Friday during GABF week, I was invited to the 2nd annual meeting of the Publican National Committee. Formed the previous year in Denver, Colorado, the group is made up of the owners of most prestigious beer bars in America. Founding members are Don Younger (Horse Brass; Portland, Oregon), Tom Peters (Monk’s Cafe; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Dave Keene (The Toronado; San Francisco, California), Chris Black (The Falling Rock; Denver, Colorado) and Matt Bonney and Matt VandenBerghe (Brouwer’s; Seattle, Washington). Dr. Bill is also an honorary member, as a publican without a pub.

Dinner was held at Sullivan’s, a wonderful steak house in LoDo.

The meeting commenced with copious amounts of fine wine, beer and spirits.

My entree of filet mignon, smothered in blue cheese crumble with a side of lobster tail.

Each year, the PNC plans to nominate one new member. This year, Ray Deter of d.b.a. was invited to become part of the PNC, but was unable to attend because he was opening a new bar.

The assembled members of the PNC … except one. Dave Keene and Tom Peters have their arms around an invisible Don Younger, who chose not to attend this year to protest his being named president the previous year. At last year’s inaugural event, Don stayed at the bar — where smoking was still permitted — and his absence at the table resulted in his election to the highest PNC office. Don is planning on attending next year so that he can impeach himself for failing to show this year.

The assembled members, Matt Bonney, Dave Keene, Tom Peters, Matt VandenBerghe and Chris Black, without Don Younger.

The entire PNC Convention attendees. Non-members there included myself, behind Dayna Guy (of Toronto’s beer bistro). Behind her is Matt Younts (from Click Wholesale Distributing in Seattle). On the right there’s Dr. Bill. Behind Chris is Cheryl Black, and all the way in the back is Ian Roberts (also from Brouwers), Dave Keene’s better half Jennifer, and the beer chef, Bruce Paton.

The next beer dinner of the Beer Chef at the Cathedral Hill Hotel will feature something a little more unusual. Instead of one brewery’s beers, it will feature a variety of San Francisco beers paired with various local cheese and dishes made with cheese. Also on hand will be Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection, who will conduct “A Beer and Cheese Pairing Education.”

It will be a four-course dinner and well worth the $75 price of admission. It will be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel on Monday, October 20, 2008, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations as soon as possible to insure a seat at the dinner.

The Menu:

Reception: 7:00 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre Selection and Cheese Tasting

Beer: A Selection of Beers from the San Francisco Brewers Guild

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Puree of Sugar Pie Pumpkin with Gratin of Beehive Full Moon Raw Milk Cheese

Beer: Thirsty Bear Ocktobearfest

Second Course:

Napoleon of Oven Roasted Pears and Delice de la Vallee Cheese with Peppercress

Beer: Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen

Third Course:

Olive Oil Poached Duck Breast with Carbonera of Duck Confit, Hobbs Bacon and Aged Gouda

Beer: 21st Amendment Diesel (Imperial Smoked Porter)

Fourth Course:

Mac and Cheese Custard with Franklin Teleme Cheese and Fig Compote

Beer: Magnolia Deep Ellum Dubbel

 
10.20

Dinner with the Brewmaster: Cheese & Beer

Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]
 

This is another of my slightly off-topic rants, and I hope you’ll forgive the intrusion of politics once more into what should be all about the beer, but with a very important election just around the corner I just can’t help myself. Tonight is the final debate between the two major-party candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, and naturally no third-party candidates will be invited to participate in this evening’s debate.

That’s old news, but what perhaps you didn’t know is that Anheuser-Busch is one of eight major sponsors of the four debates (three presidential and one vice-presidential) through the corporate-funded, tax-exempt Commission on Presidential Debates, which essentially stole the right to stage debates from the League of Women Voters in 1988.

The first televised debates were sponsored solely by the major television networks, but in 1976 the League of Women Voters took over the debates. The League then held the next three debate cycles, through 1984. Apparently, both the Democratic and Republican parties didn’t like the League’s management of the debates, primarily because they told the parties what to do and wouldn’t cede enough control of the process to them. Frankly, that seems like the right approach to me, because as long as everyone is treated the same, how exactly is that unfair? But instead, here’s what happened, according to an account by the Center for Public Integrity.

