We spent last week in Denver for the Great American Beer Fest; that, atleast, was the excuse for the trip.
I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to participate as a judge for this prestigious and huge beer competition over the years. I think this was my 18th fest and the 2th time to judge. It is truly well run event. Its a massive effort carried off nearly flawlessly by a wonderful crew of volunteers. The stewards, cellar-people (that just doesn't sound right but I'm getting ready for the oppressive PC world that's coming), administrators, and the staff of BA who do the great job. Logistics experts could learn from this bunch. Hat's off.
The beers, over 7300 of them, are in that a transitional mode that was experienced about 15 years ago because of the vast expansion of craft beer. In the last 2 -3 years the overall quality has gone down; the winning beers, however, are just as good or better. Some categories, that I judged personally, were much better on whole than past years; Baltic porters were good top to bottom. So not all categories are suffering. The large number of new breweries and the large number of entries lends itself to the drop off. Its not a bad thing. Those new breweries will receive good feed back and improve the quality of their beer.
The trip to Denver is always fun. Our friends, my wife and I always venture out to find the best restaurants and watering holes. We added a new restaurant to our list this year, Buckhorn Exchange. This is purported to be the oldest restaurant in Denver being established in 1893 at 1000 Osage Street. Its the steakhouse ultimate steak house. Carnivores love this place; not only for the prime beef steak but for all of exotic meats available. Buffalo, lamb, Cornish game hen, quail, and duck are choices you can get a lot of places but elk, rattle snake, yak and ostrich, not so much. I'm sure I have missed some critter on the list. We got the beef steak for 4 - three pounds of perfectly done, rare, 2 inch thick beef. Wow, one of the best steaks any of us have ever had.
The atmosphere may not be for everyone, although if you are there for the meat you will find an example of your animal mounted somewhere on the walls. We had dinner with a very large yak supervising the service. Look around to see humerus vignettes of rats in a rowboat and other things. Upstairs in the bar, yea there is a very nice bar, there is more taxidermy and live cowboy music with which to sing along. I can't recommend this place enough!
We visited some of our old favorites as well. Domo, in the top 5 Japanese restaurants in the US. Its Japanese country style; large portions of wonderful food and 7 side dishes. Be sure to ask how to order if you are unsure or you may get enough food to feed an army. Wonder noodle dishes and the sushi is second to none. You will find Domo on Osage Street as well.
We make the rounds on Saturday after a visit to the beer hall to say congrats to all of our friends who won medals in the competition. First stop is the Ship Tavern at the Brown Place Hotel. Chemay on tap and house made potato chips is the fare. Then off to McCormick and Schmick's bar for appetizers and a cocktail. Across the street to Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar for oysters and martinis. I think there was a Chinese cafeteria in there at one time as well as the Union Station Restaurant bar for another martini. After that it all gets a bit hazy. Back to the bar at our hotel to watch baseball and more martinis. It all of 7:30 and we are totally mellowed out and ready to retire. Our motto: party hard, party early, beat the crowds.
The best part of the week is seeing all of our friends and acquaintances from the world of beer. These are friends we only get to see once or twice a year at the large beer events. Its wonderful to be in the company of these fine folks. Hard work and hard partying: its a great time. Can't wait 'til next year!
