Blossom Mandarin Orange Wheat Beer
Our most popular beer. A light American Wheat Ale fl avored with Mandarin Orange and Vanilla. Like a
liquid old fashioned creamsicle. 4.5% ABV
Wild Raven
A Double Black IPA collaboration with Odell Brewing. All of the hops used were from New Zealand and it
was all barrel aged for a couple months with Brettanomyces, making it a “wild” yeast beer.”
Pug Ryan’s Brewery
Dillon, CO
www.pugryans.com
Brain T(e)aser Barleywine
An American style barely wine, deep amber in color with high maltiness, assertive bitterness and high
alcohol fl avor. 105 IBUs, SRM: 25, 10.1% ABV
Hellats Good Beer
A light colored German style Bock beer, full bodied, low hop profi le brewed with a double mash and
single decoction using all German malts and Andechs Monastery yeast. 22 IBUs, SRM: 8, 7.1% ABV
Specialty Saison
A Belgian style ale with a low hop profi le. Brewed with Belgian candy syrup, coriander, sweet orange
peel and cracked black pepper. Light to medium body with sweet and spicy notes. 20 IBUs, SRM: 7,
7.1% ABV
31www.BigBeersFestival.com
Oskar Blues Brewery
Longmont, CO
www.oskarblues.com
Ten FIDY Imperial Stout
This titanic, immensely viscous stout is loaded with inimitable fl avors of chocolate-covered caramel and
coffee and hide a hefty 98 IBUs underneath the smooth blanket of malt. Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV) is made
with enormous amounts of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, fl aked oats and hops. Ten FIDY
is the ultimate celebration of dark malts and boundary-stretching beer. 85 IBUs, 10.5% ABV
Deviant Dale’s IPA
Born at the crossroads, in a juke joint, as if Dale’s Pale Ale sold its soul to balance Deviant’s foreboding
aromas of citrus, grapefruit rind and piney resins with a copper ball-of-fi re color and inscrutable fi nish.
The 2011 GABF Silver Medal Winner (American IPA Category) is the Devil incarnate with untold amounts
of malt and hedonistic Columbus dry-hopping. Oskar Blues’ southern spirit caught a northbound blues
bus to ColoRADo to deliver the boundary bustin’ brewery’s fi rst 16 oz. tallboy can. 85 IBUs, 8% ABV
G’Knight Imperial Red Ale
Our “Velvet M-80” is a hefty, dry hopped double-red ale with a nose full of aroma, a sticky mouthfeel, a
malty middle and unctuous hop fl avors. G’Knight sports a surprisingly sensuous fi nish for a beer of its
size (8.7% ABV, 60 IBUs). It’s brewed in tribute to a fellow Colorado craft beer pioneer and Vietnam vet
who died fi ghting a 2002 wild fi re outside of our Lyons hometown. For all the details behind this tribute
follow this link to www.N3978Y.com. G’Mornin’. G’Day. G’Knight. 60 IBUs, 8.7% ABV
Chaka Belgian-Style Ale
A CANlaboration beer with Sun King Brewing based out of Indiana. Belgian-style ale crafted with a blend
of ingredients from each brewery’s home state: Shagbark Hickory syrup from Hickoryworks in Trafalgar,
Ind.; grain from Colorado Malting Company; and a special yeast blend from Brewing Science Institute,
also in Colorado. Brewers from both breweries worked together to formulate the recipe and traveled
between Colorado and Indiana to brew at both locations. 8% ABV
The Deuce – Hoppy Brown Ale
Our second CANlaboration with Sun King Brewery from Indiana, The Deuce is a limited-release hopped-
up brown ale. Packaged in the Alumi-Tek re-sealable pint bottle, this beer is made up of local ingredients
from each of our home-states; Riehle’s Select Gourmet Popcorn from Indiana and Belgian Pale Malt
from Colorado Malting Company. We ended up with a 7% ABV, 69 IBU, hopped-up brown ale… think
small India Brown Ale. Assertive hop aroma comes from 100% Galaxy hops; three additions in the kettle,
one in the whirlpool and dry-hopped with one-pound per barrel. This Australian hop known for aromas
of citrus and passionfruit contribute to the German chocolate malt presence creating a dry and smooth
bitterness not often found in a brown ale. 7% ABV
Wild Turkey Whiskey Barrel-Aged Ten FIDY
This beer is a thick, rich, opaque Imperial Stout aged in Wild Turkey Whiskey barrels. 10% ABV
Port Barrel-Aged G’Knight
Big-ass ‘Merican Imperial Red IPA aged in a Creekside Cellars port barrel. Vinous, wood & malt aromas
and fl avors. 8.7% ABV
Renegade Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.renegadebrewing.com
Elevation
This fl avorful Triple IPA is not what one would expect from looking at the statistics. A dank and piney
aroma introduces a tingling bitter which is quickly replaced with a smooth citrus fl avor. All Summit hops
create a wisp of chives before a lingering pine fi nish. This high-gravity beer is astonishingly easy to drink
and diffi cult to refuse a second. 100+ IBUs, 11.2% ABV
Black Gold
This unique imperial milk stout is brewed with real peanut butter cups. The appearance is deep black
with a creamy peanut butter color head. A nutty aroma is pronounced with a sweet and creamy fi nish.
32 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Redstone Meadery
Boulder, CO
www.redstonemeadery.com
Black Raspberry Nectar
Our fi rst mead fi rst released in July 2001. Black Raspberry Nectar is still our most popular mead! With
the mouthfeel and texture of beer and the light taste of a lower alcohol mead. The very defi nition of
“refreshing”! 8% ABV
Nectar of the Hops
A dry hopped version of our Nectar! An intriguing blend of hoppiness and honey. 8% ABV
Black Folie
A 50/50 blend of New Belgium’s La Folie & our Black Raspberry Nectar, this is a combination not to be
missed! Limited batch & quite a treat!
River North Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.rivernorthbrewery.com
Hoppenberg Uncertainty Principle
Belgian-Style Double IPA. This infamous brew is our Belgian spin on a typical American hop bomb. A
copious amount of West Coast American hops are tempered by the spicy and fruity notes of one of our
favorite Belgian yeast strains, giving you the best of both continents. 100 IBUs, 9% ABV
Unifi ed Theory
Oak-Aged Imperial Witbier. A most unusual combination of fl avors that just plain works. We age this
beer in the fermenter with new American Oak spirals. Oak character cuts through the traditional witbier
spiciness without overpowering it to produce toasted coconut notes on the nose, followed by a dry fi nish.
23 IBUs, 8.5% ABV
Whiskey Barrel Aged J. Marie (Barrel Series No. 1)
A whiskey barrel aged version of our J. Marie Saison. Notes of caramel, whiskey, and oak complement
the traditional fruit and malt character of our original J. Marie Saison. 23 IBUs, 8.5% ABV
Whiskey Barrel Aged Avarice (Barrel Series No. 7)
A whiskey barrel aged version of our Avarice Belgian-Style Imperial Stout. Notes of coffee and intense
roasted grain blend with a hint of whiskey and caramel on the nose. A hint of citrusy hops complement a
pleasant warmth on the fi nish. 82 IBUs, 10.3% ABV
Roadhouse Brewing Company
Jackson Hole, WY
www.roadhousebrewery.com
Sacred Creed Saison
Sacred Creed Saison is a Belgian inspired ale brewed with Rocky Mountain elevation. At 7.3% ABV,
this beer has many attributes of traditional farmhouse ales with a Rocky Mountain twist; fruity esters and
a slight spiciness provided by a uniquely blended yeast combination with complimented American hop
balance. Sacred Creed is light in body and color but bold on fl avor. 7.3% ABV
Siren Song Belgian Strong Ale
This Belgian Strong Ale is 14.5% ABV, but you had no idea because you were hypnotized by the Siren
Song. 14.5% ABV
Rhombus IPA
A Rocky Mountain IPA that balances captivating fl oral and citrus hop aroma with assertive bitterness to
match the 8.3% ABV. This IPA was brewed to refl ect the Mountains we call home. 8.3% ABV
33www.BigBeersFestival.com
Trappistes Rochefort
Abbye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy, Belgium
www.merchantduvin.com
Rochefort 8,10 – Belgian Brown (Trappist)8 - Deep brown color; the fl avor is vigorous and complex, with fi rm body to support the strength. The
aroma has elusive notes of fresh fruit, spice, leather, and fi gs. 22 IBUs, OG: 1.080, 9.2% ABV
10 - Dark brown color. Great strength balanced by a complexity of fl avors and fi rm malt backbone. The
bouquet covers a wide range: port wine, leather, apricots, oak, spices - a deeply intriguing beverage.
27 IBUs, OG: 1.096, 11.3% ABV
Rockyard Brewery
Castle Rock, CO
www.rockyard.com
Buddha Nuvo
Our 14 brewery collaboration barrel aged Belgian Saison. Buddha’s hand fruit zest, pumpkin, green
peppercorn, allspice, 5 Saison Yeast blend, Brettanomyces blend, Lactobacillus, Rombauer Chardonnay
Barrels. 12% ABV Spirit Of Danny
Cabernet barrel aged Saison 10% ABV
Government Warning
Bourbon barrel fermented Russian Imperial Stout 16% ABV
No Brainer
Belgian blonde 7.5% ABV
Leroy
Biere de Garde 8.5% ABV
Brouwerij St. Bernardus
Watou, West Flanders, Belgium
www.specialtybeer.com
St. Bernardus Apt 12
A traditional abbey ale brewed in the classic style of Belgium’s Trappist Monks. It is almost ebony in
color, smooth, creamy and full bodied with big richness of texture that is almost oily and very assertive,
like a warming coconut brandy. Belgian Abbey Brown Ale 10.0% ABV
Brasserie St. Feuillien
Le Roeulx, Belgium
www.artisanalimports.com
St. Feuillien Saison
A warm, golden blonde with a beautiful farmhouse character featuring hints of melon and apricot. Full-
bodied, fruity and yeasty, Saison has a rugged, charming character with a lot more fl avor than it’s 6.55
ABV would suggest.
St. Feuillien Tripel
Sparkling organish-golden in color with a brilliant white foam. Highly aromatic with vivid hop resins leap-
ing out of the glass. The fl avor is bright, leanly malty, spicy and hoppy. A generous amount of carbon-
ation makes for a full mouthfeel as well as mountains of pillowy foam. 8.5% ABV
34 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Samuel Smith
Yorkshire, England
www.merchantduvin.com
Oatmeal Stout
Almost opaque, with an unusually silky texture and complex, medium-dry velvet palate. Bittersweet
fi nish. 32 IBUs, OG: 1.050, 5% ABV
Shmaltz Brewing Company
San Francisco, CA/New York, NY
www.shmaltzbrewing.com
He’Brew Jewbelation Sweet 16
A complex, enormous brown ale with a dynamic labyrinth of multi-layered fl avors, Jewbelation Sweet 16
is brewed with 16 malts, 16 hops and soars to 16% ABV
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
Brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops. This rye-based double IPA comes across earthy
and spicy with a wonderful, rich malt/hop balance. Very full-bodied and beautifully constructed. 10% ABV
Coney Island Human Blockhead
Pound for pound, the Blockhead is a true professional. Penetrate the senses. Engage the brain. Propel
towards the palate. Try this at home or in your favorite drinking hole. Purely for your amusement.
10% ABV
Coney Island Albino Python
A most charming attraction: The sensual dance of provocative hops and spices entwined with a sumptuous
and elegant malt body. Taste the rapture. Surrender into temptation. Seduce and be seduced. 6% ABV
He’Brew Funky Jewbelation (limited)
Big tart nose with rich chocolate barrel aged brown malt body and mellow funk lingering on the fi nish.
Not a farmhouse bomb by the way - just a really fun and delicious blend of some of our favorite beers
we make! Enjoy! 9.8% ABV
He’Brew Genesis 15:15 (limited)
A bold and decadent Harvest Barleywine aged 9 months in Sazerac 6-Year Rye Whiskey Barrels.
Genesis 15:15 marks the 5th release in Shmaltz’s Limited-Edition Barrel Aged series. Genesis 15:15
incorporates fruit juices from four of the seven Sacred Spices listed in the Torah: fi gs, dates, grapes, and
pomegranates. 13.4% ABV
Sierra Nevada
Chico, CA
www.sierranevada.com
Brux – Sour Ale
Refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Brux will develop and change over time.
Copper-colored, dry and complex, with slightly tart notes of green grass, pear, spices and lemon.
8.3% ABV
Ovila Abbey – Barrel-aged Quad
Matured in oak casks used to age brandy, this intense ale has layers of fl avor and deep complexity.
Caramel and dark fruit notes, blend seamlessly with the burned-sugar, date, black grape and vanilla
notes of the brandy barrels creating a truly distinct and fl avorful brew.
Narwal Imperial Stout
Midnight black and bold with notes of baker’s cocoa, dark roasted coffee, a satiny body and smooth
refi ned fi nish. This beer invites you in to enjoy the “depths” of malt fl avor. 10.2% ABV
35www.BigBeersFestival.com
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Vorchdorf, Austria
www.schloss-eggenberg.at
Samiclaus
The world’s most famous Christmas beer. Famously strong, too. Dark amber color, almost cherry-red.
Slight fruit and yeastiness on the nose. Rich, clean maltiness. Slips down with dangerous ease. Perhaps
a little nuttier than last year, & less yeasty. Soothing; very warming.