Then, as Connie Rice, a prominent Los Angeles-based civil rights lawyer and commentator on National Public Radio, characterizes it, “The debates were hijacked.” In 1988, the two major political parties seized control — against the wishes of the League of Women Voters. The Democratic and Republican national committees argued in a joint press release that their co-sponsorship would “better fulfill our party responsibilities to inform and educate the electorate, strengthen the role of political parties in the electoral process and, most important of all . . . institutionalize the debates, making them an integral and permanent part of the presidential debate process.” Rather than trying to change the way the League ran the debates, the two national party chairmen simply “commissioned” their own “independent” debate entity — and put themselves in charge.

With that, the Commission on Presidential Debates came into existence, led by then-Democratic National Committee Chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. and then-Republican National Committee Chairman Frank H. Fahrenkopf Jr. They hired one full-time employee, a Republican former Senate staffer named Janet Brown. The three have led the Commission since its inception, with a board of directors made up primarily of committed partisans from the two major parties. The Commission sponsors and produces the debates, picks the locations, sets the rules, selects the moderators, and determines which candidates participate.

The New York Times recently had their own take on the CPD entitled In Staging Events, Debate Commission Gets Help From Corporate America. Their account includes more about Anheuser-Busch’s participation. A-B has been a major sponsor since 1996, and they’ve been the only sponsor to contribute money to the CPD each of the last four elections. According to the Times’ article, not everybody is happy with this arrangement.

“We are very concerned,” said George Farah, executive director at Open Debates, a nonpartisan group critical of the commission. “We don’t think that this most sacred forum should be brought to you by Anheuser-Busch.”

Corporations are barred from making campaign contributions, but they can donate to the Commission on Presidential Debates, whose two co-chairmen are former heads of the two major political parties. In addition, sponsors receive tickets to the events allowing them to “hobnob with campaign staff advisers and managers who will be senior advisers in the next administration,” Mr. Farah said.

The Times’ article continues about Anheser-Busch, and A-B defends their sponsorship of the debates.

By far the most prominent backer is Anheuser-Busch, a debate sponsor since 1992. Not only does the beer company donate directly to the commission, but it also sponsors a hospitality tent at each debate, where members of the news media and others who are working can receive free food, beer and other refreshments.

“We hope our hospitality area will provide a welcome opportunity to relax with some great food and ice-cold beverages,” said an Anheuser-Busch invitation to the tent. “If you’re looking for a little entertainment, you’ll be able to watch some of our latest television spots and enter a drawing for a chance to win a Budweiser fire pit, perfect for outdoor gatherings this fall.”

Francine Katz, vice president for communications and corporate affairs at Anheuser-Busch, declined to say how much the company spent on the debates, except that it is “a very significant sum.” Compared with events like the Olympics and the political conventions, the debates offer minimal opportunities for Anheuser-Busch to promote its brand, she said.

Others have raised concerns, as well, such as media and social critic David Rosen in his piece, Debates a Sham, No Argument. Then there’s two interesting articles by Allison Kilkenny, Meet Your Debate Sponsors! and Presidential Hate Week.

With much, if not most, of Republican hopeful John McCain’s fortunes coming from his wife’s Anheuser-Busch distributorship, it’s hard to avoid speculating about what this all means, and it does seem to raise some perception issues, at the very least. I keep coming back to how easily A-B managed to get the California Trash & Trinkets bill passed earlier this year, despite overwhelming opposition and being the only beer company supporting it. With that much political clout, can there be any doubt that sponsoring the debates sends the message to all politicians that what’s good for A-B, is good for the country. And in my mind, that’s just not how democracy is supposed to work.

There was an interesting AP story by Eric Gorski, the Religion Correspondent for the Associated Press, giving his take on the Great American Beer Festival, which from the article it sounds like he attended. The article is called Finding God at a Beer Festival. It’s nice to see a positive spin from the religious community for a change.

On Thursday during GABF week, we held a reception at the Falling Rock for SF Beer Week. We served several California beers and had available SF Beer Week t-shirts and postcards to spread awareness of our event next Febrewary. Given that it was the beginning of the festival, we had a pretty decent turnout and it was a good first event. We now have t-shirts for sale, to help raise money to promote SF Beer Week. The cost is $20. If you’d like to buy one, drop me a line and I’ll arrange to get one to you.

The SF Beer Week set-up at the Falling Rock.

Rich Higgins, from Gordon Biersch in San Francisco, who took charge of getting the beer to Colorado.

Tom Dalldorf and British beer writer Tim Webb.

Notice the SF Beer Week banner on the wall.

Jessica Jones, who writes the Thirsty Hopster (top right), along with her sister (bottom left) and friends.

