GABF 2015 Discussion & Info

So I am guessing Tweak and maybe Pump[KY]n and Rumpkin were all timed releases? Those beers are monsters. Tweak is over 18% and made with barrel-aged coffee beans.

I am actually planning on visiting Avery just so I can save some money lol. It's a nice but very expensive tap room to visit.

 

There was a long line at Avery all night. FYI

 

I think next year I am going to try and attend multiple sessions so I can get a deeper sampling of different brews from around the country. Maybe Thursday and Saturday.

 

Did the old entrance - shockingly short line and we arrived at 5:20 or so. Very long lines for certain breweries (Lawsons and Funky Buddah for instance) and then no lines for some amazing beers (melvin, central waters, j wakefield etc etc). It always cracks me up how that works - how do so many people know enough to geek out about Lawson's but dont even know what Central Waters 17 is or that Melvin makes better IPA's (opinion) anyway? You could have probably filled a growler of Boneyard Notorious or anything you wanted from Barley Browns.

Exhaustively large space. Dropped my glass on purpose on the way out, nobody yelled

 

Great time, agree with what's already been said. With the extra space it didn't seem as crowded as usual, lines not quite as bad, etc. Beer and pizza for 3 nights in a row now, I feel like I'm in in my third trimester. I'll probably spend a good amount of time pouring at St Arnolds tonight, come say hi. I'll be rocking the Local Option t shirt.

 

I had this observation as well. I feel like in prior years it was usually just your Russian River and 3 Floyds types that had lines, but most places that are often mentioned here on BA had lines. With that said, they did move rather quickly.

New entrance was great. Basically when you arrive you 'enter' the convention center, show ID and scan ticket, receive your glass and then wait in a line to get into the beer hall. Once the festival started everyone just walked on in.

I agree that the new space helps disperse the crowds some.

 

I am going to head over to River North to check out the cellar sale and the new beer release. And probably go over to Mr. B's and try to snag a bottle of Parabola at 2PM. And then at 4:30 I'll be in line (new entrance) probably wearing a black Grimm Brother's shirt. I look like an overweight NFL linebacker that is going bald.

 

I know everyone wants to maximize their festival time trying beers outside of CO (I certainly do), but if you find yourself in the new Meet the Brewer section with some time to kill, stop by WeldWerks and say hi.

 

We don't talk about back door.

 

Not to sound like a broken record but the new entrance and the whole process of getting in was flawless this year. Vastly improved. Got in line around 5:20 and was in the door and with my first beer in hand by 5:45. Pretty awesome. Had a great time and as usual, the cheese table was killer, don't let the long line scare you away.

Highlight for me was no doubt the New Glarus vintage. Closest thing I've tasted to a real Belgian geuze by a US brewer. Reminded me of 3F Oude Geuze. So many awesome beers being poured but NG had me going back again and again. Fresh hop 2x4 was amazing too and I gotta say I really liked the Odd13 Kalecumber

Looking forward to another session tonight and catching some of the ones I missed out on last night. See you guys there!

 

Vanilla rye for me was worth all the hype and it poured damn near all night. As others mentioned the ba sexual was awesome. Black angel from wicked weed may have been my favorite sour. Loved the Sweetwater hop hash. Agree on the hippy sippy and cinnamon coffee abominable. Also really enjoyed the clown shoes crasher in the rye.

Not impressed with last snow. It's not bad but I didn't love it.

Also agree about Melvin, but I think I preferred the boneyard notorious. Although after a while the ipas where harder to differentiate.

Otter creek double or nothing was amazing.

How the hell did I forget to visit cigar city.

 

Dare I say it, but I think I might buy tickets for multiple nights for next year. Haven't done that since you could buy tickets at the liquor store.

 

I know next year I will too...deff buying rare beer tickets too. Also, impressed with just the events downtown. It's too much to keep up with. We are a spoiled city!

 

From last night's experience: The new entrance is nice in the fact that you're pre-ID'd and wristbanded so you just walk right in. Albeit the original entrance felt like a right of passage going up the stairs/escalators into the big hall. Got in the door in 5 minutes and thus started this path (which worked out great):

In the first 60-90? minutes of GABF:
Funky Budha Morning Wood
Funky Budha Last Snow
Fremont Cinnamon Coffee BBomb
Fremont BA Dark Star
The Lost Abbey Veritas 015
The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa
Port Churchill's Finest Hour
Pizza Port Carlsbad 8-bit
Ohana Spa Water Saison
Rare Barrel Ensorcelled (~5 min line)
Rare Barrel Becoming
J Wakefield Miami Madness
TAPS Fish House Grapefruit IPA
Modern Times Black House
Modern Times Lomaland
Noble Ale Works Nose Candy
Noble Ale Works I Love It! IPA
Small Town NYFRB (10.7%)
Small Town NYM Apple Pie
Small Town NYF Ginger Ale
Small Town NYM Strawberry Rhubarb
Goose Island Vanilla Rye Bourbon County

- rest of the night (don't recall exact path, Lawson's line had died down by 8pm):
Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel #10 - BA Barleywine
Saint Arnold BA Pumpkinator
10 Barrel Apricot Crush
10 Barrel Dub IPA
Lawson's Hopzilla
Lawson's Maple barrel-aged Fayston Maple Imp. Stout
Jack's Abby Framinghammer
Prison City Run Like an Apricot
Prison City Cherry Poppins
Columbus Bodhi
Columbus Creeper
Fair State Lactobac: Two
Captain Lawrence Ross E Marrone
Kane A Night To End All Dawns (ANTEAD)
Wicked Weed Freak of Nature
Wicked Weed La Bonte with Pear
Central Waters Seventeen
Central Waters BA Scotch Ale
Ex Novo Dynamic Duo
Upland Sour Reserve #6 (opening bottles every 30min on :30)
New Glarus Vintage 2015 (went late around 9pm, out of BBBB)
Melvin 2x4
Moody Tongue Gold
Moody Tongue BA Chocolate Barleywine
Indeed Mojito Shenanigans
Olde Mecklenburg Fat Boy
Olde Mecklenburg OMB Copper
Mad Fox Kolsch
Devil's Backbone Schwartz Bier
Adroit Theory Imagination Atrophy in Bourbon
Foothills BA Sexual Chocolate
Sketchbok Orange Door

Skipped some of the other big names that I've already had all the beers they were serving and thus line wasn't worth it:
The Bruery, Allagash, Russian River, Firestone Walker, Cigar City, Sam Adams Utopias line, etc.

Although I must say EVERY line moved pretty quickly.

Only things I came across that ran out were:
BA Ten Fidy (looks like it was a Thursday night only beer)
New Glarus BBBB
Wicked Weed Angel series
Black Project (didn't have anything, gone by 7?

 

Ba ten fidy went fast.. I went maybe 2 hours in on Thursday and they were out. I luckily have a crowler of the heaven hill.

 

I'll be headed out from the hotel in about 45 minutes for the member's session. See you guys there!

Edit: anyone have any recommendations for the non-obvious breweries I should check out? I'd like to hit some places I've never heard of with short/no lines.

 

Check out Brasserie Saint James. They are pouring a nice plum lambic and lambic grand cru

 

Prison City, Ohana

 

My wife and I are planning on going to either WOB or Freshcraft tonight for dinner and beers probably around 6. I remember last year Freshcraft being a cluster fuck. My question is will WOB be any better and is one places food significantly better then the others?

Cheers!

 

Here's a full list of GABF medal winners: http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/15_GABF_winners.pdf

CO had 36 winners including 7 gold medals - not too shabby.