Ska Brewing Company
Durango, CO
www.skabrewing.com
Decadent Imperial IPA
It’s a celebration. Imagine celebrating some huge momentous occasion, and then imagine drinking the
liquid equivalent of that celebration everyday. Citrus aroma prevails. Mounds of fresh hops and caramel
malts explode upon the palate. Originally produced to celebrate our tenth year in business, this Imperial
IPA hides nothing of our tendency toward self-indulgent behavior. 10% ABV
Nefarious
King of the alley, this Imperial Porter reigns supreme. Creamy, chocolaty sweet, with hints of coffee and
Bing cherry, the Nefarious is wickedly outrageous. A sip brings strong bitter chocolate with a hint of
coffee and a consistency as thick as the Hershey’s chocolate syrup. The fi nish leaves more chocolate,
but with the addition of fi g and date fl avors. 8% ABV
Hibernal Vinifera Stout
This Oak-aged, Foreign-Style Stout, brewed with Malbec grapes has a richness and depth that are
perfect for the winter season! 8% ABV
Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, CA
www.stonebrew.com
Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Brewed in the authentic historical style of an Imperial Russian Stout, this beer is massive. Intensely
aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate, this
brew goes where few can - and fewer dare even try. The style originated from Czarist Russia’s demand
for ever thicker English stouts. Expect our version of this mysterious brew to pour like Siberian crude
and taste even heavier!
Stone/Victory/Dogfi sh Head Saison du BUFF
Brewed in collaboration w/ Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Stone Brewing Company, and Victory Brewing
Company, who each brewed a version at their own breweries. Brewed with Parsley, Sage, Estate
Rosemary & Thyme.
Stone Vertical Epic Ale 11.11.11 Belgian
As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists &
turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifi cally designed to be aged until
sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a
“vertical” tasting. Each one unique to it’s year of release. Each with its own “twist & turn” in the plotline.
Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year’s edition. To remind you,
the remaining dates are: 12.12.12
36 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Strange Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.strangebrewingco.com
Le Bruit Du Diable Farmhouse Ale
Our spin on a classic Belgian farmhouse ale. We start with high quality Belgian Pilsner malt and add
some Caramel Munich for color and complexity and malted wheat for tradition. Bring it back down to
earth with just the right amount of Czech Saaz hops to provide refreshing balance. Fermented hot with
a very special yeast strain from the Wallonia region of Belgium, this unique yeast gives our Diable its
earthy, fruity, spiciness and dry malt character. 16.5º Plato, 42 IBUs, 8.3% ABV
Juliette Petit Saison
New to the Strange stable of beers, this beautiful brew is for lovers of the Saison style. Her perfumed
aroma draws you into her spell. Bright as the sun, bubbly, and playfully tart, star-struck Juliette teases
your senses and leaves you wanting more. A brew to die for? Me thinks not. But perhaps just a little.
15º Plato, 35 IBUs, 5% ABV
Dr. Strangelove Barleywine
This big malty Barleywine is big on fl avor yet very easy drinking. Pounds of American hops balance out
the monster malt bill and create a delicious symphony of fl avors to enjoy. 100 IBUs, 11.4% ABV
Surly Brewing Company
Brooklyn Center, MN
www.surlybrewing.com
Furious
A tempest on the tongue, or a moment of pure hop bliss? Brewed with a dazzling blend of American hops
and Scottish malt, this crimson-hued ale delivers waves of citrus, pine and caramel-toffee. For those
who favor fl avor, Furious has the hop-fi re your taste buds have been screeching for. 99 IBUs, 6.5% ABV
Abrasive Ale
We brewed this beer originally at the end of 2008 as a farewell to growler sales. As usual, we underes-
timated the demand for the fi rst Double IPA in Minnesota. We brewed the beer again in the spring and
released it as a draft only beer. It was originally called 16 Grit, a size of abrasive grit used at the old
Abrasive factory that once stood where the brewery now resides. 120 IBUS+, 8.8% ABV
Coffee Bender
Coffee Bender refreshes like an iced-coffee, is aromatic as a bag of whole beans and satisfi es like your
favorite beer. The Surly brew team has developed a cold extraction process that results in intense coffee
aromatics and fl avor bringing together two of our favorite beverages. Your only dilemma will be whether
to fi nish your day or start it with a Coffee Bender. 45 IBUs, 5.5% ABV
Hell Lager
Finally, a Surly beer my German mother will drink. She says this one tastes like a bier from back home.
Not unlike a Zwickel Bier from Germany, Hell is not fi ltered and fermented with lager yeast. American
hops take a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma. The color is well... hell (Deutsch
for light). It’s fi endishly drinkable, and you don’t have to sell your soul to get another. 20 IBUs, 4.5% ABV
Cynic Ale
Oh great, a fi zzy yellow beer in a can, that’s just what the craft beer world needs! Cynic Ale melds Old
World ingredients in a new school style. French malted barley, English oats and Belgian yeast create
honey & black pepper fl avors. Lively Slovenian hops provide the fl oral, apricot and peach notes. Toss
your doubts away, toss one back and enjoy! 33 IBUs, 6.6% ABV
Syx Anniversary Ale
Utilizes six wood species in a ‘Honey Comb’ shape for aging this year’s anniversary beer. 14.5% ABV
37www.BigBeersFestival.com
Brewery De Halve Mann
Bruges, Flanders
www.halvemaan.be
Straffe Hendrik
Straffe Hendrik [strafe HENdrik] is brewed according to the authentic recipe in the original brewery in the
center of Bruges. It’s a rich triple that combines the powerful taste of hop with the aroma of malt. This
beer is highly appreciated by the beer lovers.
Three Barrel Brewing
Del Norte, CO
www.threebarrelbrewing.com/www.threebarrelbrew.com
Penitente Canyon Ale
Belgian Sour Ales – Hermano/Morado/Chimayo Surs – Overripe dark fruits, plums, currants, oak-aged
Brett and yeast blend, vanilla notes and some cherry notes. Pink peppercorns, Lacto Sour, cardamon.
Pemba q. Sherpa Saison
Strong Saison spiced with pepper, cardamon, India coriander, anise & orange. 8%+ ABV
Binglerweiss
In the tradition of William Bingel, late 1800’s Brewery in Del Norte, CO, a tart, off-dry Berliner Weisse
Style Ale, crisp, effervescent, wet blanket nose, bready aroma, chewey.
Timmerman’s
Dilbeek-Itterbeek, Belgium
www.belukus.com
Timmerman’s Framboise
Faithfully refl ects the colour and fl avour of ripe raspberries, with no trace of the acidity of lambic. This
wonderful fl avour reaches its peak with its intensely fresh after-taste. 4% ABV
Timmerman’s Strawberry
Its aroma evokes the perfumes of a lovely summer. Its strawberry fl avour confi rms the nose’s
impression without sweetened saturation. Moreover, it’s even enhanced by a real feeling of freshness,
recalling those tiny green granules that are found around ripened strawberries, Its taste is consistent
and spreads very quickly throughout the mouth to fi nish its journey on a touch that is fruitier rather than
sweetened. 4% ABV
Timmerman’s Kriek
Its fl avour is all cherry, as is already apparent from its very powerful nose. Its acidity is neutralized by
its agreeably sweet and fruity bouquet. Its taste pervades the mouth and lingers gently, elegantly tinted
with summer cherries. 4% ABV
Timmerman’s Bourgogne des Flandres
Genuine fruit of the Belgian brewery soil, Bourgogne des Flandres derives its origins from the famous
belfry of its birthplace. This unique brown ale is the result of regional Master Brewer’s know-how. Similar
to the Flemish brown beers, but without the acidity, with an aftertaste that draws attention to its
distinguished character. 5% ABV
Timmerman’s Lambicus Blanche
There is no other beer like Timmermans Tradition Lambicus Blanche anywhere in the world. It is made
by bringing together lambic with the process used for brewing beers based on malted wheat. By the
addition of spices such as coriander and dried orange zest, a beer is created with a light, fruity fl avour,
deliberately cloudy and subtly spicy. Should ideally be drunk from an authentic stoneware pot. 4.5% ABV
38 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Tommyknocker Brewery
Idaho Springs, CO
www.tommyknocker.com
Imperial Nut Brown Ale Three Ways
One - It’s a big malty one. A royal amount of Crystal, Munich, and Chocolate malts lend the beer a robust
backbone, while pure maple syrup is fermented to enhance the full-bodied base profi le. A nice blend of
American hops balance, but does not dominate the fi nishing sweetness and alcohol warmth. 57 IBUs,
9% ABV
Two - Our Imperial Nut Brown Ale aged in a Breckenridge Distilleries bourbon barrel and aged 6 months.
57 IBUs, 9% ABV
Three- Our Imperial Nut Brown Ale casked with an English Ale yeast and served through a beer engine.
57 IBUs, 9% ABV
Uinta Brewing Company
Salt Lake City, UT
www.uintabrewing.com
Labyrinth
Barrel-Aged Quadruple Black Ale. Aged a minimum of 6 months in a combination of Bourbon and Rye
barrels. Hints of licorice, espresso and dark chocolate highlight this monster. 13.2% ABV
Cockeyed Cooper
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine. This American style Barley Wine has been aged in Bourbon barrels a
minimum of 6 months and exhibits wonderful caramel and vanilla notes. 11.15% ABV Sea Legs
Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter. A very special limited release from Uinta Brewing. Only 1,500 cases pro-
duced. Barrel aged in Rye and Bourbon barrels this beer is the perfect “Winter Warmer” with notes of
dark chocolate and vanilla bean and a subdued toasty highlights from the barrel aging. 8% ABV
Upslope Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.upslopebrewing.com
Upslope Christmas Ale
A Belgian Dark Ale brewed with holiday spice. We use a Belgian yeast strain and a handful of spices
to create a wonderfully smooth, balanced holiday ale. Dark fruit, warming alcohol, and a touch of spice
rounds out this brew. 8.2% ABV
Upslope 4th Anniversary Saison
We brewed a true-to-style French Saison for our 4th Anniversary. A fantastic, light bodied yet powerful
beer that is very easy to drink. Subtle spice notes from the yeast dance on the palate while citrus aromas
tickle the nose. 7.5% ABV
Upslope IPA
With a coppery color indicative of a traditional IPA, Upslope India Pale Ale has a complex malty character
and is more well-balanced than most IPAs. 65 IBUs, 7.2% ABV
39www.BigBeersFestival.com
Brouwerij Van den Bossche
Belgium
www.paterlieven.be
Buffalo Stout
Dark Belgian ale with a caramel and slightly chocolate taste that fi nishes with a little caramel bitterness.
9% ABV
Buffalo Bitter
Pale yellow ale with a hoppy aroma and a dry long bitter aftertaste. 8% ABV
Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Ingelmunster, Belgium
www.vanhonsebrouck.be
Kasteel Rouge
The fruit beer of the Castle range. Its unique dark red color is obtained by mixing Castle brown that has
been left to mature for at least 6 months with sour cherries.
Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Ertvelde, Belgium
www.vansteenberge.com
Gulden Draak
Gulden Draak is a dark brown Triple Ale, which makes it an exception among the Belgian Triples. The
second fermentation offers the nice creamy head, the full body and all the vitamins of the centuries old
brewers yeast. It is a “thick” beer, that you can actually “nibble” to adventure the complex taste. Gulden
Draak balances a natural malt toffee-like sweetness with a mellow hoppiness and some hoppy accents
Piraat
A Belgian Triple IPA that is refermented in the bottle and draft. Deep golden in color with a subtle haze.
Lots of hops and malt, mild sweetness, reminiscent of bread dough, spices and tropical fruit. Very com-
plex in taste. Full body, fruity aroma, faint sweetness balanced by a spicy bitterness. 10.5% abv
Trappisten van Westmalle
Antwerp Flanders, Belgium
www.merchantduvin.com
Westmalle – Begian Dubbel (Trappist)
Brown-amber color, subtle dark-malt aroma balanced by Belgian yeast character. Deeply malty, with a
subtle and dry fi nish that hints at tropical fruit. 24 IBUs, OG: 1.063, 7% ABV
Westmalle – Begian Tripel (Trappist)
Glowing orange-gold color, herbal aroma, and complex fl avors that meld rich malt sweetness, warmth,
hops, and powerful drinkability. 37 IBUs, OG: 1.080, 9.5% ABV
40 2013 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
West Flanders Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
www.wfbrews.com
Daisy Cutter
This Belgian-style strong ale leaves nothing on the table. We use a gargantuan malt bill to give this beer
a beautiful dark amber color and the fermentables it needs to reach it’s fi nal ABV of 9%. This Belgian
yeast strain, which is the same strain used in the Angry Monk, has no problem fermenting all the maltose
one can throw at it. The result is a very drinkable beer surprisingly light on the palate with the alcohol
content deftly hidden. 29 IBUs, OG: 1.081, 9% ABV
Trippel Lutz
We love Belgians at West Flanders! A Trippel is one of the classic Belgian-style beers made famous by
the Westmalle Trappist Monastary located in Flanders, Belgium. The color is deceivingly pale, hiding a
full orchestra of fl avors that one would not expect from a beer of this color. Apricots and toasted nuts
fi ll the aroma and a delicate addition of Noble hops balance the unique fl avors of this incredible ale. A
slight bodily warming is provided by the high alcohol level, as is appropriate with a good Trippel. As with
anything that is fermented, there is a “super special secret ingredient” and yes, we will reveal it here – it’s
the YEAST! 33 IBUs, OG: 1.069, 7% ABV
Angry Monk
The Angry Monk doesn’t really fi t into a specifi c beer category or meet specifi c guidelines. Therefore it
is what it is – which is to say that it displays a very Belgian character due to the yeast strain. You may
notice that this beer is very different from our St. Marks Dubbel. That is because we use an entirely
different yeast strain for this one. The aroma is heavy on the caramelized banana side with a dash of
licorice. We don’t fi lter the Angry Monk, nor any of our other Belgian-style beers, however, one
distinguishing characteristic of this particular yeast strain is that it is highly fl occulating which leaves the
beer very clear and bright without sacrifi cing any fl avors. 30 IBUs, OG: 1.067, 6.8% ABV
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Portland, OR
www.widmer.com
SXNW (South by Northwest)
Ale brewed with Pecans, Spice, Cocoa Nibs and Green Chilis – 40 IBUs, OG 22.5P, 9.3% ABV
Brrrbon ‘11
Our Winter Seasonal Ale aged in bourbon barrels and cellared for 1 year. Original 40 IBUs, OG 20.3P,
9.5% ABV
Galaxy Hopped Barleywine ‘11
Ale brewed with a huskless malt and a Belgium Candy Sugar. Cellared for 1 year. Original 60 IBUs, OG
24P, 9.5% ABV
Old Embalmer Barleywine ‘12
Ale brewed with copious amounts of malt and Bravo Hops. 75 IBUs, OG 24.5P, 10.2% ABV
Wells and Young’s Brewing Company
Bedford, England
www.belukus.com
Wells Banana Bread Beer
This beer continues the Wells family traditional yet innovative approach to brewing fi ne ales. Wells Ba-
nana Bread Beer partly takes its name from the Saxon phrase for beer – ‘Liquid Bread’. Combining a
traditional ale recipe with the fl avor of ‘fair trade’ bananas creating an intriguing and fl avorsome pint.