Me, sporting my SF Beer Week shirt, with Tim Webb.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this, or whether I should laugh or cry. The Paul Frank stores around the country are holding voter registration drives between September 23 and October 20. That’s all well and good, and I applaud that effort. But according to the SFist (and thanks to Motor for bringing this to my attention), today (and today only apparently, from 3-6 pm), the San Francisco location (262 Sutter Street) is giving free Budweiser in exchange for you registering to vote. While beer being used to get people to vote has a long and storied history, I was fairly certain it’s frowned upon these days. Didn’t Michel Moore get into hot water for giving underwear away for the same thing? But if Paul Frank is going to get in trouble for giving away beer, I wish it was for at least a neutral or tastier beer.

The 27th annual Great American Beer Festival was held last week. On Saturday, after three intensive days of judging, the Brewers Association awarded 222 medals for beers entered in 75 different style categories.

In addition, awards were given out for the small, medium and large breweries and small and large brewpubs of the year.

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Doug Muhleman

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
Pyramid Breweries Inc.
Simon Pesch

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year:
AleSmith Brewing Co.
The AleSmith Brewing Team

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year:
Rock Bottom Brewing
Rock Bottom Brewing Team

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year:
Redwood Brewing Co.
Bill Wamby

And here are the main awards:

Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager – 25 Entries
Gold: Lone Star, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Hamm’s, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Blue Boar Pale Ale, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer – 21 Entries
Gold: Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: Spanish Peak Crystal Weiss, Spanish Peaks Brewing Co., Stamford, CT
Bronze: American Wheat, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS

Category: 3 American-Style Hefeweizen – 52 Entries
Gold: Henry Weinhard’s Hefeweizen, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Whitetail Wheat, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT

Category: 4 Fruit or Vegetable Beer – 87 Entries
Gold: Pyramid Apricot Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: Alaskan Raspberry Wheat Beer, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Sangre de Frambuesa, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM

Category: 5 Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer – 72 Entries
Gold: Russian Roulette, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Pangaea, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: State Beach Blonde, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category: 6 Coffee Flavored Beer – 28 Entries
Gold: Java the Hut, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons – Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Silver: Big Shot Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Double Espresso Stout, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Category: 7 Specialty Beer – 21 Entries
Gold: Red & White, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Silver: Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Bronze: Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE

Category: 8 Rye Beer – 24 Entries
Gold: Roggenbier, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Right On Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Bronze: Ryeteous Red, Amherst Brewing Co., Amherst, MA

Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer – 33 Entries
Gold: Honey Lager, Capitol City Brewing Co. – Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
Silver: Eye of the Storm, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: Honey Moon Summer Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 10 Session Beer – 33 Entries
Gold: 3.2 Unfiltered Wheat Beer, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: USS Minnow Mild Ale, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Blonde Bombshell, Cascade Lakes Brewing Co., Redmond, OR

Category: 11 Other Strong Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Derail Ale, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: FiftyFifty Imperial Stout, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA

Category: 12 Experimental Beer – 82 Entries
Gold: Arquebus, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA
Silver: Fifteen Avery Anniversary Ale, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Le Pelican Brun, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR

Category: 13 Gluten-Free Beer – 10 Entries
Gold: Redbridge, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: New Grist, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Chinquapin Butte Golden Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

Category: 14 American-Belgo Style Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Xtra Gold, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY
Silver: Brush Fire Ale, Pump House Restaurant & Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Big Wednesday, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA

Category: 15 American-Style or German-Style Sour Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: The Dissident, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Brute, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: Fifth Element, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 16 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 25 Entries
Gold: Old Jack, Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Indianapolis), Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Buffalo Bock, Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Indianapolis), Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Beastie Barrel Stout, Barley Island Brewing Co., Fishers, IN

Category: 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 79 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Central Waters Brewing Co., Amherst, WI
Silver: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Golden Delicious, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY

Category: 18 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 27 Entries
Gold: Beekeeper, Bullfrog Brewery, Williamsport, PA
Silver: Cherry Dubbel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Newark, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Cascade Kriek Ale, Cascade Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category: 19 Aged Beer – 38 Entries
Gold: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2006, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Silver: Vintage Speedway Stout, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Samuel Adams Utopias 2003, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category: 20 Kellerbier/Zwickelbier – 23 Entries
Gold: Helles Keller, Fredericksburg Brewing Co., Fredericksburg, TX
Silver: Hell In Keller, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que, Austin, TX
Bronze: Zwickel, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 21 Smoke-Flavored Beer – 31 Entries
Gold: Rauch Bier, Sly Fox Brewing Co., Royersford, PA
Silver: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2007, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Second Hand Smoke, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 22 International-Style Pilsener – 22 Entries
Gold: Session Premium Lager, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Yep, Still Boneheads, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: OE 800, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 23 German-Style Pilsener – 44 Entries
Gold: Kaiser Pilsner, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Silver: Party Pants Pilsener, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Prima Pils, Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, PA

