The Best Beer Weekend I have Ever Had

Two weekends ago I got the amazing opportunity to volunteer at the Craft Lager Fest in Manitou Springs.  As a volunteer I was rewarded with a free ticket to use either of the days I chose to go.  Through this volunteering I had one of the best beer experiences since I got into craft beer.  Rebecca and I chose to volunteer on Sunday and attend as a drinker on Saturday. 
DAY ONE
We met our friends the Cornells about eleven in the morning to find that their daughter Amy and her Husband had driven up from Vegas the night before to join us at the Lager Fest.  We entered the fest at noon and had the place all to ourselves and the other VIPs for about an hour.  I t really pays to go to these early so that you can enjoy the beer before it really gets busy.  We got to hit every tent before the big rush came in.  By about 2:00 there were about 200 people, by 400 there were about 700.  Get there early.
Even though it was a "lager" fest the beer selection was pretty damn good.  They had a good representation form around Colorado.  During my first round, when I was keeping track, I tasted:

Sam Adams-East West Kolsch, Carvers-Raspberry Wheat and X-Rock Bock and La Platte Pilsner, Bierworks-Munich Dunkel and Helles, Colorado Mountain-Unibrau Hefeweisen, Odell-Kolsch and St Lupelin, Rock Bottom-Warning Sign Eisbock and Goat Toppler, Schmaltz-Blockhead and Albino Python and Lager, Annheiser Bush-Wild Blue and Alexander Keith's, Firestone-Double Barrel IPA and Summer Solace, Lost Rhino-Chaser Pilsner, Pikes Peak-Mild Porter, New Belgium-1554 and Lips of Faith, Trinity-Kinky Reggae and Sunna Wit, Dillon Dam-Montezuma Marzen, Pug Ryans-Morningwood Wheat and Pali Pilsner, New Planet-Pale Ale, Full Sail-Session Ales Black Lager, Avery-Joe Pilsner, Rocky Mountain-Pilsner, Durango-Dark Lager and Blackberry Wheat....

The best beers of the day came from of course Odell, which has always been a favorite but I am now getting a new found thrill from their beer, Firestone Double Barrel was phenomenal, maybe the best beer of the day, and Blockhead form Schmaltz.  I only had one or tow beers that I would never try again but for the most part it was a top notch selection.We spent the rest of the day eating and drinking and have a great time together.  Good Friends, Good Food, and Great beer makes a great day.

DAY TWO:

The Nest morning we were volunteers.  We volunteered for the Brew Crew.  This entailed helping the brewers setup, pouring and manning tents, and helping out in any way we could.  The morning was neat cause we just walked around and talked to the brewers with not a lot to do.  Then Rebecca and I were stationed at the Avery tent for the day.  It was a freaking blast.  I thought that it was even better than Saturday.  I was able to talk to all the patrons and talk about beer all day.  I was able to taste beers all day.  It was just all around cool.  Some highlights of the day included pouring for Schmalts brewery for a while and trying their new release Oak Aged Blockhead.  They did not have it the day before and it was un-real.  It was so good.  Dillon Dam also brought in a specialty DoppelBock that they hid behind the tent and Chris and I only got to taste because we had helped them move their stuff in that morning. I had about three glasses and it was AWESOME!.  It is all about who you know.  Just those two beers made the day worth it.  At the end of the day we got our real treat.  We poured and drank beer all day and just had a fantastic time.  Then came the pivotal moment of our beer journey.  As Chris and I were helping shut down the brewers we started to get offered  their left over beers.  And got offered more beers.  And got offered more beers.  We left with nearly two hundred beers.  Yes two hundred beers.  It was a great end to one of the greatest beer days EVER.  I will now volunteer at every beer festival I can.  Huzzah!!

Dunkelweizen

What great night I had last night.  I went to my fellow craft beer enthusiast, Chis Connell's house and ate some great ribs and enjoyed some great beer.  I love getting together with Chris cause we can sit and discuss the finer points of craft beer and enjoy some good old fashion family time as well.  Before dinner we imbibed in a few amber wheat beers Chris had picked up at Trader Joe's while he was in Albuquerque.  It was a decent sipping beer that went well with the cool weather we had last night.  I would recommend trying other Dunkels before making this your go to dark wheat, but it was a nice beer that went well with the weather and company.