5.2% ABV
This Belgian-style strong ale leaves nothing on the table. We use a gargantuan malt bill to give this beer
41www.BigBeersFestival.com
Wit’s End Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.witsendbrewing.com
Wilford Belgian Oatmeal IPA
Flaked oats play a major role in this Belgian-American porridge. Pungent spicy noble hops, citrusy American
hops, and a Belgian yeast all wrapped up in a silky blanket of oats--yes please! We will not make any
claims as to the health benefi ts of using oatmeal in beer, but if there are any, then…it’s the right beer to
drink, and the tasty way to do it! This beer gets its clove aromas and spicy fl avors from the Belgian yeast.
The combination of tettnang and cascade hops create a lemon-orange pith tartness which fi nds balance
with the caramel malt sweetness. The large amount of fl aked oats used in this beer helps tame all of
these robust fl avors creating a very unique fl avor profi le. Its frothy head will make a beer mustache that
Mr. Brimley himself would be proud to wear!
Ugly Sweater
Ugly Sweater is a random mixture of things that appear to be working together in some kind of plan. But
instead of a catastrophic garment one pokes fun at, it is a unique holiday ale that can bring a bunch of
people together to poke fun at said garment. Loosely based on an English brown ale recipe, we throw in
some knick knacks like roasted pumpkin seeds, palm sugar, and peace on earth. This beer is not fi ltered
(much like that relative we all see during the holidays) and has a slight ethereal haze. The appearance
paired with its rich caramel maltiness is like drinking a Sugar Daddy®. The roasted pumpkin seeds cre-
ate a creamy nutty texture, and thanks to a Belgian yeast strain, the huge cinnamon and clove notes
come through and balance the sweetness. So bundle yourself up in an Ugly Sweater and have a happy
holiday season!
Wynkoop Brewing Company
Denver, CO
www.wynkoop.com
Belgorado
This beer is brewed with all Colorado grown malt and wet hops from Misty Mountain Hop Farm in Olathe.
The yeast is the Westmalle Trappist strain, making the beer a Belgian Pale Ale in style. A bronze medal
winner at the 2011 GABF, Belgorado is 6.7% ABV
Prince of Darkness Imperial Stout
Brewed in conjunction with our 2011 Beerdrinker of the Year, the infamous Phil Farrell, this Russian
Imperial Stout will be aged for 12 weeks in Templeton Rye Whiskey barrels for the Big Beers Festival.
This beer has notes of licorice, rye, and oak with 9.2% ABV
Frambozen
With fl avors of raspberry, chocolate, and balanced alcohol strength, this imperial brown ale was aged for
16 months in used wine barrels with souring bacteria and raspberries. 12% ABV
Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Brew Pub
Arvada, CO
www.theyakandyeti.com
West-coast Glutton Double Red
With the malty backbone of a Red but hopped like a double IPA, this beer contains 150 “calculated”
IBUs. 9.6% ABV
La Phutan Belgian Blonde
A straight-forward Belgian-style Blonde with a little cara munich for color and Styrium Goldings hops.
24 IBUs, 7.5% ABV
Yak’s R.I.S.
A rich, dark and roasty, yet smooth interpretation of a Russian Imperial Stout. “If you can drink Yak’s
R.I.S., you can drink just about anything.” 80 IBUs, 10% ABV
NOTES
10:00 am—12:00 pm Experimental Brewing Seminar
Creekside Conference Room
Experimental Brewing: Brewers Gone Wild!
Topic: “Smoke”
Moderator: David Edgar, White Labs Yeast Co.
Experimental Brewers:
Ray Daniels, Cicerone Program
Ro Guenzel, Left Hand Brewing Co.
Geoff Larson, Alaskan Brewing Co.
12:30pm Featured Brewmaster’s Seminar
Creekside Conference Room
Kevin DeLange, Dry Dock Brewing Co.
Topic: “All About Barleywines”
1:45pm Featured Brewmaster’s Seminar
Creekside Conference Room
Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Topic: “Oak Three Ways: Fermented, Aged and Wild”
12:30pm Brewmaster’s Seminar
Juniper Conference Room
Steven Pauwels, Boulevard Brewing Co.
Topic: “Brewing Belgian Styles”
1:45pm Brewmaster’s Seminar
Juniper Conference Room
Daniel Bradford, All About Beer Magazine
Topic: “Creating Flavor: The Art of Blending Hops”
2:30 pm—6:00 pm Commercial Tasting Session
Centennial and Rocky Mountain Ballrooms
3:00 pm Big Beers Homebrew Competition Awards
Centennial Foyer
3:30 pm Brewmaster’s Seminar Juniper Conference Room Bill Graham, Ska Brewing Co.
Topic: “The Beer in My Cheese”
5:45 pm Last Call
Big Beers, Belgians And Barleywines Festival
This Weekend In Vail
First Posted: 01/05/11 08:21 PM ET Updated: 05/25/11 07:25 PM ET
Traditional beer festival season may be in the early fall, but what better time than the dead of
winter to celebrate the heartiest of beers?
As the name suggests, the annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival in Vail brings in
top brewers from around the country to celebrate the best in big, bold, full-bodied beers.
60 brewers--from local favorites Avery and Oskar Blues to big brewers like Anhueser Busch, to
nationally renowned craft brewers like Dogfish Head--will be in attendance to sample beer,
conduct seminars and talk shop.
Organizers expect as many as 1,100 attendees at this year's event, which will be held at the Vail
Cascade Resort and Spa.
WATCH:
[10th Anniversary Video]
Lead Brewmasters
Sam Calagione, President/Founder
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton DE
Adam Avery, Brewmaster/Founder
Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
2013 Featured Brewmasters
Kevin DeLange, Founder/Owner
Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster
Firestone Walker, Paso Robles, CA
Big Beers, Belgians
& Barleywines Festival
bigbeersfestival@hotmail.com
www.BigBeersFestival.com
Proceeds benefit the Vail Valley Charitable Fund.
For more information, visit www.vvcf.org
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
First Event: 2001
13th Anniversary: January 10—12, 2013
2012 Attendance:
Calibration Dinner: 100ppl
Brewmasters’ Dinner: 150ppl
Homebrew Competition: 273 Entries
Commercial Tasting: 1132 ppl
Educational Seminars/Workshops: 100% full/standing room
2012 Homebrew Competition Best of Show:
Jim Denier— Aurora, Colorado
“Berliner Weisse”
2012 Featured Brewmasters (rotates):
J. Todd Usry, Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, CO
John Mallett, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI
2012 Event Host: Vail Cascade Resort & Spa
Brewmasters’ Dinner Culinary Artist:
Executive Chef Todd Bemis & Team
Website: BigBeersFestival.com
Facebook: BigBeersFestival
Twitter: @bigbeers
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
Brewmasters, Brewery Owners & Importers
The Brewmasters, Brewery Owners and Importers that showcase their wares at the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines
Festival hail from all over the world. With the expected concentration of Colorado breweries, geographic diversity
continues to grow with each new festival. The 2012 festival offered guests the opportunity to sample American craft
beer from California, Delaware, Maine, and Alaska, to hit a few extremes. The international offerings hail from far
and wide. There is a concentration of beer from European countries, particularly Belgium, and the importers make a
point of providing extreme diversity both in style and in origin.
The Big Beers Festival is noted for the high number of Brewmasters and Craft Brewery Owners that are present pour-
ing and discussing their wares. It has been said that this festival “is more for brewers” than marketing folk, and al-
though marketing representatives are welcome we certainly are pleased and proud that the brewers have made this
such a high profile annual gathering. The number of industry “celebrities” that attend every January is outstanding.
This gives both the novice and the connoisseur an unusual opportunity to taste & speak with some of the best.
Noteworthy participants of the 2012 event included Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing Co., Matt Brophy of Flying Dog
Brewing Co., Omar Ansari of Surly Brewing Co., Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Peter Bouckaert
of New Belgium Brewing Co., Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co, Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey & Port Brewing, and
more. All these in addition, of course, to our Featured Brewmasters.
Featured Brewmasters
The Featured Brewmaster designation is a rotating honor that is bestowed upon invitation by the Big Beers, Belgians
& Barleywines Festival. Our “anchor” brewmasters (Calagione and Avery) co-host the Calibration Dinner each year
and usher in festival weekend. They were, in fact, the first Big Beers Featured Brewmasters in 2005.
Our Featured Brewmasters co-host the Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner on Friday night of the festival weekend, and
they also offer an educational seminar on the brewing topic of their choice. This can range from brewing topics like
Pauwels’ “Belgian Yeast” or Rob Tod’s Barrel Aging discussion to adventurous topics, such as Bauweraerts’ “Slow
Beer Tour of Belgium” or “Brewing with Monks” as Lodewijk and Giks Swinkels discussed in 2010.
The Big Beers Featured Brewmasters have been invited in pairs since the time that Calagione and Avery kicked off
this tradition. To date, the following have joined us as event “royalty”: Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing Co., Rob
Tod of Allagash Brewing Co., Brian Dunn of Great Divide Brewing Co., Hildegard Van Ostaden of Brouwerij de
Leyerth, Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey Brewing Co., Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co., Matt Brophy of Flying Dog
Brewing Co., Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co., Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing Co., Lodewijk
Swinkels of Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven/ LaTrappe, Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing Co., Chris Bauweraerts
of Brasserie d’Achouffe, John Mallett of Bell’s Brewery., and J. Todd Usry of Breckenridge Brewery.
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Purlic Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
Education: Seminars & Workshops
Cicerone Workshop: Led by Ray Daniels, Creator of the Cicerone Program, this workshop offers an
opportunity for education not only about the beer itself with regard to history, creation, styles and flavor
profiles, but about serving, dispensing, & trouble-shooting in the retail & restaurant environment as well.
The Marriage of Good Beer & Good Music: His seminar theme varying widely from year to year,
Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery discussed the musical inspiration behind several Dogfish
Head brews, such as Bitches Brew celebrating Miles Davis’ album of the same name.
Cigar & Craft Beer Pairing: Hosted by Paul Gatza of the Brewers Association, 2012 was the first Big
Beers showing of this relatively new arena for craft beer. Joined by representatives from Altadis USA and
Smoker Friendly, craft beer donations from many of our participating breweries were paired with Altadis
cigars for an interesting evening of experimentation and education for all.
Experimental Brewing- “Brewing Outside the Box: Brewers Gone Wild”: An annual seminar
with rotating topics and speakers, the 2012 panel discussed “The Evolution of a Barrel” covering an oak
barrel from the barrel maker, to distiller, to craft brewers. Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker and Joe
Mohrfeld of Odell Brewing Co were featured on this spectacular panel in addition to Yuri DeLeon with
Cooperages 1912 and Andy Causey & Mitch Abate of Downslope Distilling Co..
Brewmasters’ Seminars: Colorado Double IPAs & Maltilicious—The Building Blocks of Flavor
The Featured Brewmasters each year host seminars on a topic of their choice. These topics range from
technical brewing to history and more social themes, depending on the Brewmaster. 2012 Featured Brew-
master Todd Usry invited Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co. and Dave Thibodeau of Ska Brewing Co. to
join him in discussing the variations and commonalities between their Colorado Double IPAs, while John
Mallett led a high level discussion on the role of malt in brewing and flavor profiles.
The Elements of Flavor: Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine, hosted his 2012 Big
Beers sensory workshop with a progressive format. Attendees were able to break down the primary flavors
of Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA & Allagash White Ale with their respec-
tive Brewmasters & examine/smell/taste the physical raw ingredients that bring those flavors to each beer.
CraftBeer.com’s Beer & Food Pairing Taste-off: A tremendously popular seminar, Julia Herz of the
Brewers Association has now awarded five annual trophies for her food pairing challenge at Big Beers.
Designed to educate the participants and challenge the competitors with regard to beer & food pairings,
Herz assigns a single challenge food item for each contestant to pair in the best way possible with one of
the beers in his/her portfolio. Victor by popular vote, each contestant must then defend the pairing to the
audience.