Category: 24 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 34 Entries
Gold: Pleasantville Pils, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Pallavicini Pilsner, Pug Ryans Brewery, Dillon, CO
Bronze: Double Aught, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA

Category: 25 Munich-Style Helles – 30 Entries
Gold: Himmelbrau Helles, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Saint Arnold Summer Pils, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: BS Helles, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 26 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 16 Entries
Gold: Rolling Thunder Dortmunder, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY
Silver: Westy Export, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons-Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Bronze: Penn Oktoberfest, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA

Category: 27 America-Style Light Lager – 25 Entries
Gold: Coors Light, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Keystone Light, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 28 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager – 29 Entries
Gold: Olympia, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Blatz, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 29 American-Style Specialty Lager – 24 Entries
Gold: Hurricane High Gravity, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: Natural Ice, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Busch Ice
, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO

Category: 30 Vienna-Style Lager – 28 Entries
Gold: Vienna Red Lager, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – West Chester, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Oaktoberfest, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Clipper City MarzHon, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category: 31 German-Style Märzen – 48 Entries
Gold: Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: Saratoga Lager, Olde Saratoga Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, NY
Bronze: Munsterfest, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN

Category: 32 American-Style Amber Lager – 43 Entries
Gold: BJ’s Oktoberfest, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Old Scratch Amber Lager, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: El Oso, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA

Category: 33 European-Style Dunkel – 18 Entries
Gold: Munich Dark, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Silver: Bastone Münchner Dunkel, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Bronze: Michelob AmberBock, Michelob Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO

Category: 34 American-Style Dark Lager – 12 Entries
Silver: Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Bronze: Henry Weinhard’s Classic Dark, MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 35 German-Style Schwarzbier – 23 Entries
Gold: B3K, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Cherny Bock, Bohemian Brewery, Midvale, UT
Bronze: Black Noddy Lager, Buckbean Brewing Co., Reno, NV

Category: 36 Bock – 39 Entries
Gold: Goat Rancher, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Bock Lager, Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant, Elk Grove, CA
Bronze: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 37 German-Style Strong Bock – 19 Entries
Gold: Capital Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Co., Inc., Middleton, WI
Silver: Deep Water Dopplebock, Thomas Creek Brewery, Greenville, SC
Bronze: Red Cock Doppel Bock, Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI

Category: 38 Baltic-Style Porter – 18 Entries
Gold: Kick in the Baltic Porter, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Louisville, KY
Silver: Killer Kowalski, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: SMP, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Brooklyn, NY

Category: 39 Golden or Blonde Ale – 40 Entries
Gold: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Silver: Alaskan Summer Ale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: All Nighter, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV

Category: 40 German-Style Kölsch – 42 Entries
Gold: Wind Blown Blonde, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE
Silver: Sierra Nevada Kolsch Style Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Guido’s Kolner Brau, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY

Category: 41 English-Style Summer Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: Surfer’s Summer Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Silver: Montgomery Blonde, Montgomery Brewing Co., Montgomery, AL
Bronze: 312 ‘Urban Wheat Ale’, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 42 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Full Sail Pale Ale, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Clipper City Pale Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Bronze: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN

Category: 43 English-Style India Pale Ale – 28 Entries
Bronze: Hop Daddy IPA, Main Street Brewery, Corona, CA

Category: 44 American-Style Pale Ale – 76 Entries
Gold: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Drake’s 1500 Pale, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Firestone Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 45 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 71 Entries
Gold: Hop Bomb, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Nectar Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Organic IPA, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR

Category: 46 American-Style India Pale Ale – 104 Entries
Gold: Union Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Blind Pig IPA, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Hop Head, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category: 47 Imperial or Double India Pale Ale – 50 Entries
Gold: Hopnotic 2X IPA, San Diego Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Hip Hop Double IPA, Hollister Brewing Co., Goleta, CA
Bronze: Hop 15, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category: 48 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 65 Entries
Gold: Dry Hopped Red, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Silver: CascaZilla, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: American Amber, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR

