GABF 2016

On the topic of beer/food pairings, the Mercantile Invitational Event was terrific. The food, beers, and pairings were excellent.
That's most definitely on my rotation for next year. In fact, I think my rotation for this year should be worth sticking to in the future.
Wed: Mercantile, Thurs: B&B Brunch, GABF1 + Sam's #3, Fri: Rare + Follow-up, Sat: GABF2.
WTF might be back in the cards if the week doesn't like up with Zwanze again.

 

My biggest takeaway from this weekend: Just like they say don't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, don't go beer shopping during GABF week after drinking a couple beers. I came home with a ton of great beer though....just a much lighter wallet than intended.

Highlights of the weekend for me were Firestone Walker's Parabajava, Fremont's BBA Dark Star and Field to Ferment, Cannonball Creek's Featherweight Pale Ale, Melvins IPA and Asterisk, Bierstadt's Slow Pour Pils and Beryl's Logan's Barrel Reserve. So many other great beers, but those were my standouts. Not all enjoyed at the Fest, but also around town.

Speaking of around town, finally made it to First Draft. Liked the concept on paper, loved it even more in reality. Thought it was so cool being able to select how much/little of any one beer I wanted at any given time. And the selection was great, which I definitely realize was influenced by it being GABF week. But Parabajava, Juicy Bits, Asterisk, etc. at my beckon was a treat.

Biggest letdown: The Rackhouse. The food I ordered was either not impressive or 86'ed. Expensive to boot (wouldn't be an issue if I liked it though). Also, Freshcraft was insanely packed when I tried to go.

 

I followed my regular pattern this year and it worked out fine. Friday evening got there about 20 minutes after it opened (we actually got there earlier than anticipated) and waited about 10-15 minutes; first beer less than a half hour after we arrived via Uber.

Saturday, got there 30-35 minutes after it opened, walked right in - no waiting - first beer was tried within 10 minutes of exiting our Uber.

By the way, I left both sessions early and still tasted 150 beers over the two sessions, waiting in no line more than 7-10 minutes.

 

Getting in early really doesn't benefit you that much. Especially on Thursday when there's is little to no risk of anything being out. Saturday...different story.
The real benefit is to (hopefully) bypass a couple of the longer lines you know will form. New Glarus, Funky Buddha, Black Project, etc.
Most of the rare pours are on a schedule. Not all of them, but most of the ones I saw weren't going on until after 7:30pm. Hourly or half-hourly tappings are pretty typical.
Both days we went I think we bailed inside 3 hours. That's right around the time where all of those beers start to go bonkers in your gut.

 

Bosque Brewing had 2 standout IPAs, especially the Acequia Wet Hop IPA but the Scale Tipper IPA was also fantastic.

 

Agree with Rackhouse . The food blows.

 

We had a few dissapointments in the food area too. The Buckhorn Exchange was a letdown, especially considering the prices. The atmosphere was great with the game animals and guns on display but the food was only ok and very pricey.

The Prime Rib at the Bull and Bush was good but not as good as last year. The beer was as good as ever. The staff was very friendly and one of the Brewers even remembered us from last year.

The Pizza at Hops and Pie was as good as advertised even though they were swamped.

The Pizza at Back Country in Boulder was also very good and their beer list is very impressive.

 

The food at Rackhouse has been hit & miss. I love the mac & cheese and duck fat fries. The other items have ranged from really good to "never again." It also feels like their menu is still in flux. I'm still hopeful they'll get back to where they were in the old location...only with better service and parking. They have both of those things covered, so now we just need the menu to get squared away,

 

I'll be visiting town this weekend, wonder if there's anything still left over around town? Probably not.

 

Probably not much, I'll PM you with some places to check. However we still have some of the best distro in the country, so you shouldn't be leaving empty-handed.

 

Yeah, my accountant (wife) hates it.

 

Yup

Yup

Biggest let-down?
Black Project. Took FOREVER to pour (probably on purpose to slow down the line as they probably only had so much, after all their 100% spontaneous ales.) By the time I got a pour, about 50% of everyone behind me in line had already entered GABF.

2nd Biggest let-down?
Black Project. Went to the bottle release on Sunday (1st ever bottle release) and instead of 1-bottle per person per trip through the line, they just gave people what they wanted even if they had extra tickets. That meant if you were 10th in line, there were like 40-50+ bottles sold before you even got to through the first time, which is what their policy is meant to prevent.

And I love Black Project, Sarah & James are the best, but darn it if I don't get the wrong end of the stick every time I try to get some of their beer.

But I digress.

I need to get up to WeldWerks more.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed both BAMA and DDH Juicy Bits. We were extremely proud of both those beers (might be the 2 best we have produced so far) so it was pretty exciting pouring them at GABF. Glad others enjoyed them as well!

 

Mile High has a lot of gabf stuff, still. Maybe not precious whale crap, but they are far from out. Please leave the four packs of BBQ alone, though.

 

Another big fly under the radar beer, River North's BA Nightmare Fuel, 'tis gooood.

 

We went to Black Project about 90 minutes after GABF open and they were only out of one beer (cherry oxcart). I was surprised to see an ever-present line though. I've enjoyed all the beers I've had from them.

That makes no sense. Please let them know so they can correct the issues in the future. Most breweries welcome feedback.

 

Best kept secret at GABF = December 6th.

 

So many good beers. I swear that 4 hours feels like 30 minutes to me.
My two favorite ipas from the fest were DDH Juicy bits and Superpower. It's Great living in Colorado.

 

That was the first thing I did.... no response.

 

I agree their beer is great and great people. Just felt like it took forever because it was my first stop and other booths had pitchers ready and they were pouring their beer as slow as lambic, I get it though, probably my mistake going there first.