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
The History
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines festival was first a glimmer in the eye of Bill Lodge, Festival Founder
and Owner of High Point Brewing Corp. A beverage distributor primarily focusing on craft & specialty beer,
Bill found himself with an amazing portfolio of these largely unknown beers in 2001 and very little in the way
of demand. Finding that his slow sales were primarily due to lack of exposure to these products for both the
retailer and the consumer, Lodge worked on figuring out a way that he could reach both at the same time and
allow them the opportunity to taste as well as learn.
With the support of one of his more savvy customers in Vail who also ran a small brewpub, an elaborate ‘trade
show’ was envisioned that would welcome the more local brewery representatives to show their wares and vol-
unteers to pour and speak about the more remote and international beers that were available. One ounce pours
would allow the guest to sample while giving them the latitude to try any of the beers represented.
The 1st Annual Big Beers Festival was held at a nightclub in Vail Village. Bill’s sister, Laura, headed up the co-
ordination of events, and continues to organize the festival to this day. The educational portion was held down-
stairs in the Hubcap Brewery, and Adam Avery hosted the inaugural seminar featuring vertical tastings of sev-
eral of his Avery beers, showing that beer could age as wine can. This was an extremely innovative concept at
the time, and tremendously well-received. Attendance ranged around 200 people, including participants and
volunteers.
The second year saw an attempt to draw more support from the front range of Colorado. A homebrew competi-
tion was introduced to the schedule, and the homebrew clubs on the Front Range responded with enthusiasm
and excitement. Many homebrewers made the journey to Vail for the event and assisted with the competition
judging, and the basis for the festival was solidified. In addition, many industry folks begin to make the trip,
including team members from the Brewers Association and the American Homebrewers Association.
Big Beers continued to grow in years three and four, and in preparation for the 5th anniversary Adam Avery
invited Sam Calagione to come from Delaware for the festival. Sam’s response was “If I’m coming out there,
we’re doing a dinner.” And thus the Brewmasters’ Dinner and the Featured Brewmaster concepts were born to
the approval of an ecstatic audience. With thirty five people, the first Brewmasters’ Dinner was held at Mon-
tauk Restaurant in conjunction with Chef Dimitri, and was an overwhelming success. Growing to eighty and
then 100, the Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner has topped out at 150 people, and a second dinner has been
added solely for Avery and Calagione.
For the Tenth Anniversary celebration, nineteen breweries created and/or released a commemorative beer —
never before available to the public—at the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Welcome Reception. The craft
brewing industry has pushed this event to the top, and in 2011 it is reported that “Big Beers increasingly at-
tracts many of the most recognizable, well-respected and influential individuals in the American Craft Beer
scene,” according to Dan Rabin, Celebrator News.
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival is a three day event featuring educational
seminars, two Brewmasters dinners, a Commercial Tasting, a homebrew competition and other
tastings and pairings. Designed to welcome the beer connoisseur, the innovative homebrewer, or
the craft beer novice, participants will find events appropriate for all levels of interest.
The festival regularly draws breweries from around the world offering literally hundreds of
choices. The beer & food pairing competition is a popular option as well as the Cicerone
Workshop, a program similar to the Sommelier designation in the world of wine.
Additionally, the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival actively supports the efforts of the
Vail Valley Charitable Fund, a local organization that helps individuals who live and work in the
Vail Valley that have critical financial need due to medical catastrophes, accidents or long-term
illnesses. For more information about the VVCF, visit www.vvcf.org Contact Big Beers,
Barleywines Festival at www.bigbeersfestival.com and follow the event on facebook.
XXX
“So here’s the prescription: Take a couple of hundred beers, most 7% alcohol or greater with hardly a dud
in the lot, add not one but two beer dinners, mix in a handful of seminars and tastings, and season with
some of the best craft brewers in the land. Put it all in an idyllic mountain setting and offer some of the
lowest hotel prices and shortest tow lines Vail will see all season, and you have the fest in a fairly
compelling nutshell." Stephen Beaumont, “Big Beers & Bigger Mountains”, Ale Street News
"(We) have made some friends that we see each year at this event and we look forward to it each year. For
us, this festival combines snowboarding, fantastic beer, a beautiful setting, and great friends...it doesn't get
much better!" - Darrell Maudlin, Homebrewer, Houston, TX
As Big Beers’ visibility has grown over the years, it has become as much a high-spirited get-together for
industry folks as a first-rate weekend getaway for beer fans. In fact, I know of no other similar beer-themed
event that offers the opportunity to rub elbows with so many of the craft beer industry’s movers and
shakers in a relaxed and intimate setting. Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines is a class act. No matter how
you label it. - Dan Rabin, “Big Beers 2011; A Festival by Any Other Name”, Celebrator Beer News
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
Events
Calibration Dinner
Festival anchors Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery & Adam Avery of Avery Brewing Co.
open the Big Beers Festival weekend annually with their five course, double beer pairing dinner in Atwater
on Gore Creek at the Vail Cascade Resort with Executive Chef Todd Bemis. An outstanding experience.
Welcome Reception
A meet & greet for the festival weekend on Friday at noon, four breweries and their respective Brewmas-
ters or principals showcase one of their brewing creations alongside a food pairing from Chef Bemis.
Homebrew Competition Judging
Entries are received 3 weeks prior to the event and are cataloged and sorted to be judged over Big Beers
weekend. This AHA/BJCP Certified competition is renown among homebrew clubs for its diverse judg-
ing panel and stylistic focus.
Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner
The two Featured Brewmasters selected for each annual event co-host this five course, white tablecloth
beer pairing dinner with Chef Bemis. Complete with commentary by Brewmasters and Chef, this event
varies widely from year to year based upon your Brewmaster hosts and their creations.
Educational Workshops & Seminars
Offered throughout the weekend leading industry vetarans, Brewmasters and Importers lead their audi-
ence through a myriad of topics related to brewing and the brewing industry. Tasting related to the topic is
provided at all educational events.
Commercial Tasting
The highlight & finale of the Big Beers Festival weekend, the Commerical Tasting offers participants the
opportunity to sample big, Belgian style and experimental beers from around the world. With over sixty
breweries and importers on hand pouring and discussing their wares in person, it is an exceptional oppor-
tunity to visit with the brewers and try rare and expensive beers in an intimate setting.
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
2012 Participating Breweries
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
Dubuisson, Belgium
Duchesse de Bourgogne
Dupont, Belgium
Epic, Utah
Firestone Walker, California
Flying Dog, Maryland
Funkwerks, Colorado
Glenwood Canyon, Colorado
Goose Island, Illinois
Gore Range, Colorado
Grand Lake, Colorado
Grand Teton, Wyoming
Great Divide, Colorado
Grimm Brothers, Colorado
Het Anker, Belgium
Hoegaarden, Belgium
Kasteel, Belgium
LaTrappe/Koningshoeven
The Netherlands
LeFebvre, Belgium
Leffe, France
Left Hand, Colorado
Lindeman’s, Belgium
Lion, India
Lost Abbey, California
Malheur, Belgium
Michael Plank Heller, Germany
Moylan’s, California
Musketeers, Belgium
New Belgium, Colorado
Odell, Colorado
Ommegang, New York
Orval, Belgium
Oskar Blues, Colorado
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
Alaskan, Alaska
Allagash, Maine
Altitude Chophouse, WY
Anchor, California
Anheuser-Busch, Belgium
Aspen, Colorado
Avery, Colorado
Ayinger, Germany
Backcountry, Colorado
Ballast Point, California
Belgoo, Belgium
Bell’s, Michigan
Belzebuth, France
Bockor, Belgium
Bonfire, Colorado
Bosteels, Belgium
Boston Beer, Massachusetts
Boulder Beer, Colorado
Boulevard, Missouri
Breckenridge, Colorado
Bristol, Colorado
The Bruery, California
Brunehaut, Belgium
Caracole, Belgium
Chimay, Belgium
Coronado, California
Corsendonk, Belgium
Crazy Mountain, Colorado
Crooked Stave, Colorado
Delirium, Belgium
Deschutes, Oregon
Dillon Dam, Colorado
Dogfish Head, Delaware
Dry Dock, Colorado
Pagosa, Colorado
Papago, Arizona
Redstone Meadery, Colorado
Rochefort, Belgium
Rockyard, Colorado
Rock Bottom—Colorado Spgs
Sam Smith, England
Samiclaus, Austria
Schneider, Germany
Shipyard, Maryland
Shmaltz, CA/NY
Sierra Nevada, California
Ska, Colorado
St. Bernardus, Belgium
St. Feuillien, Belgium
St. Martin, Belgium
Stone, California
Strange Brew, Colorado
Stronghold, Colorado
Surly, Minnesota
Tenth & Blake, CO/IL
Three Barrel, Colorado
Timmerman’s, Belgium
Tommyknocker, Colorado
Uinta, Utah
Upslope, Colorado
Urthel, Belgium
Van Steenberge, Belgium
Victory, Pennsylvania
Wells & Young’s, England
Westmalle, Belgium
Widmer, Oregon
Wit’s End, Colorado
Wynkoop, Colorado
Story Ideas
Beer and food pairings elevate the experience of having a brew.
To explore: Beer is more food friendly than wine. Chef Todd Bemis is
extremely talented in this area and is available by contacting Vail Cascade
Resort (Kirsten@keylinkinc.net).
Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines offers education.
To explore: Seminars are diverse enough to intrigue every attendee. See more
at bigbeersfestival.com
Budget conscious? Get tips on how, where, and what to buy!
To explore: The festival allows participants to “try before they buy”.
”Beercations” are a very popular new trend.
To explore: “Brewery tours” have replaced “winery tours” in overall popular-
ity. See how major resorts support this at www.vailcascade.com or contact
Kirsten@keylinkinc.net.
Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines provides extremely diverse opportunities.
To explore: Looking for a new angle? This is the quintessential festival for
any creative and unique story ideas. Want custom suggestions? Contact the
festival’s media relations contact at Kirsten@keylinkinc.net.
13th Anniversary Festival Weekend
January 10, 11 & 12, 2013
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa • Vail, CO • www.vailcascade.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com
www.bigbeersfestival.com • Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival • 970/977-0100
Media Contact: Kirsten Texler, Key Link Public Relations • kirsten@keylinkinc.net
1 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
Modern Brewery Age Weekly E-Newsletter •Volume 61, No. 5• February 5, 2010
Beverage alcohol remains
resilient, Nielsen reports
Big Beers Festival draws craft luminaries to Vail
Doug Odell (left) co-founder of the Odell Brewing Co., and an Odell associate brought some big beers
from Ft. Collins to pour at the Big Beers Fest.
The Brewers Association has been work-
ing in supporting H.R. 4278, a bill to create
a graduated beer excise tax rate of $3.50
and $16 for small brewers, sponsored by
Representatives Richard Neal (D-
Massachusetts) and Kevin Brady (R-
Texas). During the 111th Congress, 241
Representatives joined Reps Pomeroy and
Latham in sponsoring legislation to reduce
small brewer excise tax rates (H.R. 836).
Currently, a small brewer (producing
less than 2 million bbls per year) pays
$7.00 per barrel on the first 60,000 bbls
produced each year. The BAsays that
reducing that rate to $3.50 per bbl would
save small brewers $15.5 million per year.
Once production exceeds 60,000 bbls, a
small brewer pays $18 per bbl. Lowering
the tax rate to $16 per barrel on beer pro-
duction above 60,000 bbls up to 2 million
bbls would provide small brewers with
$26.2 million per year that the BAsays
“would be used to support significant long-
term investments and create jobs by grow-
ing their businesses on a regional or
national scale.”
Nielsen analysts Danny Brager and Nick
Lake held a webinar on beverage alcohol
performance today, painting a picture of a
U.S. consumer grown more hesitant in the
face of the “Great Recession” but with the
beverage alcohol sector showing contin-
ued buoyancy. According to Nielsen, 90%
of USconsumers believe we are still in a
recession, and only 21% think we will
emerge in the next 12 months.
Consumers are looking for deals, and
47% of consumer goods categories have
dropped 5% in price. Despite this, bever-
age alcohol pricing continues to move up
and “beer leads the pricing” in the bev alc
category, up 5.8% vs. January 2008.
But, though pricing remains strong, retail-
(Continued on page 5)
BAworks in support of
graduated excise tax bill
‘‘Aworld class experience by world class
people,’’said John Carlson, Executive
Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild,
who joined hundreds of homebrewers,
commercial brewers, brewing industry folks
and beer fans from around the globe in cel-
ebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Big
Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival at
the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa on January
7-9, 2010. Two Brewmasters' Dinners total-
ing 250 seats were sold out, all seminars
were full to standing, the Atwater Tavern on
Gore Creek was crowded with beer con-
noisseurs, 230+ beer fans attended the
Welcome Reception, the homebrew com-
petition judged 302 entries, and the
Commercial Tasting hosted over 975 par-
Gary Fish (left) founder of the Deschutes Brewery, gathers with several colleagues from the brewery
during the recent Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival in Vail.
(Continued on page 6)
2 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
David Grinnell is the vice president of
brewing for the Boston Beer Company.
Before joining BBC in the late 1980s,
Mr.Grinnell had served as one of the
brewers at the pioneering New
Amsterdam Brewing Co., a micro that
operated in Manhattan in the mid-
1980s.We recently spoke to David
about BBC’s recently introduced
Samuel Adams Noble Pilsner, and the
company’s progress in bringing the
Lehigh Valley Brewery up to speed.
