Twelfth Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival
Vail, CO--Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines kicked off their Twelfth Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival yesterday and continues throughout Saturday.
For those of you that have just recovered from last weekend, you can still make it to this brew fest.
Imagine a World Class Winter Wonderland of fun activities in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado…and then top off your trip with a World Class International Beer Festival, complete with Brewmasters’ Dinners and Seminars by some of the world’s most innovative Brewers…
Could it be the ultimate beer vacation?
Your bucket list "beercation"?
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“It’s one of the best festivals in the country. The sheer diversity and availability of such exotic beer styles all in one location really gives the consumer a great opportunity. Plus it’s got a nice educational component that Bill Lodge has dreamed up, which encourages people to try different styles and not just stick to one thing.” - John Carlson, Colorado Brewers Guild Executive Director |
Get out to the 12th Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Weekend! Come up to Vail to experience the event that beer connoisseurs are raving about. Homebrewers, Professional Brewers and Industry Gurus alike speak highly with regard to the unique format, the unusual international collection of beers, the organization and the overall quality of the event.
For those of you who are Big Beers Festival veterans, this 12th Anniversary celebration promises to live up to your previous experiences and take it one step further. Look forward to more goodies from Chef Votaw at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, calibrate with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Avery Brewing Co., enjoy special features by Bell's Brewing Co. & Breckenridge Brewery, and sample over 200 amazing creations by breweries from around the globe.
Traveling to Big Beers? Check out our Traveling Promotion Tasting!
It’s the perfect combination for a Winter Wonderland getaway: A world-class Beer Festival at a world-class Ski Resort! There are discounted ski/snowboard rentals available, discounted lodging, and other arrangements made for Big Beers Festival attendees. The entirety of theTwelfth Anniversary weekend will be held at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.
Friday morning (8:30 – noon) is the opportunity to bone up on your knowledge of everything about beer & brewing. The Cicerone Program is back. Ray Daniels, creator of the program, will be here to lead this morning workshop himself! And thanks to All About Beer Magazine, our signature sponsor for this event, the $99 fee per person will be waived. Take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity in Vail! For more information, see the Brewing Seminars page.
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"(Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines) has become my favorite fest of the year. True camaraderie paired with a high level of brewing knowledge in a relaxed setting." - J. Todd Usry, Brewery Director for Breckenridge Breweries, Denver, CO |
Friday afternoon (12:00) is our Welcome Reception in which the following breweries will be highlighted: Boston Beer Co., Pagosa Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewing Co., and Shmaltz Brewing Co. Each brewery will be showcasing a beer of their choice with a food pairing designed by Exec Chef Todd Bemis and his culinary team at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. In addition to tasting, the Welcome Reception also offers the opportunity to hobnob with some of the most innovative brewers in the world. Guests attending multiple weekend events, Volunteers, Judges, Brewers and Brewery Representatives are welcome to drop in.
Friday afternoon (1:30 pm) is the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition. This event is a judging by a select judging panel for entries registered in advance. For more information about the competition, see the Homebrew Competition page. Spectators and interested parties are welcome to attend, although participation is by prior arrangement only.
Friday afternoon (2:30 pm) is your opportunity to become a Certified Cicerone! Ray Daniels will be administering the Certified Cicerone Exam to interested parties who have passed the online Certified Beer Server exam. For more information, see the Brewing Seminars page.
Friday evening (6:30 pm)This is Sam Calagione's second annual Dogfish Head Craft Brewery seminar. The topic will be The Marriage of Good Beer and Good Music! The inspiration for Dogfish Head recipes come from a myriad of different sources, music being one such arena. With supporting samples of musically inspired brews such as "Bitches Brew", created in honor of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew album, this seminar promises to be a real musical adventure. So join Sam Calagione for an upbeat experience. As he says, "We're going to rock out and drink beer together!"
