BBC 2010 - Pearl Street Pub Crawl

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

November 6^th Pub Crawl on Pearl Street

How do you top a satisfying meal coupled with Boulder Beer's brewery fresh drafts and an all access brewery tour? The answer is to get lost in the throng on Pearl Street in a good old fashioned pub crawl.  The Beer Blogger’s Conference hosted by Zephyr Adventures had made arrangements with several local establishments for us, the bloggers, to visit. All establishments offered a free sample of beer to those attending the conference. All we had to do was show our badge.

West End Tavern - 926 Pearl Street

Decisions, decisions. Where to begin?

First up was the West End Tavern where I sampled some Avery Hog Heaven. It was a deep ruby red color with lots of malt flavor and whoo, the alcohol!

The West End Tavern sports a very rough and ready wooden bar that had looked like it was one of the original bars on Pearl. There were many tap handles on the front of the bar, ready to dispense all the local liquid gold you could imagine. Heading out, we chatted it up with some group of local fellows, indulging in some fine craft brews. They asked us questions about our travelling crawl and we broke into conversation about craft beer.  Some bloggers’s cards were exchanged along with smiles.  We bid farewell and departed for our next stop.

Old Chicago - 1102 Pearl Street

Angel's Tears

Old Chicago was the next place on the billet. Immediately upon entering, I spied a Tullamore Dew bar-rubber and asked the bartender if I could get one. Tullamore Dew is what I prefer to drink, when I’m not drinking beer, and you do not see it in many bars. It is my rough measuring stick to judge a fine bar. Well, needless to say, the item was gifted, after explaining this to the bartender. No names, don’t want anyone getting in trouble, but he got a nice tip! Mr. Bartender-dude, you are awesome.  Onto the beer, I glanced down the extensive list of tap handles and made 2 Below from New Belgium my next  selection.

More surprises awaited us at Old Chicago as our group was photographed and interviewed for an upcoming article from Westword Denver. A photo journalist was covering the Beer Blogger’s Conference for Westword Denver; specifically the pub crawl portion of the agenda. Lucky us. Come to think of it, this afternoon, Jason Cormier did mention in his presentation to the beer bloggers, how his New Belgium shirt luck would rub off on us. He considers it his good luck charm, so it stands to reason that the New Belgium 2 Below we ordered, fulfilled his prediction that good things happen. Bingo, right on the money!

The Boulder Draft House - 2027 13th Street

Hop'Stache

Erik finds a PBR

The third way point on our journey was The Boulder Draft House, situated just off Pearl Street, on 13th.  The Hop’stache beer I selected while there, was a no-brainer. If you have ever seen the walrus mustache I have, you would certainly understand why it was the brew to order. This joint was rocking with a live band and the crowd was jumping to the tunes.  Aimlessly walking around the barroom eyeballing the selection of pub craft brews, we spied someone’s PBR on a small shelf. Hey, not judging, just saying. I have thrown back a few of those in my day too. Good fun.

Conor O'Neill's - 1922 13th Street

Conor O'Neill's is as Irish as it comes and was absolutely packed, this evening. Elbow to elbow we made our way through the place and got split up several times. We reconnoitered back near the main entry.  The long bar that snaked its way throughout the place. Looking up on a shelf behind the other Irish whiskeys, my favorite bottle of Tullamore Dew was looking so alone.  One order of angel’s tears later, I completely forgot about ordering my free beer. No worries. The band was pounding out tunes and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves at this point.

Mountain Sun - 1535 Pearl Street

Find your way back to the hotel.

Mountain Sun was the last call on this tour.  Long and narrow dimensionally and the bar at the back of the room.  Nice selection of drafts on hand here as the multiple crawl groups began to collect inside and out on the sidewalk. Ordered a Pumpkin something-or-other, (it was hard to keep track at this point), and upon finishing, went back out into the refreshing night air. Sandman was calling us now, loud and clear. Not knowing where in the hell I was, I was just hoping for someone to walk with, back to the hotel.  I spotted Greg Koch leaving and asked if he would like company on the walk back. Thank goodness he knew how to navigate the streets. I would have surely taken a wrong turn. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, we were back. safe and sound and bid each other good night.

What a night. Certainly one I won’t soon forget. It was truly a great experience.  All that great craft beer and terrific people made it the best way to spend the night away.

Firkin Cool Pub Crawl !