Modern Brewery Age:Tell me about
the process of developing the new
Noble Pils...
David Grinnell: Jim Koch had the idea
of doing a classic Bohemian pilsner.
We’ve had some experience with the
pilsner style, of course. We had done a
golden pils before. And Jim made a pil-
sner as a wedding beer for his daugh-
ter’s wedding. Then, consumers took
advantage of Beer Lover’s Choice and
asked us to do a pils. And so this just
came together.
We found a really neat maltster in the
Czech Republic that still does floor
maltings, making really interesting floor
malt. We thought that would really give
us the flavor of a Bohemian pils from
the time of the Austro-Hungarian
empire. Floor malting is very rare these
days, I could probably count on one
hand the number of floor maltings out
there. Some of them are in breweries,
in the UK, and Augustiner in Munich.
But this was the first maltster I had
heard of in Continental Europe that
was still doing floor maltings.
What are the benefits of using floor
malted barley?
Floor malted barley is not as modified
as barley that is malted in a normal
large scale malting operation. It’s not
on a screen, so there’s no air flow, it’s
carried out in an anaerobic environ-
ment. And that limits the formation of
certain enzymes. We think the floor
malted barley produces a smoother,
rounder, softer impact, for nice mouth-
feel. We wanted something special to
balance out all those hops.
I guess the Noble Pils was based on
Brewing for Sam Adams:An interview with David Grinnell
(Continued on page 7)
Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
3
MO
D
E
R
N
B
R
E
W
E
R
Y
A
G
E
W
E
E
K
L
Y
,
F
E
B
R
U
A
R
Y
5
,
2
0
1
0
Top 20 Craft, 52 wks
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS VARIETYPK
SIERRANEVADASEASONAL
SHINER BOCK
SAMUELADAMS LIGHT
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
GREAT LAKES XMAS ALE
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
REDHOOK ESB
PYRAMID SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS CHERRYWHEAT
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
DESCHUTES BLACK BUTTE
ALASKAN AMBER
Top 20 Craft 13 Weeks Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case Chg
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS VARIETYPK
SIERRANEVADASEASONAL
SHINER BOCK
SAMUELADAMS LIGHT
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
GREAT LAKES XMAS ALE
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
REDHOOK ESB
PYRAMID SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS CHERRYWHEAT
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
DESCHUTES BLACK BUTTE
ALASKAN AMBER
$16,549,07010.9 9.0 (0.1)554,302 9.7 9.3 (0.0)$29.86 $0.33
$12,034,7106.0 6.5 (0.4)414,0685.5 6.9 (0.3)$29.06 $0.12
$12,278,2702.5 6.7 (0.7)403,9842.9 6.7 (0.5)$30.39 ($0.12)
$8,420,92136.6 4.6 0.8 265,87935.0 4.4 0.8 $31.67 $0.38
$6,322,38014.7 3.4 0.1 224,01013.5 3.7 0.1 $28.22 $0.32
$5,096,86911.6 2.8 (0.0)166,67712.8 2.8 0.1 $30.58 ($0.33)
$5,229,0619.2 2.8 (0.1)197,9395.8 3.3 (0.1)$26.42 $0.84
$3,846,419(17.3)2.1 (0.8)131,579(17.7)2.2 (0.7)$29.23 $0.15
$4,002,7202.9 2.2 (0.2)137,9472.4 2.3 (0.2)$29.02 $0.13
$3,011,65387.2 1.6 0.7 97,03681.4 1.6 0.6 $31.04 $0.96
$2,148,55333.4 1.2 0.2 49,09132.4 0.8 0.1 $43.77 $0.33
$2,010,662(1.8)1.1 (0.2)69,733(0.4)1.2 (0.1)$28.83 ($0.41)
$2,391,865(5.1)1.3 (0.2)82,593(5.5)1.4 (0.2)$28.96 $0.13
$1,917,332(11.5)1.0 (0.3)66,687(12.3)1.1 (0.3)$28.75 $0.27
$1,980,419(12.0)1.1 (0.3)69,826(10.8)1.2 (0.3)$28.36 ($0.39)
$1,282,955(18.3)0.7 (0.3)45,956(14.1)0.8 (0.2)$27.92 ($1.43)
$1,652,7350.9 0.9 (0.1)50,269(0.4)0.8 (0.1)$32.88 $0.44
$1,722,593(30.4)0.9 (0.6)60,250(30.1)1.0 (0.6)$28.59 ($0.12)
$1,327,323(8.0)0.7 (0.2)45,322(8.8)0.8 (0.2)$29.29 $0.26
$1,601,2803.7 0.9 (0.1)55,9507.8 0.9 (0.0)$28.62 ($1.11)
Top 20 Craft, 26 weeks Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case Chg YA
Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
$50,000,2907.8 7.3 (0.3)1,682,1405.6 7.6 (0.2)$29.72 $0.62
$47,286,8502.7 6.9 (0.7)1,614,4080.5 7.3 (0.6)$29.29 $0.63
$50,426,0204.2 7.4 (0.6)1,633,1752.6 7.3 (0.4)$30.88 $0.49
$32,149,71028.4 4.7 0.6 1,010,26324.2 4.5 0.6 $31.82 $1.03
$18,751,64015.3 2.8 0.1 657,17913.7 3.0 0.1 $28.53 $0.39
$14,711,35024.5 2.2 0.2 474,65623.2 2.1 0.2 $30.99 $0.32
$20,892,91012.1 3.1 (0.0)800,8869.4 3.6 0.0 $26.09 $0.63
$16,690,950(15.3)2.5 (0.8)566,596(17.1)2.5 (0.8)$29.46 $0.61
$17,246,7803.0 2.5 (0.2)586,0070.8 2.6 (0.2)$29.43 $0.63
$8,603,96644.9 1.3 0.3 277,57739.4 1.2 0.3 $31.00 $1.16
$2,209,11036.9 0.3 0.1 50,37735.6 0.2 0.0 $43.85 $0.42
$4,853,4773.9 0.7 (0.1)167,7934.1 0.8 (0.0)$28.93 (0.05)
$10,053,7600.9 1.5 (0.2)341,694(2.4)1.5 (0.2)$29.42 $0.96
$9,116,4610.2 1.3 (0.2)316,190(0.7)1.4 (0.1)$28.83 $0.27
$8,393,301(9.0)1.2 (0.3)289,550(11.1)1.3 (0.3)$28.99 $0.68
$3,551,845(8.9)0.5 (0.1)124,190(7.5)0.6 (0.1)$28.60 (0.44)
$6,299,2837.0 0.9 (0.0)191,1593.3 0.9 (0.0)$32.95 $1.13
$8,776,299(11.6)1.3 (0.4)302,355(11.9)1.4 (0.3)$29.03 $0.10
$5,997,2822.1 0.9 (0.1)204,8411.2 0.9 (0.1)$29.28 $0.25
$6,428,381(0.6)0.9 (0.1)217,2590.7 1.0 (0.1)$29.59 (0.40)
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS VARIETYPK
SIERRANEVADASEASONAL
SHINER BOCK
SAMUELADAMS LIGHT
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
GREAT LAKES XMAS ALE
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
REDHOOK ESB
PYRAMID SEASONAL
SAM ADAMS CHERRYWHEAT
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
DESCHUTES BLACK BUTTE
ALASKAN AMBER
Top 20 Craft Brands 13 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 Weeks ending 12/27/09
IRIData Total US FOOD
Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case ChgYA
$33,054,88010.2 8.9 (0.3)1,113,5108.2 9.1 (0.2)$29.69 $0.53
$24,716,2906.8 6.6 (0.4)850,4105.4 7.0 (0.4)$29.06 $0.38
$25,691,9503.0 6.9 (0.7)839,1622.4 6.9 (0.6)$30.62 $0.18
$17,918,74038.6 4.8 0.9 564,78735.8 4.6 0.8 $31.73 $0.64
$11,103,36016.4 3.0 0.1 392,33615.1 3.2 0.1 $28.30 $0.33
$8,505,52316.8 2.3 0.1 276,16316.8 2.3 0.1 $30.80 $0.00
$10,625,98010.8 2.8 (0.1)404,1558.3 3.3 (0.1)$26.29 $0.60
$8,311,712(15.9)2.2 (0.8)284,357(17.0)2.3 (0.8)$29.23 $0.38
$8,875,1637.8 2.4 (0.1)303,0987.5 2.5 (0.1)$29.28 $0.08
$5,322,25969.3 1.4 0.5 170,87964.1 1.4 0.5 $31.15 $0.96
$2,148,55333.4 0.6 0.1 49,09132.4 0.4 0.1 $43.77 $0.33
$3,308,9866.5 0.9 (0.1)115,9858.1 1.0 (0.0)$28.53 (0.44)
$5,023,573(4.6)1.3 (0.3)172,441(6.0)1.4 (0.3)$29.13 $0.43
$4,757,625(1.1)1.3 (0.2)167,564(1.0)1.4 (0.2)$28.39 (0.03)
$4,169,678(10.5)1.1 (0.3)145,721(10.7)1.2 (0.3)$28.61 $0.07
$2,009,097(13.0)0.5 (0.2)71,474(9.7)0.6 (0.1)$28.11 (1.06)
$3,298,7810.6 0.9 (0.1)100,213(1.8)0.8 (0.1)$32.92 $0.76
$4,065,769(20.3)1.1 (0.5)142,514(19.0)1.2 (0.4)$28.53 (0.46)
$3,100,3030.4 0.8 (0.1)107,8201.0 0.9 (0.1)$28.75 (0.16)
$3,458,8943.4 0.9 (0.1)119,8456.9 1.0 (0.0)$28.86 (0.97)
We published 4-week December Top 20 Craft brand IRI numbers in January, but we had a request from a couple of the craft
suppliers to publish data for the Top 20 Brands for the full year (“We didn’t know we were doing that well,” one said) So,
though we have the 4-week January IRI numbers hot in our hands, we will take another look back (food this page, conv. p.4)
MO
D
E
R
N
B
R
E
W
E
R
Y
A
G
E
W
E
E
K
L
Y
,
F
E
B
R
U
A
R
Y
5
,
2
0
1
0
4
$12,425,12023.3 8.8 0.7 433,64820.1 9.9 0.6 $28.65 $0.74
$12,783,5201.8 9.0 (1.0)370,6800.7 8.4 (1.0)$34.49 $0.36
$8,869,957(4.7)6.3 (1.2)269,355(6.7)6.1 (1.3)$32.93 $0.70
$9,855,25830.2 7.0 0.9 277,08720.4 6.3 0.4 $35.57 $2.67
$8,153,86225.5 5.8 0.6 258,59628.9 5.9 0.8 $31.53 ($0.86)
$1,631,60347.8 1.2 0.3 71,311105.6 1.6 0.7 $22.88 ($8.95)
$1,473,38388.2 1.0 0.4 65,313156.3 1.5 0.8 $22.56 ($8.15)
$2,432,18328.6 1.7 0.2 71,91121.1 1.6 0.1 $33.82 $1.97
$2,375,648(13.9)1.7 (0.5)72,950(18.5)1.7 (0.6)$32.57 $1.75
$418,1810.3 0.3 3,3320.1 0.1 $125.49
$2,476,048(4.2)1.8 (0.3)79,0564.0 1.8 (0.1)$31.32 ($2.68)
$1,073,0458.3 0.8 (0.0)38,28025.2 0.9 0.1 $28.03 ($4.37)
$1,819,14617.1 1.3 0.0 53,87512.1 1.2 (0.0)$33.77 $1.45
$1,994,808(18.3)1.4 (0.5)62,326(18.9)1.4 (0.5)$32.01 $0.22
$1,623,85616.0 1.1 0.0 42,59411.3 1.0 (0.0)$38.12 $1.55
$1,748,84412.8 1.2 (0.0)49,4228.2 1.1 (0.0)$35.39 $1.46
$2,133,25820.4 1.5 0.1 70,95024.9 1.6 0.2 $30.07 ($1.11)
$1,469,177(7.0)1.0 (0.2)45,590(6.5)1.0 (0.2)$32.23 ($0.17)
$925,33746.6 0.7 0.1 30,04356.1 0.7 0.2 $30.80 ($2.00)
$1,526,68366.1 1.1 0.3 40,74671.5 0.9 0.3 $37.47 ($1.23)
Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case ChgYA
Top 20 Craft, 52 wks
$22,802,73017.3 8.7 0.4 799,549 13.5 9.8 0.4 $28.52 $0.94
$25,030,670(2.7)9.5 (1.4)726,677 (5.1)8.9 (1.3)$34.45 $0.86
$17,156,330(9.4)6.5 (1.5)517,672 (12.4)6.3 (1.5)$33.14 $1.11
$17,724,41033.4 6.7 1.1 508,401 27.8 6.2 0.9 $34.86 $1.46
$12,770,47021.8 4.8 0.4 397,942 22.9 4.9 0.6 $32.09 ($0.29)
$2,630,38221.4 1.0 0.1 101,895 46.0 1.2 0.3 $25.81 ($5.22)
$2,291,83468.5 0.9 0.3 91,436 98.2 1.1 0.5 $25.06 ($4.42)
$4,323,41830.7 1.6 0.2 128,101 22.7 1.6 0.2 $33.75 $2.09
$4,944,743(3.5)1.9 (0.3)153,206 (8.2)1.9 (0.3)$32.28 $1.58
$441,9360.2 0.2 3,472 0.0 0.0 $127.28
$4,809,581(10.0)1.8 (0.4)149,755 (6.5)1.8 (0.3)$32.12 ($1.25)
$1,820,56229.7 0.7 0.1 67,692 51.6 0.8 0.2 $26.89 ($4.55)
$3,406,51615.0 1.3 0.0 103,264 11.6 1.3 0.0 $32.99 $0.96
$4,511,164(8.8)1.7 (0.4)141,577 (10.6)1.7 (0.4)$31.86 $0.63
$3,191,16722.7 1.2 0.1 84,610 18.2 1.0 0.1 $37.72 $1.39
$3,601,82724.4 1.4 0.1 102,250 17.0 1.3 0.1 $35.23 $2.07
$4,132,81121.9 1.6 0.1 137,653 23.3 1.7 0.2 $30.02 ($0.32)
$3,006,837(7.2)1.1 (0.2)92,824 (9.1)1.1 (0.2)$32.39 $0.67
$1,678,77820.2 0.6 0.0 55,253 21.1 0.7 0.1 $30.38 ($0.23)
$2,566,38942.7 1.0 0.2 67,557 44.4 0.8 0.2 $37.99 ($0.45)
SHINER BOCK
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
SAM ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
MACTARNAHAN'S AMBER
NEW GLARUS ASSORTED
LONG TRAILALE
DESCHUTES RSRVE SERIES
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
HARPOON INDIAPALE ALE
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
LONG TRAILDOUBLE BAG
MAGIC HAT NO 9 ALE
LOST COAST GREAT WHITE
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
SWEETWATER 420 PALE
SHINER BOCK
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
SAM ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
MACTARNAHAN'S AMBER
NEW GLARUS ASSORTED
LONG TRAILALE
DESCHUTES RSRVE SERIES
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
HARPOON INDIAPALE ALE
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
LONG TRAILDOUBLE BAG
MAGIC HAT NO 9 ALE
LOST COAST GREAT WHITE
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
SWEETWATER 420 PALE ALE
Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
Top 20 Craft, 26 wks Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
