Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywine Festival in Vail

This year's edition of the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywine Festival in Vail has come and gone, and after a few days to recover, I can't look back on it without considering it a huge success. The festival has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years. So much so that Laura and Bill Lodge, the sister/brother team that created the festival, had to find a larger room to host all of the brewers and beer fanatics. This year it was moved to the Gore Range Hall, essentially the area that the indoor tennis courts inhabit at the Aria Club and Spa in the Cascade Resort.

Upon walking into the room, I was struck by how open it felt. But it didn't really seem all that big until I started walking around and realized just how many breweries were represented. Over 140 breweries were in attendance this year. Think about that. Most states do not even have that many breweries, and for that many brewers to want to come to the tiny town of Vail, well more known for skiing and the outdoors than beer is just incredible! Sure the scenery is pretty special, and many in attendance had the added bonus of being able to ski, but Vail is certainly not a beer mecca, or even a big city that can boast a vibrant nightlife and lots of inhabitants to attend. No, this is more of a destination beer event, and those of us who are lucky enough to live here are even more fortunate to have this event come right to our backyard. Those that came from afar were treated to a world class event in a cozy environment, literally rubbing elbows with some of the world's greatest brewers throughout the entire weekend.

With the exception of a couple of beer dinners at local restaurants, and some tap takeovers at local bars, the majority of the event takes place at the Cascade Resort, which makes it really homey. Many of the brewers stay there. A lounge is set up where the attending breweries provide donated kegs of beer for the public to try without splurging on the ticket to the grand tasting, with the proceeds going to local charity. This provides a great gathering area throughout the weekend. There are also a number of seminars each year, adding an educational element not found at many beer events. This gives attendees a chance to hear the brewers speak on such topics as the advantages to brewing with certain types of malts or hops, barrel aging, brewing sour beers, etc. I found the seminar on winter warmer beers to be fun and informative. As experienced and knowledgeable as these folks are, the atmosphere is always light and fun.

This certainly isn't a run of the mill beer tasting. The commercial tasting on Saturday is one of a kind. The beers that are showcased are, with a few exceptions, big beers indeed. The beers you may see on a daily basis in 6 packs at your local shop generally aren't to be found here. This is an event where brewers showcase their specialty beers. The general threshold for a beer to be allowed in is 7% alcohol by volume, and many are far above that. But it isn't just about high alcohol levels. The beers here have been tweaked, torqued and twisted. Some are seasonal beers that are only brewed once a year. Others are versions of year round beers that have been enhanced in one way or another. Some have been aged in barrels that once held bourbon, rum, gin or wine. Others have been altered by the addition of wild yeast strains or certain bacteria in order to make them sour or have a funky barnyard taste. These brewers are at the cutting edge of an industry that is constantly evolving and trying new things, and the fans love it. The folks that come to this festival are here for the variety and the opportunity to try new things, and are rewarded handsomely.

I could go into many of the beers that I tried and liked, but you'd just have to take my word for it if you weren't fortunate enough to attend the event. Instead I'll give you 5 that we currently carry here at West Vail Liquor so that you can actually pick them up and try them yourselves.

Odell Friek. The Belgians are famous for their lambics, beers that are left to ferment in open vats which allow some funky yeasts to get into the beer. Some have fruit added such as framboise (raspberries) or kriek (cherries.) Odell has taken this style and put a decidedly American twist on it in their Friek, a combination of a framboise and a kriek fermented with wild yeast and aged in oak barrels. The result is a beer that is both tart and sweet, with some sourness and a dry finish. Not as big as most of the beers at the festival at 6.5% abv, it won’t knock you on your butt, but instead will leave you wanting more. It comes out once a year, and we have a few bottles left at $18.99 for 750mls.

Schmaltz Brewing's St. Lenny's. One of my favorite big beers that is available regularly in 4 packs is Schmaltz's Lenny's Rye I.P.A., a robust India Pale Ale with a spicy rye edge and strong at 10% abv. St. Lenny's is the same beer brewed with Belgian yeast, giving it a complex profile and a bit of a spicy aftertaste that compliments the big hop flavor perfectly. $9.99 for a 22oz bottle.

Bonfire Brewery's Pom Pom Sour. The local boys have begun to release some sour beers, and this one is a big hit! It is a traditional American wheat style beer with pomegranate added during fermentation. The beer is then aged in whiskey barrels and has lactobacillus added to give it a nice pucker. Again not as strong as most of the big beers at 4.5%, but it is a great example of an experimental sour beer. $15.99 for a 22oz bottle.

Avery Mephistophles. This is one of the biggest beers at the festival. It is a very complex imperial stout, with a velvety mouthfeel and notes of dark fruits, chocolate, grapes and a nice espresso finish. Coal black, rich and strong at 15%. $9.99 for a 12oz bottle.

Breckenridge Well Built ESB. This is a hard one to find, as it is generally not distributed in our area of the mountains. It is a small batch ESB (extra special bitter), an English style with pronounced maltiness and nice hop profile, which is then aged in Stranahan whiskey barrels. It has a great whiskey flavor, but is not hot or overly strong at 7.8%. $34.99 for a 750ml bottle.

So if you missed the festival, put it on your calendar for next year in early January. Check out their web site at www.bigbeersfestival.com for more information on next year's fest. And in the mean time, stop on in to West Vail Liquor and let us show you some of the beers that were at this year's fest!
Chip Bartsch
Beer Buyer

The Modern Red Blend…

We have seen an increase in the amount of domestic Red Blends leaving our store recently. There will always be trends in wine; recently the rise of Pinot Noir (which caused the decline of Merlot in my opinion), Malbec from Argentina, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and so on. We have seen the Red Blend come back to popularity. There are lots of names for different Red Blends; traditionally Bordeaux style Red Blends comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc have been referred to as a “Meritage” or “Claret”. Traditional Rhone style Red Blends using Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre (G.S.M.) have been imitated all over the world. But these new Red Blends that I speak of are a different breed and the main ingredient is Zinfandel.
The Apothic, Cupcake Red Velvet, Menage a Trois (all $11.99) all from the Central Coast of California, all have a percentage of Zinfandel in the composition. Zinfandel can provide that more extracted, higher sugar content that allows for a touch of sweetness on the palate. This accompanied with Syrah, Petit Syrah and other similar grapes from California’s Central Coast is developing a unique style of wine. These more affordable Red Blends are taking off maybe because they all do have a certain level of residual sugar which makes them come off as slightly sweet red wine. This isn’t Lambrusco sweet, but definitely markets itself as a more approachable semi-sweet red wine. These wines are great options for customers that don’t enjoy an overly tannic, very dry red wine. This is an easy intro wine style that is definitely more approachable if you are starting to get into drinking wine.
Whether it is in New Zealand or Argentina or California, these New World Wines are getting more extraction; more pure fruit driven wines. Maybe that goes hand in hand with the modern palate. This definitely is not for everyone, some would argue with the direction of this modern wine style. Yet it can not be ignored, it is just an expansion on the options a modern wine drinker has.

Nick,

Wine Buyer, West Vail Liquor Mart