Category: 49 Imperial or Double Red Ale – 30 Entries
Gold: Rock Hopera Imperial IPA, Vino’s Pizza • Pub • Brewery, Little Rock, AR
Silver: Alpha Dog Double Red Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Weekender Red Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO

Category: 50 Bitter or Pale Mild Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Drop Top, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Hopsmith Pale Ale, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 51 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter – 43 Entries
Gold: Bachelor ESB, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Sweetwater Motorboat ESB, Sweetwater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Bronze: Standing Wave Pale Ale, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand Junction, CO

Category: 52 Scottish-Style Ale – 24 Entries
Gold: Highland Courage, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Silver: Dells Chief Amber Ale, Dells Brewing Co., Wisconsin Dells, WI
Bronze: Railbender Ale, Erie Brewing Co., Erie, PA

Category: 53 Irish-Style Red Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Red Rocks Red Ale, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Ragtop Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Bronze: Eric The Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – Orland Park, Orland Park, IL

Category: 54 English-Style Dark Mild Ale or Brown Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Old Elk Brown Ale, Walnut Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: OB-1, Snake River Brewing Jackson, Jackson, WY

Category: 55 American-Style Brown Ale – 47 Entries
Gold: Kick-Ass Brown, C.H. Evans Brewing at the Albany Pump Station, Albany, NY
Silver: Bitch Creek ESB, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor, ID
Bronze: Bad Dog Brown Ale, Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant, Elk Grove, CA

Category: 56 German-Style Altbier – 27 Entries
Gold: The Detroit Dwarf, The Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Silver: Railyard Ale, Titletown Brewing Co., Green Bay, WI
Bronze: All The Way Alt, Desert Edge Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 57 South German-Style Hefeweizen – 52 Entries
Gold: Wixa Weiss, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: The Love, Starr Hill Brewing Co., Crozet, VA
Bronze: Mueller Hefeweizen, Springfield Brewing Co., Springfield, MO

Category: 58 German-Style Wheat Ale – 32 Entries
Gold: I’m Half the Beer I Used to Be, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Dark-n-Curvy Dunkelweizen, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Wasatch Hefeweizen, Wasatch Brew Pub, Park City, UT

Category: 59 Belgian-Style Witbier – 53 Entries
Gold: Mothership Wit/Organic Wheat Beer, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Belgian Wit, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Squatters Wit, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 60 French- and Belgian-Style Saison – 37 Entries
Gold: Saison, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – West Chester, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Saison, Nodding Head Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Luciernaga, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI

Category: 61 Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: Redemption, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Pride, Midnight Sun Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Rare Vos, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY

Category: 62 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 29 Entries
Gold: Lambic de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Upstream Gueuze-Lambic, Upstream Brewing Co., Omaha, NE
Bronze: Cassis de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Newark, Wilmington, DE

Category: 63 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 53 Entries
Gold: Bishop’s Tipple Trippel, Main Street Brewery, Corona, CA
Silver: Abbey Dubbel, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ
Bronze: 6th Glass, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category: 64 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 44 Entries
Gold: Darth Delirium, Moose’s Tooth Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Silver: Brother David’s Double, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
Bronze: Golden Armor, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Highlands
Ranch), Highlands Ranch, CO

Category: 65 Brown Porter – 30 Entries
Gold: BlackWatch Cream Porter, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA
Silver: FireHouse Porter, FireHouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA
Bronze: Prospector Porter, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 66 Robust Porter – 47 Entries
Gold: Nolan’s Porter, Barrio Brewing Co., Tucson, AZ
Silver: Sweet Sanderine Porter, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Pacemaker Porter, Flyers Restaurant and Brewery, Oak Harbor, WA

Category: 67 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO
Bronze: Port Truck Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category: 68 Foreign-Style Stout – 28 Entries
Gold: Whiteface Black Diamond Stout, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Silver: Black Bear XX Stout, Alameda Brewhouse, Portland, OR
Bronze: Black Hole XXX Stout, Chelsea Brewing Co., New York, NY

Category: 69 American-Style Stout – 23 Entries
Gold: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO
Silver: Black Mocha Stout, Highland Brewing Co., Asheville, NC
Bronze: Troegs Dead Reckoning, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA

Category: 70 Sweet Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Silver: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Bronze: Cow Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category: 71 Oatmeal Stout – 32 Entries
Gold: Oatmeal Stout, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Oatmeal Stout, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA

Category: 72 Imperial Stout – 44 Entries
Gold: BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Silver: Night Rider Imperial Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 73 Strong Scotch Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Bag Pipe’s Scotch Ale, Allentown/Bethlehem Brew Works, Allentown, PA

Category: 74 Old Ale or Strong Ale – 40 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Decadence Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Old Scrooge, Silver City Restaurant & Brewery, Silverdale, WA
Bronze: Old Scratch Barley Wine ‘99, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., Madison, WI

Category: 75 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Treblehook, Redhook Ales Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Scratch #4 “The Flying Mouflan”, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA

Last week, I arrived for the 27th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. After a full day of judging Wednesday, the rest of the brewers, beer people and civilians began arriving in town (except for those that weren’t locals, natch) and GABF week kicked into high gear.

GABF sold out again this year — that’s not new — but did so a record two weeks before the event took place. That’s frankly amazing, and the increased number of scalpers was a testament to just how popular the event has become. A beer festival like a Dead show? That’s also pretty remarkable. Can a Friday afternoon session be in the works for future years?

That’s the plus side. On the other side of the equation, the sell-out crowds also means that the festival is likewise more crowded even on Thursday, where in year’s past it was relatively easier to walk the hall and sample the beer. It used to start out with a more modest crowd Thursday and get increasingly more densely packed until Saturday when it became wall-to-wall. Now it’s roughly the same every night with only the Saturday afternoon session having more breathing room, though several hours of that session are always spent at the awards ceremony instead of out on the floor, tasting.

Without a change to the layout (wider aisles, different rooms, booths more spread out, etc.) it’s just going to get worse, I suspect. It seemed like there more merchandise and beer-related booths this year, and that’s a welcome trend. I think the “You Be the Judge” booth is a great idea and I liked the expanded bookstore, too. I’d like to see even more of those types of activities to give people something else to do instead of just drinking as fast as possible, which is what inevitably many still do, though I confess I was bit perplexed by the free haircut and goatee trimming booth.

In recent years, the festival seems to have lost a bit of the educational component to the festival, apart from some food events and hard-to-hear roundtable discussions. Admittedly, that’s hard to do in such a large setting. But some more hands-on education would, I think, be a welcome addition. Perhaps a homebrewing demonstration where people could see how it’s done or even a little BYO set-up where people could get a taste of the brewing process. I seem to recall that when the festival was still held in the outskirts of Denver back in the early 1990s (some one correct me if my memory is faulty) that the hall was either in separate, connected rooms or had much higher temporary ceilings so it felt that way. Being more separated created a feeling of more intimacy and it seemed less overwhelming as a result. In those days when someone dropped a glass, the resulting cries wafted through the hall and sounded more like a choir, whereas nowadays it’s just obnoxious sounding — and people do it on purpose just to get a rise. Of course, I could just be romanticizing the past, awash with nostalgia as my progression to old curmudgeon nears completion.

Anyway, enough quibbling, it was a great event again this year and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As always, the festival is about two things: the beer, of course, but also the people I see year after year at GABF. If not for them, I don’t think the beer would taste as good. Because unshared beer never tastes quite as delicious as when it includes conversation, camaraderie and friendship. Click on the link below for many more pictures from the Thursday and Friday sessions.
 

The calm before the storm, just moments before GABF began.

As usual, the hall was filled with people in the beer world, so walking around was like old home week. Here, Bruce Paton, the Beer Chef, Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, and Dave Keene, from the Toronado, in the convention center.

For many more photos from this year’s Great American Beer Festival, visit the photo gallery.
 

Here’s a fun little food exercise. Andrew at Very Good Taste, an English food blog, posted a list of one hundred things every omnivore should eat or drink, asking bloggers across the world to post the list, annotating it with the items they’ve had and crossing out the ones they’d never, ever try. There’s an even an FAQ about the list, which answers some basic questions about how it came about. So without further ado, here’s the list:

The Very Good Taste Ominvore’s 100

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I did a lot better than I expected I would, with 63 already tried, not counting any that I’m not entirely sure what the are. Case in point, I originally left off epoisses. My friend and colleague, Stephen Beaumont, however, reminded me that he actually brought us some of that cheese when my wife Sarah was pregnant with Alice. You can read his own account of the list on his On the House blog.

How many have you tried?

After a little over twenty-four hours at home, I left early this morning for Denver, where I’m judging again at the Great American Beer Festival. Orientation was earlier this evening and we begin at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. I got a pretty good group of styles this year, and some real gems. It should be a fun time. Stay tuned for more as GABF week unfolds.