BBC 2010 - Boulder Beer Brewery Tour

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

One of the original cradles of craft brewing (43rd brewing license issued in the United States), Boulder Beer began operations in 1979 and has continued to thrive to this day

Some of the Boulder lineup

Queuing up in the wrist band line, (must be over 21), I noticed the line at the bar was longer, than for the food. I zigged to the chow line while the others zagged to the tap handles. There were yummy chicken fajitas with all the trimmings, complete with black beans and guacamole waiting for all us hungry beer bloggers. A scoop of rice, a little hot stuff, viola'…done! Now off to the bar!

All that, and a Singletrack Copper Ale!

Fortunately, most of the Boulder lineup makes its way to my sunny home base in Florida.  Hazed & Infused and Mojo can be found on our liquor store shelves. One brew  I hadn’t heard of was Straightline Copper Ale; so good and a great choice! It went especially well with the spicy food.  The tap room was packed, so some of us cool kids went out on the patio to dine in the chill night air. Laughter and good conversation ensued as we enjoyed the food, beverages and each others company. Speaking of spicy things and conversation, one very heated topic on college football came up. Both sides agreed to disagree and it was great fun to watch unfold. Not naming any names…

Original copper mash tun and grist hopper

Back inside, a tour was gathering in the front room that contained two old copper mash tuns.  Our guide and "Marketing Tool", (I ain't making that up, get one of his business cards and see for yourself), Dan Weitz took us through the back workings of the brewery.  We walked by some of the more modern tanks and bottling lines, until we reached the refrigerated holding room. It was amazing to see how so much brewing equipment was literally packed into one space! Without a doubt, it was a marvel of modern engineering.

We thanked our hosts as the buses began pulling up at the front of the brewery to whisk us away to Pearl Street for our ‘pub crawl’.

Since 1979

Another great Colorado microbrewery tour! Big props and thanks to the wonderful folks at Boulder Beer for making the evening something very memorable.

Hazed and Infused neon sign

Firkin Original Microbrewery!

Boulder Brewery 
2880 Wilderness Place
Boulder, CO 80301
303.444.8448

www.boulderbeer.com


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BBC 2010 - The Night of Many Beers

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

More Beeeer! 

Beeeer!

Me and Mr. Stoat

Romey, Boles and Wenchie

A bit of a beer pictorial, featuring the one and only Mr. Stoat of Brewdog fame. Only one of 25 bottles produced, ours was the only media Stoat available, free of the $700 to $800 price tag. It's now the latest in breweriana, Mr. Stoat from Brewdog and The End of History. A 55% ABV monster in a twelve ounce bottle.

The star of the evening.

There was much more to see that evening. Building up to The End of History release, beer bloggers gathered and reveled in each others company. Everyone brought beer representative of his or her locale. We even had some rare finds from the UK brought over by a chap from England. Strong beers, easy drinkers, hard to find, widely talked about all start to describe non-industry sub classifications of beer between fellow bloggers.

The party went on late into the evening...



Firkin Rare Beer Gathering!

BBC 2010 - Oskar Blues Brewery Tour

Firkin Around...Longmont, Colorado.

     Oskar Blues hosted a dinner and brewery tour for the bunch of us tonight at their Longmont facility. As our bus turned the corner at Oskar blues I spied a pickup truck that could have been mistaken for a rolling can of Ten Fidy. This is going to be special I thought aloud, to no one in particular.

We were welcomed by the staff as we exited our buses at the Lyons facility. We walked straight into the brewery where an area is sectioned off to serve as a bar and gift shop. The rest of the building is the brewery, in all of its stainless-steel working splendor!

"The Beer Wench"& me

Some of Oskar Blues lineup

An area left of the taproom was reserved for our dinner buffet, within the main brewery area.It included shredded BBQ, chicken wings with several types of dipping sauces. There was a mac & cheese...to die for. The gumbo was oh-so hot and spicy. Coleslaw, meatballs...so much food. All good and hot and plentiful. Nearby, a jockey box with Dale's Pale Ale and Old Chub was setup for quenching your thirst.

Fermentation line

All around us lay the business end of a fully operational fermentation and canning plant for beer.  It's as if they locked us kids inside the candy store! After we noshed and quenched our thirsts, the tours began.  The first thing I noticed was a skateboard lying on the ground near one of the work areas. Must be the quickest mode of transportation around the facility, I thought! You won't see that in a conventional beer processing plant. It shows the unconventional and irreverent atmosphere that is prevalent at Oskar Blues. I'd call it a young at heart attitude, and would take it over stuffy and stodgy any day. Sometimes it pays to break the rules.