Joseph's Brau Brewing Co
San Jose, CA
Dunkelweizen
Amber Unfiltered Wheat Beer
12flo. oz Bottle
5.2 % ABV
18 IBU

Color-------------Deep dark amber brown
Head------------Fluffy head with little to no lacing
Boutique-----7--Faint peach esters with the yeast strong and very present, Citrusy
Body--------7---Good Carbonation with a decent mouth feel, not as heavy as I would have liked
Bite---------7----A good balance of flavors, not overpowering but a little airy
Hops-------7----Very mild hop character, not very balanced, needs a hop infusion to balance out the citrusy wheat flavors
Taste------7----good flavor, not overpowering but lacking the flavors that make a great dark wheat
Aftertaste---7---Not to dry, refreshing, but I wasn't clamouring to get to my next sip.

Tasted 8/6/11    42 out of 60 points   A fare beer.

The Manitou Springs Craft Lager Fest

August 13th and 14th.  Calling all beer drinkers, the craft lager fest is coming to downtown Manitou Springs. 
I will be volunteering on the 14th.  I am really looking forward to learning more about lagers and talking to brewers from all over.  There are going to be brewers and vendors from all over.  I have been told that there will even be a distiller on premise. 
I have found that the best way to join beer fests is to volunteer.  I am receiving a free ticket for the Saturday event and all I have to do is help setup and pour beer on Sunday.
So get some rest and come drink some beer.  Huzzah!!! 

www.craftlagerfestival.com

Volunteering is Awesome: You get to drink beer and look a pretty ladies

The Colorado Springs Beer Fest

What a fantastic day I had yesterday.  I got the opportunity to volunteer at the Colorado Springs Beer Festival and get free entry to the days events.  It was a real neat day.
I started the day off at 10:00 schlepping beer vendors material into the event site.  I spent most of the morning with the rep from Boston Beer Company, hauling his beer to the very back of the park.  He was a real stand up guy and I got a free six pack of the Blackberry Witbier for my troubles.  It was a pretty good start to the day.  As a volunteer we were expected to help out in any way we could and they would take care of us throughout the day.  They started by giving us all shirts, lunch, and water all day.  A pretty good bargain seeing as how I was just there to learn about beer and try to get in the festival for free.
My duty for the morning was to pour beer at the  Newcastle table.  They have a summer seasonal out called Newcastle Summer Ale, which is not bad, and I poured that all morning.  It was a top beer.  I was pouring non stop while my partner pouring the Brown Ale did not get many takers.  After a  couple of hours of flirting with pretty women,  doing most of the work and just having a plain good ol time, I was given my reprieve.

I headed out into the heart of the beer festival.  I hit every tent that served good craft beer. It was great fun and some great beer.  The only issue I had with the fest is that it seemed to have mostly distributors and not actual brewers manning the tents.  As I said earlier I was serving Newcastle and I certainly dont work for them.  They had a tent serving Stone Ruination IPA but no-one from stone beer.  If you were there just to taste it would have been great, but those of us who are hop heads and love talking beer it was a bit of a let down when you asked "So tell me about the hops or malts you use," and the guy pouring says "man I just drive the stuff around."  Maybe next year they can get some more brewery participation.
But overall it was a great tasting experience.  I tasted:
Sierra Nevada--Juniper Ale, Barley Wine, and SUmmer camp series Beers--They were awesome, see below
TommyKnocker--Black IPA--- It was great
Del Norte--Amber Lager---Ehh
Bristol Brewing--Beehive Honey-wheat---Nothing Special
Stone Brewing---Ruination IPA--Amazing
Biwerworks---Wiesbier--Incredible--The brewer was present and they talked a good game
Lefthand Brewing--Stranger Pale ALe-- Not bad
Odell---IPA--Always a good beer
Boulder Beer--Buffalo GOld--Take it or Leave it Nothing Special
Colorado Mountain Brewing--Panther IPA--A decently hopped IPA
Rock Bottom--Malt Liqour-Silver Bullet--Ehh
Newcastle- Brown Ale, SUmmer Ale-  Both were very Tasty

I tried a few more but they got lost in the shuffle.

My best experience of the day was talking to the people at Sierra Nevada.  They of course make Torpedo, which is the McDowell House beer.  I love it.  We got to talking about home brew and thier beer, what htye are coming out with soon, the summer camop series, we just sat and talked for a couple of minutes and it was awesome.  This is what craft beer is all about.  I even got to leave with one of thier brewery signs.  They were great spokemen and great beer people.  They made the day for me.

It was a great day of beer and I cant wait for the next one.  The Manitou Springs Lager Fest is just around the corner and I hope to Volunteer again.  I think volunteering to drink beer all day is not a bad career move.  Huzzah!!!