$6,253,00823.9 9.0 0.7 216,049 19.5 9.9 0.3 $28.94 $1.02
$6,225,8943.0 8.9 (1.0)180,654 2.8 8.3 (1.0)$34.46 $0.09
$4,583,9250.7 6.6 (0.9)140,527 (0.3)6.4 (1.0)$32.62 $0.32
$4,537,22213.5 6.5 (0.1)126,130 (0.8)5.8 (0.9)$35.97 $4.53
$4,175,04624.6 6.0 0.5 130,593 27.9 6.0 0.6 $31.97 (0.85)
$1,019,960107.0 1.5 0.7 52,086 240.1 2.4 1.6 $19.58 (12.60)
$1,055,784194.9 1.5 0.9 51,862 352.5 2.4 1.8 $20.36 (10.88)
$1,151,32030.7 1.7 0.2 34,074 24.5 1.6 0.1 $33.79 $1.61
$1,149,605(11.3)1.6 (0.5)35,257 (15.6)1.6 (0.6)$32.61 $1.59
$403,8950.6 0.6 3,248 0.1 0.1 $124.34
$996,177(15.6)1.4 (0.5)29,260 (18.2)1.3 (0.6)$34.05 $1.03
$715,186(1.4)1.0 (0.2)22,824 3.3 1.0 (0.1)$31.33 ($1.49)
$889,74214.8 1.3 0.0 26,245 10.0 1.2 (0.1)$33.90 $1.41
$878,810(22.2)1.3 (0.6)27,832 (22.1)1.3 (0.6)$31.58 ($0.04)
$848,13216.7 1.2 0.0 22,163 11.3 1.0 (0.0)$38.27 $1.77
$788,650(1.3)1.1 (0.2)22,145 (5.5)1.0 (0.2)$35.61 $1.53
$886,049(8.3)1.3 (0.3)29,522 (5.2)1.3 (0.3)$30.01 ($1.02)
$731,798(4.0)1.0 (0.2)22,644 (2.9)1.0 (0.2)$32.32 ($0.38)
$514,66286.1 0.7 0.3 17,722 106.3 0.8 0.4 $29.04 ($3.16)
$725,12676.6 1.0 0.4 19,454 83.7 0.9 0.3 $37.27 ($1.49)
Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case ChgYA
Top 20 Craft, 13 weeks
Dollar $ sales $ Shr$ shrCase Cs sales Cs ShrCs Shr Avg $ $ case
Sales % chg YAOf Cat Cat chg YASales % chg YAof Cat Cat Chg YAPer Case Chg
Top 20 Craft Brands 13 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 Weeks ending 12/27/09
IRIData Total US CONVENIENCE
SHINER BOCK
SIERRANEVADAPALE ALE
SAM ADAMS BSTON LAGER
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE ALE
SAMUELADAMS SEASONAL
PYRAMID HAYWIRE
MACTARNAHAN'S AMBER
NEW GLARUS ASSORTED
LONG TRAILALE
DESCHUTES RSRVE SERIES
WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
DESCHUTES SEASONAL
HARPOON INDIAPALE ALE
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND
LONG TRAILDOUBLE BAG
MAGIC HAT NO 9 ALE
LOST COAST GREAT WHITE
REDHOOK LONG HAMMER
NEW BELGIUM SEASONAL
SWEETWATER 420 PALE ALE
Craft at 13, 26 and 52 weeks, Food channel on the previous page, and convenience on this page. It’s interesting to check
out the package mix in each channel. Oddly, while the bigger crafts rule in food, more mid-size crafters seem to be popping
up in the convenience numbers. And Shiner Bock is certainly emerging as a mini-powerhouse in convenience. Next week,
we’ll have the January numbers, and yes, they are pretty bleak for the Big Two.
5 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
Terrapin brews benefit beer
Big Sky releases new Belgian
Terrapin Beer Co. of Athens, GA, recently
brewed the first in a new series of beers. The
series is called “Terrapin's Georgia Theater
Sessions,” and will be available only in Georgia.
Funds from the sale of these beers will go to aid
in the rebuilding of the historic Georgia Theater,
in Athens, GA. The theater, an Athens landmark,
was destroyed by fire earlier this year. Each 22-
ounce bottle will be packaged in a sealed box,
and—taking a page from “Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory”—Terrapin has inserted a
Golden Ticket in one box of each release.
The Golden ticket will be a lifetime pass to the
renovated Georgia Theater.
Each release in the series will highlight a differ-
ent era in the history of the building:
Brew 1, March:“The Iron Tankard” Old Stock
Ale. The building started as a YMCAin 1889 and
had a huge iron swimming pool in the basement.
Brew 2,June:“Double Feature” Belgian Dubbel
commemorates a period when the building
became a movie theater.
Brew 3,September: “Sound Czech” Czech
Pilsner, paying tribute to the GATheatre’s music
career
Brew 4,December:“Hoptaneous Combustion”
Imperial IPAwill memorialize the fire that
destroyed the fire.
Terrapin has been working with the manage-
ment of the Georgia Theater since the fire to
develop a fundraising effort.
“Athens is a small community and we all stick
together…it’s a natural that we would be here to
help in the reconstruction of the Theater,” said
Terrapin co-owner and brewmaster Brian
“Spike” Buckowski.
“Plans for these beers really began the day of
the fire,” Said John Cochran, co-owner of
Terrapin. “We wanted to make a focused and
significant contribution. We wanted to help in a
way that only Terrapin could.”
With each new release in the series there will
also be a benefit party in Athens and Atlanta fea-
turing limited edition casks of the beers and
bands. Distribution will be limited to those two
cities. There will be roughly 500 cases total of
each beer in the series.
Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula,
Montana has announced the release of Buckin'
Monk Tripel, in a limited release of 3,000 hand
bottled 750ml bottles. According to brewmaster
Matt Long, the brand was brewed using tradi-
tional ingredients and techniques.
“The complex flavor and mouth-feel are a result
of the three types of grain used, wheat, barley
and oats,” Mr. Long notes. “Eight different
Belgian yeast strains and choice Hallertau
Tradition Hops further enhance the distinct char-
acter and aroma profiles. Temperature con-
trolled bottle conditioning provides a wonderful
sparkling finish.”
Brewmaster Long says the beer can be con-
sumed fresh, or laid down. "You can drink this
now, or cellar it for a year or two,” he says. “At
10% ABV, the flavors will mature like a fine
Bordeaux.”
Mr. Long said that limited edition beers will be
produced on a bi-annual basis. "We release two
hand bottlings each year, one in the winter and
one in the fall," he said. "The fall release this
year will be our most popular Old Bluehair
Barleywine, followed by Big Sky Kriek Ale for the
winter of 2011. We also have some limited
releases in 12 oz. bottles available throughout
our territory. Bobo's Robust Porter is available
now, and look for Stone Thrower Scotch Ale in
the fall. We only brew these once a year, and
when they're gone, they're gone!"
Bev alcohol resilient, Nielsen says
(Continued from page 1)
It was a rough January for ABI. The St.
Louis Post-Dispatch reported that A-B
InBev saw U.S. beer sales drop 12.2% last
month compared to January 2009, accord-
ing to A-B InBev internal sales figures
acquired by the Post-Dispatch.
ABI’s total U.S. sales, dom. and imports,
were 4.45 million bbls for Jan. 2010. That
was 616,000 fewer bbls than Jan ‘09, and
39,000 bbls below ABI’s projections.
ers are changing the way they do busi-
ness, and carrying beverage alcohol sup-
pliers along with them.
Retailers are looking to enhance assort-
ments, and create the right product mix,
Nielsen’s Nick Lake says. “This is causing
significant SKU reductions, improved mer-
chandising and fewer displays,” he says.
“As retailers rethink assortment—and
this is not just large retailers, but across all
classes of trade—they are cutting back on
variety,” he notes.
Pressure to optimize assortments means
retailers are focusing on what sells—Crafts
and dom. super premium beers are in, and
imports and FMBs are out. But retailers still
like beverage alcohol, because of the high
price per unit. Off-premise, beverage alco-
hol expands the basket, and on-premise, it
expands the size of the guest check.
“Beverage alcohol is not recession proof,
but it is certainly recession resistant, rela-
tive to other categories that Nielsen
tracks,” Mr. Lake says.
“It’s been a good showing by beverage
alcohol,” Mr. Lake adds, “but off-premise
there is a lot going on. Consumers are
desperately seeking value, and they are
continuing to trade down.”
Trade down is hitting just about all alco-
holic beverage categories, as growth and
volume slows, though “craft beer is rolling
on,” Mr. Lake notes.
Though beer overall is up slightly for the
year on dollars, it is off slightly in terms of
units. While sales in the food channel are
up 4%, and supercenters are up 8%, sales
in convenience are only up a half a per-
cent. “The convenience channel is of criti-
cal importance to beer,” Mr. Lake notes,
“and there has to be improvement there for
the industry to get healthy again.”
Mr. Lake points to “tremendous growth”
in craft and sub-premium. Nielsen sees
continued gains for craft among Millennials
(age 21-34), who are less sensitive to
recessionary times, and who now have
36% share of craft purchases.
“Consumers are gravitating to big and
small,” he adds. “We are seeing growth in
sub-premium 30-packs and in craft four-
packs as consumers experiment with new
crafts. Craft is the bright spot,” he noted.
With gains in craft and trade downs to
sub-premium, “the middle is no place to be
in the beer industry,” Mr. Lake concluded.
A-B-I sales drop 12.2% in Jan.
6 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
Wholesaler Events
April 18-21,2010—The
NBWA/Brewers Legislative
Conference. Hyatt Regency Capitol
Hill in Washington, D.C. Check
nbwa.org/events for updates.
November 17-19,2010—California
Beer and Beverage Distributors 63rd
Annual Conventionat the Hyatt
Regency Embarcadero. For more
information contact Rhonda
Stevenson at 916-441-5402.
Note:Send meeting information via e-mail to
press@breweryage.com
WEEKLY MARKETPLACE
Modern
Brewery
Age
Editorial:(203) 216-7488
E-Mail: pete@breweryage.com
Web-site at www.breweryage.com
EDITORIALSTAFF
Editor Peter V.K. Reid
Contributing Editor Gregg Glaser
PRODUCTION
Graphic Artist: Pete Reid
ADVERTISING
Ad Manager: Diane Apicelli
Advertising@breweryage.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $95.00 per
year includes 52 issues of the
weekly e-newsletter. $125.00 per
year includes weekly newsletter,
quarterly e-magazine. Copyright
Modern Brewery Age LLC 2009.
Theaccumulationof
knowledgeorskillfrom
directparticipationin
eventsoractivities
Contactusat:
866.905.7255tollfree
foodandbeverage@pall.com
www.pall.com
Big Beers Festival draws craft luminaries to Vail
ticipants and attendees.
"The success of this event can be shown
by the tremendous number of Brewmasters
and Brewery Owners who attend in per-
son," said Laura Lodge, event coordinator.
"It is certainly a feather in our cap that the
industry buzz has become ‘See you in
Vail’,’’adds Bill Lodge, Event Founder.
"There are breweries from around the
world who are expressing interest in being
a Featured Brewmaster for future Big
Beers Festivals, and we couldn't be more
pleased."
Five seminar presentations & workshops
were hosted throughout the weekend. Ray
Daniels, Founder/Director of the Cicerone
Program, presented a Cicerone workshop
on Friday morning. John Mallet of Bell's,
Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Steven
Pauwels of Boulevard, and Kevin DeLange
of Dry Dock were led by David Edgar of
White Labs for an Experimental Brewing
Seminar called "Brewers Gone Wild!".
