We were just back in Denver for the 41st Great American Beer Festival, and we’ve got an episode chock full of interviews and beer highlights that’s as good as gold (medals). Catch up on our beer-y travels as we hit the festival floor for about 14 total hours and stop into several great Denver taprooms and bars, sharing our experiences and regrettable food decisions along the way. Plus, we talk to a bevy of fascinating brewers and brewery owners from all over the U.S. and we hear stories about an onstage proposal, a beer made with the cast of Hamilton, a terpene-infused milkshake IPA, a brewer who has won Master Distiller, and the (maybe) real original year of Bourbon County Stout. And to top that off, we open three Denver-area beers in the hotel while trying to soothe our ragged voices and heal up from a serious vapors affliction. PLUS, Craig’s going ASMR while Ryan’s recording from the chaise longue. 

Beers Reviewed

WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Colorado Ale (Traditional Ale)

Burns Family Artisan Ales - Gallivant (Gin barrel-aged barleywine)

Jessup Farm Barrel House - Wheelhouse (Bourbon barrel-aged brown ale)

Interviews

Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, CA) - [00:11:20 - 00:21:13]

Ryan Fields of Wild Fields Brewhouse (Atascadero, CA) - [00:26:51- 00:30:07]

Colt Carpenter of Pax Verum Brewing Company (Lapel, IN) - [00:39:03 - 00:45:42]

Leo Sawadogo of Montclair Brewery (Montclair, NJ) - [00:54:10 - 00:59:08]

Rick Hagen and Greg Meyer of Heavy Riff Brewing (St. Louis, MO) - [01:12:44 - 0:1:18:46]

Dave Lopez of Gun Hill Brewing Company (Bronx, NY) - [01:33:33 - 01:39:42]

Ryan Wibby of Wibby Brewing (Longmont, CO) - [01:50:52 - 01:57:08]

In the week that we’re heading out west for a certain fest, we gather up four barrel-aged beers from West Coast breweries that are pretty well-known for their wood-aged offerings. Expectations are flipped on their head and a ringer is challenged as we pop a few actual corks for this one. Also, Craig wants in on the limited-edition mattresses; we open our minds to the possibilities that breweries can grow over the course of nine years; and we share the tales of the juggling Belgian Gueuze Mimes. 

Beers Reviewed

Floodland Brewing - Calling Out to Psychic Death (Dry-hopped blend of barrel-aged saisons w/ honey)

deGarde Brewing - The Broken Truck (Wild ale aged in oak, blended from four years)

Russian River Brewing Company - Small Batch: Intinction (Sauvignon Blanc-aged wild pilsner w/ Sauvignon Blanc grape juice and dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin)

Cellarmaker Brewing Company - Bourbon Blammo! (Blend of bourbon barrel-aged stouts and barleywine w/ toasted coconut)

The Great American Beer Festival is right around the corner, and since we’re attending again this year, we’re providing an audio guide to what to drink at the fest while also sipping on some previous medal winners. These aren’t just any Illinois medal winners; our four choices here are a good drive from Chicago while also representing more traditional styles. For the GABF preview, we cover what Illinois breweries are pouring, which “new-to-us” breweries have us the most excited; whose familiar faces we can’t wait to see; and which “steady hand” brewers can’t be missed. Also, Ryan’s sharing an irrational fear, we develop an open floor taproom concept to maximize turnover, and we both agree the judges are pretty good at what they do.

Beers Reviewed

Crystal Lake Brewing - Too Much Cologne (Kolsch)

Sew Hop’d Brewery - Alt 140 (Altbier)

Mickey Finn’s Brewery & Pub - Dark and Down (Dark rye lager)

Tighthead Brewing Company - Scarlet > Fire (Irish red ale)

For the second part of our big 500, we sit down with Revolution Brewing founder Josh Deth and talk about the last ten years of his brewery while sharing a rare beer from Craig’s cellar. It’s a fitting interview for this milestone, as no brewery has been featured on the podcast more - and it’s not even close. Also, we open another cellar gem while recording in the ABV West bunker for the first time since the pandemic; we discuss some of our greatest hits; we continue our wax hatred for the 10th year in a row; and Ryan struggles through another ABV By the Numbers game. Thanks for listening anytime, anywhere, everyone. 

Josh Deth interview (00:08:58 - 01:05:14)

Beers Opened

Side Project Brewing - Beer: Barrel: Time Rye 2023 (A blend of imperial stouts aged in rye barrels)

Phase Three Brewing - Eunoia Batch 1 (Barrel-aged imperial stout with peanut butter, chocolate & marshmallow)

500 episodes is a long time to do arbitrary beer reviews, so we reach out for some help in reviewing a few beers from Craig’s cellar. We chose brewers that have been around longer than the podcast to reflect on the last ten years in craft beer, and they chose a beer from our list. For this part one of two episodes, we sit down with Spiteful Brewing’s Jason Klein and Half Acre’s Gabriel Magliaro. We also sip through their cellar selections, and open up one more in the ABV West Bunker for a small but mighty lineup. Plus, Craig has discovered a potential Malort cure, and Ryan struggles through an ABV By The Numbers game. Stay tuned for Part Two.

Jason Klein Interview (00:09:16 - 00:53:26)

Gabriel Magliaro Interview (01:01:26 - 01:25:52)

Beers Reviewed

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company - Don 2023 (Double Barleywine aged over four years in rye, bourbon, port, calvados and maple barrels)

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales - West Ashley Cuvée (A blend of four consecutive years of West Ashley, aged in Pinot Noir oak barrels with apricots)

Hanabi Lager Company - Hanabi Lager White Apron (Pilsner)