Today we headed to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival and the Denver Rare Beer Tasting, arriving in town early enough to make sure that preparations for the Friday fundraising event for Pints for Prostates were well under control.
There are always plenty of things to worry about with an event like the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. Even with doing a ton of preparations up front and working with Daniel Bradford, the publisher of All About Beer Magazine, and a veteran of running beer events large and small, there are so many things that can go wrong. Did the programs and signage arrive? Is the glassware in good shape? How do the t-shirts look? Are all the volunteers confirmed? And, most importantly, what is the status of the beer? The 26 rare brews coming to the event were reaching Denver through various means and there is always the chance for a keg to be “misdirected” along the way. And, since the event only happens once a year, you cannot really fix most of problems until next year. On top of it, we also have a booth at all four GABF sessions and we are taking part in the Collaborating Collaborators Cosmic Confederation & Counsel of Consciousness event organized by All About Beer at Falling Rock Tap House on Friday night.
After arriving in Denver and confirming that most of the things we could control were in good shape, it was time to head over to Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery on 16th Street with the folks from All About Beer Magazine for a welcome to GABF meal. The cask IPA was a good beer to have with the superb double-rib pork chop.
After dinner we made our way over to the Hyatt Regency for a reception hosted Deschutes Brewery. The brewery was pouring several of its beers, including The Dissident and and Mirror Mirror. It was great to taste beer with Deschutes brewers and staff, including Gary Fish.
Mirror Mirror is an oak aged barley wine. The time on wood really brings out some nuances in the ale. Mirror Mirror is a dark red color with a thin head. The aroma is sweet with not only the barley wine notes, but also elements of the barrel aging coming through. Hints of raisins, figs and vanilla in the finish of this brew.
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