Vail Big Beers: Who's Going?

Discussion in 'Mountain' started by Mebuzzard, Dec 2, 2014.

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  1. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Ok, let's do a bottle share at my place!
    Thursday evening: time ?? any suggestions on time?

    I've got a two bedroom, 2 bath place at Gore Creek Interlochen #B9 with kitchen. (if anyone needs an extra room, lemme know). It's on the West end of Vail, west of the Cascade. I'm told that the shuttles go to-and-from here into Vail, so cross your fingers.

    I plan on arriving around 4.
    BeerMail me here to get my phone # I also should be able to access BA once there.

    Can I get an amen?
     
    #21 Mebuzzard, Jan 8, 2015
  2. rob2654

    rob2654 Crusader (457) May 20, 2004 Colorado

    Long A or short A?
     
    #22 rob2654, Jan 8, 2015
  3. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    preacher's choice
     
    #23 Mebuzzard, Jan 8, 2015
  4. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    K. Arrived at condo. It's purdy nice, too! Right on...off...the creek (crick). Got some beers here....
     
    #24 Mebuzzard, Jan 9, 2015
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  5. rob2654

    rob2654 Crusader (457) May 20, 2004 Colorado

    I won't be there tonight, but will hopefully see some folks Friday night and Saturday!
     
    #25 rob2654, Jan 9, 2015
  6. themill

    themill Initiate (0) Feb 7, 2012 Colorado

    Sounds like a blast, I'm jealous! One of these years...
     
    #26 themill, Jan 9, 2015
  7. themill

    themill Initiate (0) Feb 7, 2012 Colorado

    Also it's funny to me to this that the hotel I got married in hosts this. If only I had planned that one out a little more timely, haha...
     
    #27 themill, Jan 9, 2015
  8. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Got third place in svh category. I REALLY wish I had been there.
     
    #28 SFACRKnight, Jan 11, 2015
  9. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    You didn't miss much, just hundreds of great beers, great people, beautiful mountain weather, skiing and....me :sunglasses:
     
    #29 Mebuzzard, Jan 11, 2015
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  10. Oxymoron

    Oxymoron Pooh-Bah (1,993) Aug 14, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    Missed it this year. What were the winners? Any losers out there? What stood apart?
     
    #30 Oxymoron, Jan 12, 2015
  11. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Didn't have a bad or sub-par beer.
    Above and Beyond Winners:
    Casey's stuff was great. The Peach was my favorite
    Goose Island brought the house.
    Backcountry double IPA was fresh
    Sam Adams '94 Triple Bock and double barrel Utopias

    Losers:
    the beer/food pairing dinner with Papago and Van Steenberge. Food was average and the pairing a total miss.
     
    #31 Mebuzzard, Jan 12, 2015
  12. purplewindex

    purplewindex Devotee (353) Feb 9, 2014 Colorado

    I agree totally with the above, especially with the Goose Island Rare that was brought (x3 bottles). I have to admit that the Former Future bottles were really, really good. I'm very impressed with the coolship beer that was brought. Definitely not a fan of how Tomme Arthur acted toward me at the Lost Abbey booth, but he did bring a ton of Veritas bottles.

    This was one of the best (if not the best) beer festival that I've been to. It was so awesome mingling and chatting with the brewers, and the seminars that I hit up were great (AC Golden, and the Goose Island/Casey seminar). Will definitely be going next year.
     
    #32 purplewindex, Jan 12, 2015
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  13. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Oh, and Surly didn't show up.
    And I drank Boulevard BBQ straight from the bottle
     
    #33 Mebuzzard, Jan 13, 2015
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  14. JeremyDanner

    JeremyDanner Zealot (679) Dec 20, 2005 Missouri

    You, sir, are a champion!
     
    #34 JeremyDanner, Jan 13, 2015
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  15. biking4beer

    biking4beer Pundit (833) Oct 5, 2006 Colorado

    I feel like you are saying that like you aren't supposed to drink it from the bottle.
     
    #35 biking4beer, Jan 13, 2015
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  16. MtnSoup

    MtnSoup Initiate (0) May 20, 2013 Colorado

    Sounds like an incredible event...and also appears everyone brought some incredible beers! I'm curious - any small or unexpected breweries that brought incredible (or just surprisingly good beers)? I'm sure none hold a candle to vintage GS, but just curious who else brought the heat.
     
    #36 MtnSoup, Jan 13, 2015
  17. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Former Future had some goodies.
    Strange's Dr. Strangelove is one of those that may get very good after a year + aging
    7 Hermits' IPAs show promise, just need a little tweaking
    Casey's stuff was darn good, but not great yet.
    Well Done by Copper Kettle was a very nice barleywine
    I didn't get to try many of the smaller breweries, though. 3 1/2 hours sounds like plenty of time, but it ain't :slight_frown:

    And as far as I know, there were no "empties". Maybe Triple Bock ran out, but not much else
     
    #37 Mebuzzard, Jan 13, 2015
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  18. Dan_Inreallife

    Dan_Inreallife Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2012 Colorado

    Casey = amazing, your arguments are invalid!
    Do you mean Well Bred? That's their BA English BW.... never heard of Well Done.
     
    #38 Dan_Inreallife, Jan 13, 2015
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  19. lmperialChad

    lmperialChad Initiate (0) Nov 19, 2013 Colorado

    I have to say that Vail Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines was probably my favorite beer festival I have ever attended. The beer list was amazing with so many rare, unique, and barrel-aged offerings. It was a really intimate event where you had a chance to chat with so many incredible brewers from the across the country. And it was really well-organized and not oversold. Plus, I was able to get a morning of snowboarding in at Vail before the festival. I am definitely going to make Vail Big Beers an annual tradition from here on out. Here is a list of some of my favorite beers from the festival:

    Allagash Curieux bourbon barrel-aged tripel
    Atwater Bourbon Barrel-aged Blueberry Cobbler
    Avery Bourbon Barrel-aged Tweak
    AC Golden scotch barrel-aged barleywine
    Black Shirt Guava Red Saison
    Casey East Bank farmhouse ale with honey
    Casey Blackberry Fruit Stand saison
    Deschutes Collage blend of sour, quad, and strong ales aged in rye whiskey, cognac, sherry, bourbon, and oak barrels
    Deschutes Abyss (2009)
    Dry Dock Whiskey Barrel-aged Imperial Coffee Porter
    Elevation Montoya rum barrel-aged horchata imperial porter
    Former Future Putin on Le Pitz Russian imperial stout aged with cherries
    Goose Island Bourbon County Proprietor's (2014)
    Goose Island Bourbon County Rye
    Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine
    Firestone Walker Parabola (2012)
    Firestone Walker Sucaba (2012)
    Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale XVI (2012)
    Kannah Creek Cherry Bomb imperial brown ale aged in bourbon barrels with tart cherries
    New Belgium Blackberry Barleywine
    Papago Oude Zuipers Belgian tripel
    Perennial Abraxas
    Renegade Depravity Imperial Peanut Butter Cup Milk Stout
    River North Barrel-aged Avarice
     
    #39 lmperialChad, Jan 13, 2015
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  20. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,290) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Well Bred. You are correct, sir!
     
    #40 Mebuzzard, Jan 14, 2015
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