Empty cans awaiting filling

Easy transportation

Speaking of the rules, we were given an insight on their Ten Fidy Imperial Ale, as to the origins of the name.  Many think it has something to do with the ABV percentage, but it was explained that they broke a formerly held 10 to 1 ratio for ingredients that the industry had long adhered to as an undeniable rule.  "F#c$ the industry, Do It Yourself" was the rally cry and Ten FIDY became the name.

Evolve!

Unconventional brewer but outstanding beer! 

Firkin canned!

Oskar Blues Brewery 
1800 Pike Road # B
Longmont, CO
303.776.1914

www.oskarblues.com

 

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Opening Comments from BBC 2010

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

 Alan Wright, Ashley Routson, Julia Herz, Jessica Daynor. These are the people that welcomed us during the first session of the conference.

We have been welcomed to the first Beer Bloggers Conference with confidence, enthusiasm and inspiration.  We are here today because we all share the same focus of getting out the good word about beer through our adventures and experiences. And of course, by blogging about the subject.

We have only been assembled for a little over an hour and have been inundated with plenty of knowledge about beer facts.  We have also been informed as to what you, the blog reader, want to hear about. Listening to your audience is one of the most important takeaways thus far.

We have discussed finding a voice and to be sure to identify with our audience. Clean elements and viewing style are also important keys to the reader.

This is the start of something epic...

BBC 2010 - Time Zones and Beer

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

Upon arrival to Denver International Airport, it occurred to me to set my watch back two hours, adjusting from Eastern Time to Mountain Time.  It also occurred to me, tomorrow is Daylight Savings Time.  We will be setting our clocks back yet another hour - - - I can almost feel myself getting younger by the minute.

Backdrop: The snow capped Rocky Mountains as seen from DIA

The fact that it’s Daylight Savings Time isn’t lost on me, either.  Chance favors the prepared, so we bloggers will be making every advantage of the time change during our pub crawl, come Saturday night.

What’s that?  Last call, you say?  Whoop, not so fast bartender…we’ve got another hour to indulge in our craft suds.

Mr. Sandman can wait!

BBC 2010 - On the way to Boulder CO

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

 

Leaving Tampa FL, bound for Boulder CO to attend the first ever Beer Bloggers Conference.  The inaugural event takes place the weekend of November 5^th, 6^th and 7^th. Of over five hundred beer bloggers identified, a little over 100 will attend this event.  I am looking forward to the chance to meet many of my brethren beer writers over the next three days of the event.

The agenda is jam packed, including two local brewery tours. Keynote speakers, bloggers of interest and brewers will take us, (the faithful advocates of craft and artisan brews), through a myriad of breakout sessions.  They will include topics such as monetizing a blog, creating a brand presence, learning how to drive more traffic to your blog, social networking, meeting brewers and learning the finer points of taste testing, and oh yes, blogging of course.  Quick, up-to-the-minute blog posts will abound to give our readers a glimpse into what is going on at this conference as it happens live and on the spot.

It is assured there will be many takeaways from this conference. Even as I write this on the plane to Boulder, I realize that the first intent will be to sharpen the focus of spreading the word about craft beer.  This will lead to better communications from the craft beer brewers, through us bloggers, reaching all the way out to those eager to learn more about this booming business of micro brewing.  I hope that your questions get covered.  Please leave comments on the posts if you need more information.

As I sit and stare out the window at 38,000 feet, munching on snack crackers and macro brewed swill, my mind reels in anticipation of the phenomenal beer that awaits.  Perhaps we can convince more airlines to carry some better beers….here’s to that revolution!

BBC 2010 - 2010 Beer Bloggers Conference

Firkin Around...Boulder, Colorado.

 It's coming. This weekend. Stay tuned for updates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It's going to be Firkin Awesome!

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Wynkoop Brewery and Restaurant

