Mike Laur © DG2C
Over 2200 different beers were served at the festival, and competition entries were up nine percent from 2009.
3,523 beers in 79 different style categories competed tongue to tongue in this virtual Super Bowl of Beer - the most entries ever. One category alone - American Style India Pale Ale - brought a record 142 brews tongue-to-tongue with judges who swirled, sniffed, tasted and spit to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal winners.
For most attendees, GABF provides an opportunity to try beers that otherwise are available only at the brewery or in limited amounts at limited locations. Beer lovers can compare their likes and dislikes, and push their taste buds into new territory with beers such as Boulder Beer's Business Time Mild (a Gold Medal Winner), New Planet's 3R Raspberry Ale (a Bronze Medal Winner) and Twisted Pine's Big Shot Expresso Stout (a Bronze Medal Winner, too).
MillerCoors kicked everybody else's cans hard this year, garnering 11 awards total, including the award for Large Brewing Company of the Year given to their Blue Moon Brewing Company division. California brewers won the most honors (51 awards), while Colorado brewers took away 42 awards.
A complete list of winners can be found at the BA site here.
Medal or no medal, it was easy to see what the crowds of beer lovers enjoyed the most. Long lines formed at places like Dogfish Head Brewing, Alaskan Brewing, New Glarus, and at Rocky Mountain Brewing - their Da Yoopers Cherry Pie beer was a fluid ounce of heaven definitely worth the wait in line. Some breweries ran out of their beer by 8 or 8:30 on Saturday night - an additional irritation to the crowds who often waited in line for hours just to get in the door.
And as GABF continues to grow, it can challenge beer judges to do their jobs as well. With a record number of entries, one judge we spoke with said that his tasting ability was stretched to the limit when he compared dozens of samples in six different categories on one long day. "I'm glad tomorrow I only have one category to judge. I don't think my taste buds could stand anymore." No joke - an average of 44 beers per competition category meant a lot of tasting and spitting for all 151 judges.
The Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado was there, of course, with our new 4th Edition Beer Map. This year, too, we sold our new Sisterhood of the Suds shirts to an enthusiastic crowd. We'll be making these new shirts available through our online store, and we can promise that you'll be seeing more of our new Sisterhood of the Suds program very soon. We would especially like to thank the thousands of beer enthusiasts who stopped by our exhibit to visit, share beer likes and dislikes, and check out our new 4th edition beer map. "Cheers!" to you, and mark your calendars now for next year's 30th Anniversary GABF, Sept.29-30-Oct. 1, 2011.
Mike Laur © DG2C
Some of the crew from Blue Moon Brewing Company share the stage with Charlie after they were presented with the Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year award. The MillerCoors combine - which includes Blue Moon, Sandlot and AC Golden in Colorado - hauled in 11 awards total at this year's GABF.
Mike Laur © DG2C
Josh Lengner (left) and Ken Martin (center) of Steamworks Brewing Company enjoy a moment in the spotlights with Charlie Papazian as he presents them with a Gold Medal for their Backside Stout Oatmeal Stout entry at this year's GABF.
Mike Laur © DG2C
Jim Stinson (left) and Joe Fox (right) are all smiles following the award ceremony. Jim, brewer at Rockyard Brewing in Castle Rock, won a silver in the Pro-Am competition by partnering with AHA homebrewer Adam Glaser. Joe, of Del Norte Brewing, bagged a Gold Medal for Manana, winner in the American-Style Amber Lager category.
Mike Laur © DG2C
Peter Bouckeart (center) of New Belgium Brewing and his wife Frezi Van Rafelghem (at left) smile with Charlie after winning a Silver award for Eric's Ale in the American-Style Sour Ale category.
Mike Laur © DG2C
With all awards bestowed and all hands shaken, Charlie Papazian looks forward to a well-deserved beer and next year's GABF. 2011 will be the festival's 30th anniversary.
Mike Laur © DG2C
Carol, Shelley and Zenia cheered on every beer at GABF: "We Can Drink It!"
