Great American Beer Festival: The Event

I had a great time at the festival. I worked from 8:00am to 12:00pm setting up, then from 12:30pm to 10:00pm pouring beer for happy festival goers. A great time was had by all, and much beer was consumed. Throughout all of the sampling that I did, there were two that stood out above the rest.

The Bruery's Black Tuesday was like a giant, warm hug in a tasting cup. This imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels is rich and smooth. At 19.5% alcohol, it warms your throat and stomach as it goes down, and leaves the essence of the year long bourbon barrel aging on your palate. If you can score a bottle when it is released in October, I would highly recommend doing so!

On a completely different note, Billy's Chilies Beer from Twisted Pine Brewing Co. was an incredible experience. I've had beer brewed with chilies before, but the mix of fresh anaheim, fresno, serrano, jalapeno, and habanero peppers that they brew this beer with provides a huge pepper bite, yet is oddly refreshing. Although distribution of their beer is limited to Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana, you must search out and try this unique brew!

The festival is over for this year and the winners of the competition have been announced. You can view the complete list here. What will next year hold? What standout beers will be served? Who will take home top honors at the competition? We'll have to wait until next year to find out, and the best way to get the answers is in person at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival. Will you be there?