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

Wynkoop. Is it pronounced WIN-koop or is it WINE-koop? No matter, even the locals disagree. One thing everyone agrees about is it's a fine place to grab brewery fresh beer and great pub dishes in the Denver LODO area.  It's right around the corner from historic Union Station.   Fresh Beer. Good Food. We arrived around six on the final night of The Great American Beer Festival.  The Wynkoop's beer selection covers the spectrum of what craft beer drinker's seek out.  The placemat doubles as your beer guide, letting you know what's in store on tap. Our starters included Mile HIPA which had a big bump of hops.  It was delicious.  Also sampled was the B&K Schwarzbier, a dark-as-night German-style black lager, that has gently roasted flavors balanced by an understated hoppiness. It garnered them a 2008 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal in the German Schwarzbier category. Our food order included Smoked Chicken Salad; large slices of smoked chicken over greens. Greek olives, tomatoes and carrots rounded out this bowl full of good things from the garden.  A tuna melt was also chosen along with a grilled chicken club. Each in their own right had significant portion size. Though the restaurant was busy, not full, it did take a while for our orders to arrive.  The beers kept us entertained for a while. Bits of history, old and new. Named after Denver settler-turned-native Ned Wynkoop from the 19th century, the pub and brewery has been in operation since 1988, located on the corner of 18th Street and Wynkoop Street in the lower downtown (LODO) part of Denver. As previously mentioned, the historic Union Station is just around the corner.  If you find yourself waiting for a table, have your camera ready for a quick photo. Also notable, the Wynkoop is the home of the annual selection for the Beer Drinker of the Year.  This is not someone who can consume quantities of beer as the name might imply, but rather a test of knowledge.  Each year the final handful of contestants arrive at Wynkoop.  They are whittled down from across the land  and are grilled by a panel of beer savvy judges about their knowledge and prowess in the topic of all things beer. I had the honor of meeting with this year's winner, Bill Howell, from Alaska.  You can read more about Bill and his adventures with beer in his blog, Drinking on The Last Frontier. I highly recommend it.

Firkin LODO Denver!

Wynkoop Brewery and Restaurant - Denver
1634 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-297-2700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              303-297-2700      www.wynkoop.com

The 2010 Great American Beer Festival

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

And now, The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) !  This marks my second year in a row, in attendance.  I once commented about last year's event,"... it was like walking into a room of 15,000 strangers that really were friends."  That was never more evident than this year. Going in again, there was a moment of uncertainty that it would not meet the expectations of the previous year.  Last year had been so interesting and so much fun. I came to find out that because of my expanded use of Twitter and blogging, these people were truly friends that I just had not yet met. The two days spent at the event seem like a blur now, but the memories, the friends made and the beer sampled was phenomenal.  The place was full of some favorite breweries and some new.  Lots of different beer was here to sample; one thing the GABF never lacks, is variety.  Superstars of beer.  Up close and personal. So, what would be the attraction this year?  Surely all that new beer the breweries were issuing was an important part.  But, I found that the real "rock stars" of the business were in attendance and even more accessible than last year.  Note the pix here on this page of just a couple of the luminaries at large in the Denver Convention Center.  Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head was pouring libations for the crowd at the Dogfish tent. We stood in line for about 15 minutes and wouldn't you know it, just before we got to the table it was time for him to move on. Having already invested ourselves waiting on line, we toughed it out and got our beer.  Sam and his entourage hadn't gone too far and one of them spotted me with my camera and had Sam pose for the pic. A very friendly and approachable group from Dogfish Head put a smile on our faces and and exclamation point on the night. In another part of the convention hall, a dapper gentleman was pouring out samples for the audience.  You guessed it! It was none other than Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Beer. Suprisingly, the line was incredibly short.  We must have just missed the throng walking away.  After pouring us a couple of ounces, he graciously posed for this picture. Shaking hands, Garrett went off in the crowd to his book signing. A busy man of great talents. A friend made at last year's GABF was Zak Davis, the west coast rep for Shmaltz.  They have two awesome lineups in HeBrew and Coney Island, featuring some high ABV ales and crazy craft lagers respectively. Zak is always the host with the most and this year was no different.  I was fortunate to catch up with him at a couple of the events in Denver. In the closer-to-home star power, Tampa beer makers, Cigar City had brewmaster Wayne Wambles  and Joe Redner pouring out some specialty beers.  We had the fortune to catch up with them after the flight home to Tampa on Sunday and we chatted a bit at the baggage area. To those are fans of good beer, I have to ask, "If you haven't gone to The Great American Beer Festival yet, what are you waiting for?"  It simply defies words and has to be experienced.

Firkin Biggest Beerfest in the USA!