Lodewijk and Gijs Swinkels of
LaTrappe/Koningshoeven spoke on
"Brewing with Monks" and Peter Bouckaert
of New Belgium presented a technical talk
on "La Folie: Wood Aged Sour Beers" for
the Brewmasters' Seminars.
Lastly, Julia Herz of the Brewers
Association corralled a group of brewmas-
ters who each presented a pairing with Ben
& Jerry's Crème Brulée Ice Cream for her
"Beer & Food Pairing Challenge".
Challengers included Nick Ison of Sierra
Nevada, Rob Tod of Allagash, Ron Kloth of
Papago, Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium
(defending champ), and Steven Pauwels of
Boulevard who took home the 2010
People's Choice trophy for his pairing with
Boulevard's Bourbon Barrel Quad.
(Continued from Page 1)
7 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
the pils you sent out for the Beer
Lovers choice poll,but this is quite
a different beer...
We tinkered with it. The style was the
consumer’s choice, but we reserve the
right to make some changes along the
way. We brewed the original beer out
of Cincinnati, and then it went out for
the campaign, and then we continued
to mess with it in Boston. We did some
additional work, and the idea to use
only Noble hops was Jim’s idea.
I compare it to our Imperial Pils. That
beer is at about 100 IBUs. Our basic
question with that beer was, is it possi-
ble to screw up when you are using
hops of this quality? We say no. The
Imperial pils had 12 pounds per bar-
rel—high quality German and Czech
hops in extreme volume—and is still
balanced.
How high was the hopping rate for
the Noble Pils?
The Noble pils is 35 IBUs. We used
one pound per barrel just for dry hop-
ping. These are low alpha hops, of
course, not the monster Northwest
varieties. We wanted a subtle, elegant
hop character. We used a kind of
“golden ratio” of the five varieties for
dry hopping. We tinkered with it, and
came up with a sort of Hersbrucker
minor and Hallertauer major. After dry
hopping, the beer sits for a month, and
then comes off that.
What’s the chance for this beer to be
year-round?
[laughs]I knew that question was com-
ing. With seasonals, part of the appeal
is the tease factor. Each one is only out
for a few months, and won’t be back
until next year, so that tease factor is
built in. Sure, we’ll look at the trends.
Our biggest question with this beer
was, ‘can we justify bringing in a new
beer to replace a successful seasonal,
our White Ale?’So far, the response
has been great, so it looks like Noble
Pils will succeed.
One of the company’s major pro-
duction challenges in the past two
years has been bringing your
Lehigh Valley up to speed…
Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time in Lehigh,
while we were buying it, and then start-
ing it up. The biggest challenge was
getting the brewery converted to 100%
Samuel Adams. That meant bringing in
our 23 recipes, and getting it up and
running. Abrewery is process and peo-
ple, and fortunately we have a lot of
experience under that roof.
When I walked in to that brewery, it
was like coming back full circle. I start-
ed out at New Amsterdam in the early
1980s, and my first MBAAmeeting
was at that brewery. Joe Hertrich was
the brewmaster, and of course later he
moved on to St. Louis. But I had a
great one-on-one tour of that brewery
with Joe back then. That was a memo-
rable experience, for me, when I was
so new to brewing.
Then I returned in the 1990s, because
we were brewing Sam Adams under
contract there, and we made some
tasty beers with Stroh.
I even visited once or twice over the
years that Diageo had it, when they
had the brewhouse shut down.
It’s an interesting brewery. The original
owners, F & M Schaefer, made it
something of a vanity project. They put
a lot of money into the masonry, and a
lot of little details. You can tell the
brewery was designed by thoughtful
lager brewers to make high-quality,
consistent beers.
The tanks are all the same size, for
example, and all of them horizontal, all
two-brew tanks. We prefer horizontal
tanks, since we think it is gentler for the
yeast and fermentation and produces
the best flavors, versus vertical fer-
menters that have a lot of head pres-
sure in that column of liquid.
What had Diageo done to the brew-
ery when they owned it?
Not too much, in the sense that nothing
was cut out. They started out just using
the bottling line, and they kind of
backed into the rest of the brewery.
They were doing blending in the tanks,
but the brewhouse and fermentation
cellars were closed.
So for us, it was a truly cold start. We
began the process in November 2007,
and continuing through April 2008. We
went through and turned things on,
looking for leaks, doing water brews
and sacrificial brews. That was the
process. We didn’t have to fix too
many things, mainly just the connec-
tive tissue, lots of seals, valves and
gaskets. We did have to resize the ket-
tle. It was sized for 1000 barrel batch-
es, and we’re well short of that. We’re
all malt brewers, and we have to get all
our extract out of the lauter. Our
biggest brew is 600-700 barrels.
How did you resize a kettle?
Well, inside you have a boiling appara-
tus, an internal percolator, and it’s posi-
tioned to serve a certain volume, and it
had to be dropped down a bit.
Elsewhere we did a lot of work on fil-
tration and centrifugation. We learned
in our Cincinnati brewery to develop
solutions that serve the needs of the
each recipe. It depends if you want an
unfiltered wheat or need to go for the
full clarity of a traditional pilsner.
The brewery was not set up to direc-
tionally brew the way we do, but we’re
now turning it into a 100% Samuel
Adams brewery. We’re set up for
decoction mashing now, and we just
put a new mill in to replace a pair of 40
year old mills.
We also put in a beer garden in front of
Interview with David Grinnell,continued...
(Continued from page 2)
(Continued on Page 9)
“You can tell the
[Lehigh] brewery was
designed by thoughtful
lager brewers.”
8 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
Brew Notes:
characterful lagers
Notes from the tasting panel for Modern Brewery Age, by Pete Reid, editor of Modern Brewery Age; with
Gregg Glaser, editor of Yankee Brew News, and Tom Conti and Robert Lachman of the YBN tasting panel.
Joining us each week is a rotating cast of tasters, to include Dr. Steve Victor, formerly of Yale University; Lt.
Commander Von Bair, USN, ret.; graphic designer Phil Simpson; Greg Zannella, field sales director for
Northeast Bev. of Orange, CT; Michael Anstendig, a writer for New York Magazine on-line, Marty Juliano,
Northeast rep for the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Frank Fermino, brewer at John Harvard’s Brewhouse in
Manchester, CT, and Mark Tambascio, the co-owner of “My Place,” one of the premier beer bars in Connecticut.
LeinenkugLeinenkugel Classicel Classic
AmberAmber
Leinenkugel Brewing Co.Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
Chippewa Falls, WIChippewa Falls, WI
This beer was launched in March
2009, but has never been reviewed by
our panel. It’s an all-malt lager, with
4.9% abv and 21 IBUs. We opened a
recent tasting session with this beer,
and we were startled by how good it is.
“Amber” beers are usually the most
generic of specialty styles. You expect
the beer to be darker in the glass, but
you don’t expect it to be too flavorful or
interesting.
In that regard, Leinenkugel’s Classic
Amber was a nice surprise. It’s a very
clean red lager, crisp with malt, but
with enough hops to make things inter-
esting. The brewery probably called it
“amber” to keep it simple, but it’s pret-
ty close to being a Vienna lager. The
brewers used darker Munich malt
rather than Vienna malt, but otherwise
it’s spot on.
“Clean malt, a little caramel in the
nose,” said Greg Zannella.
“Caramel sweet aroma,” said Gregg
Glaser, “They used a lot of Munich
malt, and it’s got a rich, clean malt
taste. Agood beer.”
“Nice and malty,” Robert Lachman
agreed.
“Vienna lager? Am I right?” asked
Gerry Nicholls. “This reminds me of the
old Coors Winterfest, a beer that I
enjoyed. It has a lot of body for a lager.
This is delicious!”
“It’s like an ale that’s been lagered,”
said Tom Conti. “It’s clean and crisp,
with some very nice Noble hops.”
“This is good,” said Dr. Steve Victor.
“plenty of flavor and body, but so clean
it would make a good session beer.”
“This would make agreat everyday
beer, perfectly balanced, you’d never
get tired of this,” said Pete Red
“Gorgeous malt profile,” Gerry
added. “I can say with confidence that
this is the best beer of the night, and I
haven’t had any others yet.”
LakefrLakefront Local Acreont Local Acre
LakefrLakefront Breont Brewing Co.wing Co.
MilMilwaukeewaukee,,WIWI
Another excellent Wisconsin lager.,
and this one is “Pure Wisconsin,”
straight through to the bottom of the
glass. All the ingredients—malt, hops,
water, and yeast—were sourced right
within the state. It’s an imperial pilsner,
with 7% abv, and the strength is imme-
diately apparent.
“Very large aroma, this is a strong
lager,” said Von Bair.
“Nice lagery nose,” said Dr. Steve
Victor. “Good hop accents.”
“Aroma of a strong lager, they really
ramped up the malt,” said Gregg
Glaser. “Big mouthfeel and complexity.
Agood beer.”
“There’s a graininess to it,” said Mark
Tambascio. “Rich and malty. This is
definitely good!”
“The nose is a little muted, you get
more in the flavor than you expect from
the aroma,” said Tom Conti. “Good
mouthfeel, with sweetness in the mid-
dle, and it finishes clean. Nice degree
of complexity. Well done!”
MaMagic Hat gic Hat VinVinylyl
MaMagic Hat Bregic Hat Brewng Co.wng Co.
South Burlington,South Burlington,VTVT
Magic Hat’s new spring seasonal is
an amber lager, with 5.1% abv. Tasters
found this to be tasty and drinkable
lager beer.
“Toasted, roasted malt in the nose,”
said Gregg Glaser.
“Nice caramelized malt in nose, and
clean, sweet refreshing taste,” said
Greg Zannella. “This is the best thing
from Magic Hat in awhile.”
“This doesn’t seem like a lager to me,
it seems very ale-like,” said Gerry
Nicholls. “It tastes like a pale ale with-
out enough hops.”
“Atouch of diacetyl?” Dr. Steve Victor
wondered.
“I don’t get that,” said Greg Z. “It
seems clean to me.”
“Very dry finish,” noted Gregg G. “sur-
prisingly dry, I think it is the dryness
from the hops and the roast grains.
Overall a very drinkable beer.”
9 MODERN BREWERYAGE WEEKLY, FEBRUARY5, 2010
the brewhouse. The beer garden is
under the glassed in kettles that face
the highway. That was a private park-
ing area for brewers, but we pulled up
the blacktop, and fenced in a yard with
tables, and made it accessible to all
our brewers. It was a step in bringing
our beer culture to the brewery.
You remember the Gambrinus statue
at that brewery? It was painted with
about 15 colors, I’m not sure why.
There about about 5 or 6 of these
Gambrinus statues still around that
date from the 19th century, when they
served as brand icons or mascots for
the old family breweries. I think City
might have one in LaCrosse, and
Pabst used to have one or two. And
now we have one. When we showed
up, and saw it was multi-colored, we
found someone to refurbish it.
Will the barrel-aged series be an
ongoing line for Samuel Adams?
Yes, but it’s still a relatively new thing
with us. We have plenty of beer in the
tuns, and we’ve been bottling as fast
as we can. We have a very small semi-
manual bottling set-up in Boston. As of
last quarter, we can sell beer out of the
tour center. It’s had a very limited roll
out, but we’re looking at what it would
take to double or triple that. And we
plan to duplicate our wood aging
capacity in Cincinnati. At the moment,
we’re scouring the international market
for more tuns. We like the used ones,
since they have been tamed of the raw
oak character. These are wooden tuns,
large 130 barrel vessels, that were
used in the brandy business in Italy,
and recoopered. We installed them in
Boston last Spring, and once we get
some more, we’ll install them at Cincy.
We want the ability to do it there, since
that is not the role of the Boston brew-
ery. There are too many beers we still
want to make in Boston, for us to com-
pletely convert that to a monolithic bar-
rel-aging brewery.
In the last couple of years,Boston
Beer has ended its last contracts,
and all Samuel Adams beers are
now brewed in-house…
Yes, we’re all in-house. And so now we
are doing a lot of internal benchmark-
ing, trying to develop metrics for a
brewery of our size. There are a lot of
all-malt breweries of our scale in
Europe, 1-1.5 million hectoliter brew-
eries, that have faced similar chal-
lenges. We want to improve quality
and yield, and have a greener brewery.
If you were to build one of our brew-
eries today, you’d have limitless possi-
bilities in terms of efficient equipment.
We can make improvements, and so
we are looking around at other brew-
eries. How up is up? I think we have
about 80% of what we want in Lehigh.
When we started at Lehigh, we looked
around the room, and asked every-
body, ‘how many of you have worked
on the start-up of a multi-million barrel
craft brewery?’There is no book for it.
We had some good archival info on the
brewery from the Stroh period, and our
own experience from running Cincy.
And, against early expectations, we
have done a great job moving our
small batches through Lehigh. We
have a good team there, a good staff
there from around the industry. We’ve
had steady improvements in yield, effi-
ciency and quality. We’re doing almost
all the beers in Lehigh now, all but the
imperial beers, and those we still do in
Cincy. For the extreme beers, where it
takes two mashes to fill the kettle once,
and for the very small batches, we’re
not yet to where it makes sense to do
that at Lehigh. And the Longshots are
out of Cincy, and that’s where the bar-
rel room will go as well.
We’ve heard about your collabora-
tive project with Weihenstephan.
What style will that beer be?
Let’s just say we’re trying to make it a
“unique drinking experience.” We’re
using classic ingredients, and seeing
how far we can push it under the con-
straints of the Reinheitsgebot.
Directionally we’re looking at some-
thing between wine and beer, some-
thing bottle-conditioned, a little cham-
pagne-like. It’s been a lot of fun, taking
their 1000 years of brewing expertise,
and our 25 years of craft innovation. As
you can imagine, that has made for a
lot of interesting discussions.