Friday evening (8:00 pm) is the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner. We are quite pleased to announce that J. Todd Usry, Brewmaster/Director of Brewing Operations for Breckenridge Brewery will be our Featured Colorado Brewmaster, and John Mallett, Production Manager for Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan will be our International Featured Brewmaster. See the Brewmasters’ Dinner page for further information.
Friday late night (10:30pm) is our first Beer & Cigar Pairing Sensory Workshop! Join Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association, as he and our other special guests lead us through the world of beer and cigar pairing. Smoker Friendly and Altadis USA are sponsoring several different kinds of cigar pairings in combination with beers donated by the following breweries: Great Divide, Unita, Left Hand, Allagash, John Courage, and Malheur. Examples of the cigars that will be available to try include Romeo y Julieta 1875, H Upmann 1844 Reserve, and Vega Fina. Remember to bring your coat, since the actual smoking will take place on the Vail Cascade's picturesque pool deck.
Saturday morning (10:00 am - noon) is one of the many highlights of our Big Beers Festival Weekend: our Experimental Brewing Seminar, titled “Brewing Outside of the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!”. The title of this year's seminar is "The Evolution of a Barrel", and presenters will be Yuri DeLeon of Cooperages 1912, Andy Causey and Mitch Abate of Downslope Distilling, Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Co., and Joe Mohrfeld of Odell Brewing Co.
Saturday early afternoon (12:30 – 1:30pm) our International Featured Brewmaster, John Mallett, Production Manager of Bell's Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has chosen to title his presentation "Maltilicious - The Building Blocks of Flavor" after discarding "Kraft American Singles and Natural Light" due to the high average knowledge level of our attendees.
Saturday early afternoon (12:30pm) is Craft & Specialty Beer Everyday: Pairing Palate Trips. Join Steven Pauwels, Brewmaster of Boulevard Brewing Company and Julia Herz, Publisher of CraftBeer.com and the Brewers Association Craft Beer Program Director as they tour you through the everyday world of food interactions and craft beer. This is a small seminar, so seating will be limited.
Saturday afternoon (1:30 – 2:30 pm) our Colorado Featured Brewmaster, J. Todd Usry, Brewmaster/Director of Brewing Operations for Breckenridge Brewery, will be joined by a panel to present "Colorado Double IPAs". Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co. and Dave Thibodeau of Ska Brewing Co. will comprise the balance of the panel moderated by Steve Kurowski of the Colorado Brewers Guild.
Saturday afternoon (1:30 pm) Daniel Bradford of All About Beer Magazine will be hosting a sensory workshop focusing on The Elements of Beer Flavor! See the Brewing Seminars page, and seating is limited for this event.
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"(We) have made some friends that we see each year at this event and we look forward to it every year. For us, this festival combines snowboarding, fantastic beer, a beautiful setting, and great friends...it doesn't get much better!" - Darrell Maudlin, Homebrewer, Houston, TX |
Saturday afternoon (2:30 - 6:00 pm), the Commercial Tasting portion of the Big Beers Festival begins at 2:30 pm and continues through until 6:00pm. This international tasting is open to the public and showcases over 200 different commercially produced specialty beers from around the world.
Saturday afternoon (3:00 pm),Saturday’s Commercial Tasting event includes the 2011 Homebrew Competition Awards Presentation as well as…
Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm), CraftBeer.com’s Beer & Food Pairing Taste-Off. Julia Herz of the Brewers Association will be moderating this innovative & wildly popular event. This CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Pairing Smackdown will feature a panel of Importers and American Craft Brewers and their brews. This year's contenders will be defending two-time champion Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing Co., Rick Chapman of Coronado Brewing Co., Kevin Bolen of Grand Teton Brewing Co., and John Mallett of Bell's Brewing Co. See the Brewing Seminars page for further information.
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival actively supports the efforts of the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, a local organization that helps individuals who live and work in the Vail Valley that have critical financial need due to medical catastrophes, accidents or long-term illnesses. For more information about the VVCF, visit www.vvcf.org, email info@vvcf.org or contact Karen Simon, 970-926-9795.
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