Bim's Take on 2011 GABF

Once again, BC4M invaded Denver. Only this time, with our spouses at our side, we kept our shit together so as not to embarass the family names. Ordinarily, we might dress like sheep or lumberjacks to such an event. I even toyed with wearing our official BC4M thong. Thank God for our better halves. Instead, I opted for a very casual, hotel robe ensemble, echoing my "continental" character.

BEST PART OF GABF:  The rare beer tasting. Beers were amazing, meeting the brewers was a real pleasure. Sam Calagione was there, as was Brooklyn Beer's Garret Oliver and Foothill's Jamie  Bartholomaus, but the real rock star brewer was Patrick Rue. A down to earth guy who's beers rule!

WORST PART OF GABF: The rare beer tasting. After tasting all 30 rare beers, I had a good buzz going by 4 o'clock, with a whole night of non-rare beer tasting ahead. I am a professional, so after a brief nap, I soldiered on, but it wasn't easy.

THINGS I LEARNED: Some hot dogs have horse buttholes in them (not something I learned at GABF, but I learned this relatively close to it...and I think it's an important thing to know). The Atlanta Airport public restroom is not the best place to poop,  better to hold it until you get home. Airport shitters are scary places. I did get a free ankle massage, but at what cost...at what cost.... Fred has dreams involving unicorns...I shit you not. That may be the most frightening thing I learned the entire week.

CONCLUSION:  It's truly a great event. We managed to work in brewery tours in Ft. Collins and Longmont. Met lots of really awesome people, (Joe and Joe the fishing guides in Ft. Collins, Brad Clark, head brewer of Jackie O's, the great staff at the Teatro Hotel, John Holzer of New Brew Thursday, and countless others). Even found some hippy's long forgotten doobie hidden on the hotel windowsill. But what struck me most was that, despite the great diversity, everyone shared one common passion and that was a real love of craft beer. Believe me, that's not as simple as it sounds when one compares the great breweries we visited (Oskar Blues, O'Dell, New Belgium) with some that were damn scary (Big Beaver, in some half-ass garage, with a Joey Ramone clone serving up 8 different beers in mason jars, one worse than the next). In fact, Big Beaver was the weirdest brewery (term used loosely) that I've ever been to, and yet it was full of people (term used loosely) drinking up the swill being served as if it was a Sam Adams Utopia. We all are looking for that unique beer taste, that diamond in the rough (which will not be found at Big Beaver). We are all, in our own way, beer lovers, and for that, I am thankful to be a part of this community. Until next year!