Thanks for your time,David.
David Grinnell...
(Continued from page 7)
“Against early expectations, we’ve done a great
job moving small batches through Lehigh.”
Vail Big Beers Belgians and Barleywine Festival
Honestly,I don’t want to tell you anything about the Vail Big Beers Belgians and
Barleywine Festival, but I must. I’d prefer not to list breweries who were in
attendance, the beer celebrities who were milling around the grounds, and I
especially would rather not divulge the amazing bounty of beers that was
poured. Why? Because I’m selfish and I just attended one of the best damn beer
fests that I’ve yet to come across and I dont want you over populating it in the
future. Seriously, don’t ruin this for us.
Sure GABF is phenomenal. With over 500 breweries in attendance
and 2000 plus beers on tap, it’d be easy to fill a 5 barrel with your
own beer drool. The Great American Beer Festival offers locals a
chance to sample breweries from across the country that they oth-
erwise would’t be able to try due to distribution limitations. For
many breweries, it’s their only opportunity to reach a national mar-
ket and showcase their bread and butter. That typically lends to a
lineup of flagship beers with an occasional rarity sprinkled in here
and there. The Vail Big Beers Belgians and Barleywines Festival is a
little bit different.
This is the festival for those who truly appreciate craft beer. Last weekend the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa showcased
a veritable who’s who of the brewing industry. Celebrities such as Adam Avery, founder of Avery Brewing Company
and Sam Calagione , and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales were on hand leading seminars and actually pour-
ing their top flight lineup of beers for an educated crowd of attendees. While, Garret Oliver, the brewmaster of Brook-
lyn Brewer, led the charge to have brewers and founders return to man their stations at GABF this year, many bigger
to mid-sized breweries had begun waning on sending their employees to such big festivals. But at BBBB it’s basically
expected for breweries man their own booth. So on this Saturday we were able to chat with Tim from Strange, Xandy
from Elevation, Danny and Betty from Caution, David from Epic and Nathaniel from Big Choice. But I mean who really
wants to hobnob with the people who brews your beers?
Tristan Chan
On January 21, 2013
http://porchdrinking.com
But what really stands out about 4B’s was the dream team-esque lineup of beers
that the breweries were willing to bring. In what seemed like an insiders game of
show and tell, Avery brought the likes of Mephistopheles, Uncle Jacob, Rumpkin,
Odio Equum, Beast, Samael, Hog Heaven, Salvation, Reverend, and the #3Dicts aka
Three Dictators: Maharaja, Czar and the Kaiser, 11 of their best beers if anyone was
counting. Firestone Walker boasted Sucuba (Abacus) their infamous English style
barleywine, Parabola, a barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout which remains as one of
the best beers I’ve ever had, and Lil Opal which was an oak-aged Saison which had a
perfect sourness to it. Crooked Stave also brought an impressive lineup of their own.
Goose Island brought firepower in their Bourbon County Brand Stout and Bourbon
County Brand Coffee Stout. Great Divide unleashed their Peach Grand Cru which
took a different Grand Cru base from what they released two years ago and ferment-
ed it with 200 lbs of peaches. Lost Abbey brought Carnevale, Saint’s Devotion, Cuvee
de Tomme, Serpent’s Stout, Gift of the Magi, Red Barn and Mayan Apocalypse Judge-
ment Day. Odell’s Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout was as great as Lauren Hoff had
billed. Renegade had Black Gold. River North had Whiskey Barrel Aged J. Marie
Saison and Whiskey Barrel Aged Avarice. Rockyard opened one bomber of Buddha Nuvo every hour and it was abso-
lutely mind blowing! Their Belgian Saison incorporated Buddha’s hand fruit zest, pumpkin, green peppercorn, allspice,
5 Saison yeast blend, brett blend lactobaccillus, and was aged in Rombauer Chardonnay Barrels. Sierra Nevada
brought Narwal, Strange had Dr. Strangelove, and Surly Brewing company was present with Furious, Abrasive, Coffee
Bender, Hell Lager, Cynic, and Syx.
But amidst all that star power the biggest cheer of the afternoon
erupted when Bells Brewery’s bounty was finally found about 2
hours into the event. We all figured someone tried to steal the haul
when it was delivered to the hotel but ended up meeting
their conscience.
But aside from the big names, it was the smaller guys really im-
pressed as well. Elevation down in Poncha Springs had their Oil Man
Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout and their Senorita Horchata Im-
perial Porter. Both were able to follow up the brilliance of Signal de
Botrange and Apis IV. The locally based Crazy Mountain Brewery
just up the road in Edwards, CO impressed with both their Lawyers Guns and Money and their Old Soul Belgian Strong
Ale. Another big surprise came from Dallas, TX where Lakewood Brewing, tucked away in the far back corner of the
room quietly shared their less quiet Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Milk Stout. It. was. awesome. And Fate Brewing
Company made their debut with their Eisbock and Wee Heavy, both of which were absolutely amazing.
But seriously the lineup really wasn’t that impressive, in fact it was quite forgettable.
If you ever find yourself ready to graduate to the truly obsessive level of beer tasting, this is certainly the event to be
in the know about. While we didnt have an opportunity to take part in the homebrewing competition the day before
or the multitude of amazing sessions that accompanied the weekend, this is truly the complete package when it
comes to craft beer obsessed, industry forward, rare beer displaying festivals for the uber beer geeks. And on a day
when Colorado’s beloved Broncos would find no joy in Mudville, at least we were consoled with new beer friends,
sweet new finds, and one of the most ridiculous lineups in the history of beer festivals
Tristan Chan On January 21, 2013 http://porchdrinking.com
(continued from page 1)
Big beers and big flavor at the Big Beers Festival
Posted on 1/4/2012
Vail's 12th annual Big Beers Festival boasts exotic brews this weekend.
By Phil Lindeman
In early October, local brewmaster Matt Wirtz crafted a recipe for this weekend’s Big Beers,
Belgians and Barleywines Festival in Vail.
It was nameless, but this is typical of most beers put out by Eagle’s Bonfire Brewery – Wirtz
and co-founder Andy Jessen hand the naming process over to their taproom regulars, who
pontificate over football games and, of course, the beer itself.
At the same time Wertz first mixed the batch, an American Barleywine, the Denver Broncos
were quickly headed to the bottom of their conference. But times changed for Colorado athletes
and ale heads. The brew gained potency and flavor over the ensuing two months, a change
mirrored by the Broncos in a bizarre, possibly unrelated way. When the aged keg was finally
tapped in December, Wirtz and a collection of taproom regulars watched Tim Tebow finagle
another overtime win with part luck, part panache – what some overzealous sportscasters would
call divine inspiration.
It happened quickly at Bonfire. The barleywine – a powerful, unordinary brew with a latent
kick, not unlike a certain young quarterback – had a name: Tebrew.
Similarities to the brew’s namesake quarterback don’t end there. It drew immediate media
attention, getting ink in the New York Daily News, USA Today, The Denver Post and Denver’s
Westword magazine. A blogger for NBC Sports collected various Facebook postings calling the
name sacrilegious.
Wirtz makes no sweeping claims of divinely driven brewing. He’s simply proud of a beer he can
take to one of his favorite festivals, where he’ll introduce it to owners of craft breweries from
across the country and world. This weekend, he’ll be taking it to Vail’s 12th annual Big Beers
Festival.
“This is such a unique event, and we’re really looking forward to meeting our brewing peers,”
says Wirtz, who is attending the Vail Cascade Resort’s annual festival for the first time as a
professional brewer. “It’s not like a lot of these festivals, where they send part-timers and friends
to run things. The owners are out and make it a great time to learn about beer.”
A festival like no other
Now in its twelfth year, the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival begins Thursday, Jan.
5, at 7:30 p.m. and is a celebration of all brews heavy, thick and potentially dangerous after a few
pints. Local brewmeisters Bill and Laura Lodge built the festival around these beers – many with
alcohol content over 10 percent – to make way for out-of-the-box seminars, like “The Marriage
of Good Beer and Good Music” with Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
As the Lodge’s intended, the festival has the feel of a small-town affair – an annual homebrew
competition and intimate tasting seminars take the majority of the weekend – with the clout of a
prestigious event like only Vail can host. As Wirtz hints at, big names from Colorado and
beyond attend: owners from Avery Brewing Company in Longmont, Odell Brewing Company in
Fort Collins, Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland and nearly 85 others come to Vail in person,
along with newcomers like Bonfire and fellow valley locals Crazy Mountain Brewery.
Brewing bigwigs see the festival as a time to show off their creative side, tapping into the sense
of playful experimentation that got them brewing in the first place. This means plenty of
unexpected beers, as evidenced by the festival’s big title. Categories for the homebrew
competition range from Braggot to Russian Imperial Stout, and the large craft brewers often
follow suit.
“You don’t usually find these sorts of beers bottled and at a store. They’re small batches,” Wirtz
says. “That’s the great thing about it – even as a small brewery, we get stuck in a little bubble
making what we’re used to, but you go to this festival and try things you wouldn’t have thought
of. It’s a great way to expand your taste buds.”
Homebrews take the stage
The homebrew portion is a major draw of the festival and last year drew 319 entries. Although
winners for this year were already selected in December, enthusiasts from across the state come
for the announcement. The winner is honored with a keg of their recipe on-tap at The Falling
Rock Taphouse in the heart of Denver and Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora, one of the festival’s
many sponsors.
Wirtz never participated in the competition as a budding homebrewer, but has a common thread
with the hundreds of hopefuls. Bonfire began as a garage operation: Wirtz built the first brewing
system with salvaged circuits and tanks, then sold beer to make up for lost rent when a roommate
moved out. In August, he quit his job and began brewing full time. He and Jessen replaced the
custom system this summer, but the spirit remains – after all, these are the guys who half-
jokingly named a beer Tebrew. They have a thing for improvisation.
Vail Daily | Eagle Valley Enterprise
August 20, 2013
Tickets on sale Sept. 4 for Vail’s Big Beers,
Belgians & Barleywines Fest
Expand Photo Daily file photo |
Boulder resident Eric Baumann, with Oskar Blues Brewing, left, holds his glass as Bell's
Brewery's John Mallett pours him a sample during the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines
Commercial Tasting at the Vail Cascade.
VAIL — Every January, craft brewers from around the nation convene in Vail to share their
liquid art at the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival, slated for Jan. 9-11. Regarded as
one of the most prestigious craft brew events in the nation, Big Beers is known for the
impressive roster of craft beer industry celebrities it attracts each year. Last year, the event
attracted nearly 1,200 people and this year organizers expect a larger crowd since the ever-
popular Commercial Tasting and Fireside Bar programs have been re-located to larger venues
within the Vail Cascade Resort, nearly doubling ticket availability for the Commercial Tasting.
Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines tickets will go on sale online on Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. MST.
Ticket prices will vary based on selected programs.
The Vail Cascade Resort will also offer discounted room rates for that weekend starting at $219
for a standard lodge room with promotion code BigBeers2014.
During the three-day program, Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines features a variety of
opportunities to rub elbows with avant-garde brewmasters, owners and enthusiasts including a
Welcome Reception, Brewmasters’ Dinners, educational seminars and the Big Beers Homebrew
Competition. However, for the past 14 years, the highlight of the weekend has been the
Commercial Tasting event, which showcases more than 250 craft beers, most poured by the
owner or brewmaster of the brewery themselves.
The event, which was previously held on two floors of the Conference Center at the Vail
Cascade is being relocated to Gore Range Hall to accommodate all of the brewers in one venue.
Another event favorite is The Fireside Bar Program, which originated at the event’s 10th
anniversary, when more than 20 breweries created a special beer to be released at the festival.
The beers were introduced at the Welcome Reception, and then poured in the Fireside Bar for
purchase to benefit the Vail Valley Charitable Fund. The program was so popular that the
brewers have continued to donate kegs to the Fireside Bar annually, and the demand for these
beers has completely surpassed the capacity and service ability of the Fireside Bar. Hence, in
2014, this program will be held in the Cascade Lounge, which will provide additional seating,
food options and staffing for both beer and food service.
“Our 14th anniversary weekend marks significant changes in format and scheduling to allow for
growth, both in participating breweries and attendance,” said Laura Lodge, event coordinator.
“Guests can look forward to an additional seminar track and a new off-site Brewmaster’s Dinner
as well as the expanded event venue.”
For a complete listing of weekend events, featured brewmasters, seminars and presenters visit
the event’s website or sign up for the Facebook group page. Updates, news and brewmaster
confirmations will be communicated via these channels on a regular basis.
The Big Beers Festival offers discounted lodging at several sponsoring Vail properties including
the Vail Cascade Resort and discounted equipment rental at Charter Sports, located inside the
Vail Cascade Resort. For more information, visit the website at www.bigbeersfestival.com. For
more information about the Vail Cascade Resort and their craft beer program, visit
www.vailcascade.com, and for more information about the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, please
visit www.vvcf.org.
Videos that illuminate more about the Big Beers Festival and Craft Beer Industry:
Big Beers 10th Anniversary Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nBwRCyK6ot8
I am a Craft Brewer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev5OZS75qaY&feature=player_detailpage
This video will show, without a doubt, the passion, the sense of community, the elemental expression of
personal achievement and personal challenge, and the Esprit d’Corps of belonging to an elite club.
Further, the celebrity brewers included in this video are each part of the Big Beers, Belgians &
Barleywines Festival almost every year. I think there are perhaps 4 that haven’t attended yet.