The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [61]
PHILOSOPHY
There’s no telling what will be on tap at the West End, because the list is constantly changing, but expect to see local and West Coast beers heavily represented.
KEY BEER
Look for regional specialties like Avery’s Dugana IIPA (8.5% ABV), a big, floral, resinous brew. Other recent taps featured Colorado brews including Odell Double Pilsner and Great Divide Belgica, in addition to West Coast cult beers from Russian River, Lagunitas, Stone, and Port.
THE MOUNTAIN
SUN & THE
SOUTHERN SUN
1535 Pearl St. • Boulder, CO 80302 • (303) 546-0886 mountainsunpub.com • Established: 1993
Southern Sun: 627 S. Broadway • Boulder, CO 80305 (303) 543-0886 • mountainsunpub.com
SCENE & STORY
A relaxing Boulder standby, the Mountain Sun expanded by popular demand with a second brewpub, the Southern Sun, in 2002. (There’s also a related pub in Denver, the Vine Street Pub.) None other than GABF founder Charlie Papazian is a fan of the trio, especially the Southern Sun location, which has Flatiron mountain views. “It’s a cool beer scene,” he says. “It’s all about the beer and a place to meet friends—smaller and more intimate [than the Mountain Sun]. It gets crowded so get there early.”
PHILOSOPHY
“There will never be televisions at our pubs because we want our guests to meet and discuss the world in which we live or simply to play Scrabble,” reads the company’s website. There you have it.
KEY BEER
Try the hop bomb of an India Pale Ale known as F.Y.I.P.A. (about 7.5% ABV)e.
Denver
THE GREAT
AMERICAN BEER
FESTIVAL
Sep. 29–Oct. 1 (for 2011; future dates vary)
Colorado Convention Center 700 14th St. (near intersection of Colfax and Speer Blvds.) Denver, CO 80202
Tickets from $20 (for designated drivers) to $55 per session
(303) 447-0816; greatamericanbeerfestival.com
SCENE & STORY
What do you get when you take 50,000 beer lovers, 500 breweries, over 2,000 of their latest creations, and mash them all together for three sunny fall days in Denver? The Great American Beer Festival is what you get, and this bacchanal has reached its 30th year as of September 2011. What started with just a few friends from small breweries and about forty on the list is today the mother of all beer festivals.
It’s also a significant event for the brewers that submit beers for judging, culminating in the all-important Saturday afternoon medal announcements that generate roars of approval and surprise. The atmosphere is nothing if not raucous at times—crowds can get boisterous, loud, and drunk, but it’s unforgettable to weave through the seemingly endless aisles of smiling brewers, servers, and beer fanatics celebrating the mighty abundance of it all. Wacky costumes? Yep. Silent disco? Definitely a hot spot. It can be a bit dizzying at first, but after a few tastes, the entire thing seems like the smartest festival ever created, as long as you pace yourself.
“If you’ve never been to the beer festival before,” says GABF founder Charlie Papazian, “it’s very important to remember that it’s not a sprint, it’s not a marathon—it’s a 100-mile run. Or, actually, a 2,200-beer run.” The savvy taster arrives early for each session and comes with a plan, having studied the layout of the exhibitor hall, which is organized geographically beneath a massive banner of the late British beer writer Michael Jackson, aka The Beer Hunter, whose thoughtful gaze should inspire considered sampling. And yet, without fail, a few minutes into any of the sessions (ticket holders should carefully study the hours, which are posted online and supplied at sign-in), all plans for quiet discovery seem to go out the window as the biggest assemblage of beer in the world works its magic on the crowd.
Still, many brewers are on hand to dispense