Some Schwag I got from the Beer Fest

God Damn I love IPA--Widmers Bros Nelson Imperial IPA

I know that there is a God because we have IPA's.  I never get tired of a good IPA.  I am rarely surprised by them as well.  It is a special day when I find an IPA that I have not tatsted and then it blows my freakin mind.  This is what happened when I tried the Nelson Imperial.  I almost fell off my stool when it hit my lips.  I tasted this beer the night of my 1 year anniversary.  Besdies the my nightcap with my wife, wink-wink, this was the most memorable part of my night.  It was powerful.  It was hoppy.  It was IMPERIAL.  I love this beer.  Oh yeah by the way I had it at the Yard House, my Denver beer Mecca.  Thank you Yard House!!  Huzzah!

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.
Portland Oregon
Nelson Imperial IPA
Draft Beer
8.6% ABV

Color-----------------Deep Deep Copper.  A great dark IPA color
Head------------------Heavy but fluffy.  Great lacing all the way through the beer.
Boutique------10------Super floral and hoppy esters.  A very earthy tone.  It smelled amazing.
Body----------9-------Heavy.  Mouthfeel was great.  Notes of bourbon.
Bite-----------9-------Puckering hoppiness and bite.  Very dry.
Hops---------10------Massive HOPS. New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. Berry flaovors.AWESOME!!
Taste---------10-------One of the best IPA's Ive Ever had.  Delicious.
Aftertaste-----9--------Dry and refreshing.  Lingered for a long while.  Went back to the beer immediately.

Score-: 57 of 60 points   An iconic beer.
Tasted 7-10-11

I'm not a Nitwit but I like drinking them!

Since my foray into Belgian beers last week I have been dreaming about trying another style.  I got my chance this week at BJ's Brewhouse and Restaurant.  I was there for my friend, and brew partner, Adam's rehearsal dinner.  When ordering drinks I was told that they had just tapped a keg of their Belgian wheat a few days prior.  I was sold in a second.  The beer is named Nitwit Belgian Wheat.  It was a really good wheat beer with the Belgian esters from their special Belgian yeast.  It was a good showing.

BJ's Brewhouse and Restaurant
Colorado Springs, CO
Nit Wit Belgian Wheat

Color---------------------Golden
Head---------------------soft with good lacing throughout the beer
Boutique-----8-----------Floral esters with major hints of Belgian yeast
Body-----------8--------Good mouth feel.  Puckery with a dry finish
Bite------------8---------A good balanced tangy bite
Hops----------8---------Balanced flavoring.  Good use of hops for a wheat.
Taste----------8---------A great wheaty taste.  The Belgian yeast makes this stand out form other wheats.
Aftertaste-----6----------Dry.  But really no lingering aftertaste.  Did not keep me craving for more.

46 out of 60   A good beer
Tasted 7-14-11

Skyline Brewing- Hoppily Ever After IPA--Thats My Boy Blue!

A pretty damn good beer.  This is a beer from my good friend Adam Jefferies home brew stash.  He brewed the beer for his wedding and I got a bottle.  I pays to know people.  Adam has been brewing for the last year and has quickly become quite a brewer.  I have yet to taste a bad beer from his kitchen. 
This was his first foray into the hoppyland of IPA's.  As you know this is my favorite style and I was looking forward to give this one a try.  The beer wa great.  It got a really high score for a homebrew.  It was hoppy and delicous.  I always want more hops though.  Very goo showing.  I'm proud to say that I have tasted this beer of all his beers.  I'm a hoppy man.  Kudos Adam to the land of IPA and congrats on the nuptials.  Huzzah!

Skyline Brewing
Pueblo West, CO
Hoppily Ever After IPA- Skyla and Adam Wedding Beer
12oz Bottle
7.5% ABV

Color----------------------Burnt Copper.  A good solid dark IPA color.
Head----------------------Fluffy head that quickly breaks into choppy peaks.  No lacing as you drink.
Boutique--------8---------Piney floral esters.  Homebrew yeast esters come through.
Body------------8--------Balanced mouth feel.  Good carbonation with warm alcohol body.
Bite-------------8---------Alcohol bite with great bittering. 
Hops-----------7---------Good use of hops.  Very balanced hoppiness throughout. 
Taste-----------9---------Well done IPA with taste of the hombrew yeast.  A great IPA
Aftertaste------7----------A good finish but need to be a little dryer to keep you coming back. 

47 out of 60  A good beer
Tasted 7-15-11