The Great American Beer Festival
September 16, 17 & 18, 2010
The Denver Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver, Colorado 80202
(303) 228-8000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (303) 228-8000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting


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The Tilted Kilt - Denver

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

What is a Tilted Kilt?  Think that other national sports bar chain with orange satin pants, but add a kilt instead...or is that subtract a little. The atmosphere has an American version of the UK\Irish\Scottish vibe.  Your entire waitstaff wears plaid kilts. The inside is reminiscent of what you've seen in travelogues and brochures of pubs from over there, but as we are Americans, everything is over the top in scale. The place was packed this afternoon with GABF attendees. The beer selection is pretty much complete with English and Irish favorite beers and pretty much void of American craft beers.  I guess that's okay if you are jonesing a Euro brew.  After all, you can get an American craft beer in a million other places in this city, so it fills a niche. As we entered the pub, a knight's suit of armor was in the entryway announcing that it was St Practice Day.  That's not a typo; every 17th of the month, (except in March), they hold a day of practice!  We hit the jackpot because it was exactly halfway to/from St. Patrick's Day.  Guinness and Jameson were the daily drink special offerings.  Our hotel had complimentary drink coupons and so we ordered some 'green beer' in honor of the day. I spied some Tullamore Dew behind the bar. In my estimation, any bar that carries the stuff is a good bar! Food, beer, spirits and great service. Our waitress Kristen, was helpful with the menu selections and daily drink specials. As crowded as it was, we didn't wait long for a drink or our food.  Our selections included a turkey with oven roasted veggies, Buffalo chicken fingers (medium, as recommended by Kristen), and a chicken wrap sandwich. All were enjoyable and the side orders of fries were hot and not greasy.  Just a note: the chicken fingers are normally served with cayenne pepper, but you can ask them to use mild, medium or hot Buffalo sauce.  I second the waitress' recommendation.  For dessert, we had some Guinness. Now that's a proper dessert!

Firkin Plaid!

The Tilted Kilt - Denver
1201 16th Street, Denver
Colorado 80202 
(303) 893-5458 ()

tiltedkilt.com

Falling Rock Tap House

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

Ah, Denver! Ah The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) !  Ah Falling Rock Tap House!  Just into town, I dropped my luggage at the hotel room, then grabbed an RTD bus ride up 16th Street.  A quick dash up Blake brought us to Falling Rock.  It's just about a block from Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. The Falling Rock has been a beer Mecca for over a decade, or as they like to exclaim, "...nearly 1/8th of a century".  Folks come here for a very good reason, as they have 75+ beers on tap and 130+ bottles at any given time.  The beer selections on the wall are mind boggling. The unused tap handles and empty bottle collection wraps its way around the upper part of the wall. Walking inside for the first time, you'll look like a tourist in New York staring up at skyscrapers. I met a veritable who's-who of bloggers, brewers, assistant brewers, bookwriters and Twitter tweeps as I wound through the throngs of craft beer lovers.  We ordered a couple of Shmaltz Luna Lagers from the Coney Island lineup and promptly headed downstairs to see Jeremy Cowen of Shmaltz. He was signing copies of his new book: Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah: How it took 13 years, Extreme Jewish Brewing, and Circus Sideshow Freaks to make Shmaltz Brewing Company an International Success.  Zak Davis, the West Coast regional representative and friend of the blog, was behind a bar pouring out samples of the Hebrew and Coney Island brews for the crowd. Also in the house, we spotted Erik, Eli, Brandon and Romey and the rest of the boys at BeerTapTV.com .  They had a portable video unit linked to the internet, streaming live signal to their Ustream channel.  After an impromptu interview with yours truly, they introduced me to Robin Goldstein, co-author of The Beer Trials. LA Craft Beer Examiner Chris Spradley, fellow Tweeter and recently of Master Chef fame was also in attendance.  Enough with the name dropping, the fun was underway! Beer and good times, upstairs and downstairs. The atmosphere was upbeat and "chill" all at the same time. When it was time for a refill, we sauntered back upstairs.  Making our way up to the bar, we must have looked like piglets to a mother pig; leaning through patrons seated at the crowded bar trying to get a bartender's attention. Reloaded with fresh Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale, I turned around for the most pleasant surprise of the evening. The 'shock' of blonde hair was the first giveaway...it was indeed Ashley Routson, aka The Beer Wench !  Introducing myself, she immediately greeted me with a bear hug. Along with Erik Boles, the three of us shared great discussions about beer and blogs.  Throughout the evening, Ashley introduced me to many of her craft beer loving acquaintances. The night went along as we toasted one another.  Finally, fatigued from travel, I wandered back through LODO (Lower Downtown) and slunk into the hotel around 2 AM.  The bed caught my body like a  knuckle-ball in a catcher's mitt. Just as the sandman arrived, I realized this was going to be a special trip. A special trip, indeed.

Firkin Happening Joint!

Falling Rock Tap House
1919 Blake St.
Denver, Colorado
(303) 293 – 8338 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (303) 293 – 8338      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Hours of Operation
11am-2am Monday-Friday
11am-2am Saturday & Sunday