Photo courtesy, Brewer's Association/Jason E. Kaplan

Let me rephrase that… reflections on the beer fest. Last week was the 29th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, America’s biggest beer festival and Guiness record holder for the most beers tapped in one location as well as the largest selection of American beers gathered together on the globe. With close to 50,000 attendees over the course of four sessions in three days (Saturday afternoon is for Brewers’ Association members only), this is by no means a small production. Considering the amount of beers to try (over 2,200) and new experiences and information to be absorbed, all I can say is, good thing they give you a tasting book with the names of all the breweries and beers!

It’s a lot to take in, but after a week the haze begins to clear and coherent reflections can be assembled. Here are some of the highlights and epiphanies I experienced that I can’t wait to examine further:

Number One: What’s in a Name?
One of the hottest topics discussed among brewers and industry professionals was the question of style definition. While the festival itself is a great opportunity for the public to purchase tickets to try an outrageous assortment of beers, the heart of the event for the breweries themselves is the beer competition. More than 3,500 beers were entered into the competition this year in over 79 categories representing 133 different styles of beer (i.e. the fruit beer category is split into Fruit Beer and Fruit Wheat Beer subcategories). And definitely be sure to check out the winners here. But how many of these style definitions really mean anything to the general consumer?

Photo courtesy, Brewer's Association/Jason E. Kaplan

There are a couple of questions to be considered. First, how many of these styles are actually listed on any given beer’s label? Is it actually a benefit to segment all of these categories, hoping that they will provide some guidance and flavor profile reference to shoppers, or will it just inevitably lead to more confusion and intimidation á la some wine classification systems? Can we really expect beer lovers to know the differences between Vienna-style lagers, German-style Märzens and American-style amber lagers, and to know which beers fall in each category while perusing the aisles of their local distributor for their weekend stock-up?

It’s an interesting topic, and it’s something that plagues the wine business as well: how much should we assume consumers know about a product? The European school of thought (mostly) assumes that people will know where exactly their wine is from, what grape(s) they’re made of and how they are produced with the simple listing of a controlled appellation. Should beer be taking such a similar approach to definition? The amazing thing about beer, to me, is that the possibilities are endless, but it is important for customers to have some idea about what to expect in a beer they’ve never tried, or else they maybe are reluctant to even give it a shot in the first place.

I don’t think there’s one right answer, and we’ll just have to see what evolves from the debate and discussions. All I know is it’s nice to hear that the producers of these goods are concerned about making it easier for their supporters to enjoy good craft beer.

Number Two: A Rose by Any Other Name is… a Rose?
Speaking of names, there’s a controversy that’s been brewing in the beer world for quite some time about what exactly to call a certain kind of beer. What started on the East Coast as Black IPAs in the early 90s evolved to what Pacific Northwest brewers affectionately dub Cascadian Dark Ales today, and neither wants to play nice (in a fun, faux coast war kind of way). For the 2010 GABF style guidelines, the Brewers Association stepped in and officially named the category “American-style India Black Ale”, or IBA for short. So, be it Black IPA, CDA or IBA, the category was hot and seemed to be all over the place at the festival.

With examples on display from both coasts and even in-between, the floor was loaded with different samples to try from numerous breweries. I have to say, I enjoyed (almost) all of them. Matt Van Wyk from Oakshire Brewery, who makes his own version called O’Dark:30, explained that the CDAs are supposed to retain more of a porter profile in the mouth in addition to the hop aromas, while Black IPAs don’t have that distinction. He adds, “CDAs are more than just a black colored IPA. There is a marriage between the subtle roast malt flavors and the citrusy American hops that should not be lost. It’s a different beer style for sure.”

But gotta love the label with the shoutout to both names, and no matter what they’re called they are definitely worth a try. I also reviewed a few for the November issue of the magazine, so be sure to check those out for some stellar recommendations when it hits newsstands.

Number Three: Three Cheers for Wood!
One word: oak. So many breweries are playing with all different kinds of wood, from chips to barrels to flooring (hello Dogfish Palo Santo Marron) from all over the world. New oak, used oak, different coopers, varying toast levels, barrels from wineries, Bourbon producers, Scotch houses, Port and Madeira casks… you name it, they have or will try it.

And they’re aging in wood, too, anywhere from one month to three-plus years. It’s quite amazing to pick up on the different elements that the assorted barrels have on the finished beers, and it’s producing some of the most masterful and complex offerings today from the cult brewers of our generation (check out Russian River Brewing, Allagash, and Lost Abbey’s stellar selections, just to name a few). Bringing us to…

Number Four: Time to Stock Up the Cellar
I don’t know if there has ever been a better time to stock up on beer than today. I’ve never heard more discussion about cellaring beer than I did at the festival, and the trend was even more prevalent with the numerous offerings of aged or vintage beers being served on the festival floors. Then there was the Pints for Prostates Rare Beer Tasting, where some fantastic aged beers were served to the paying attendees like Bell’s 2004 Eccentric Ale (a specialty spiced strong ale that showed almost no sign of age whatsoever and in fact still had legs to run another 5-10 years easy), Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk (a sour ale that’s been developing in oak in their barrel room for over 12 months), and Weyerbacher 2005 Decadence (a spiced amber ale) just to name a few.

Despite their age and development, and though they were all enjoyable now, they showed the promise of what can be achieved with a great, well-balanced product and proper storage. Like wine or vintage Champagne, the experience is different than enjoying them young, but it’s certainly worth a try (especially for some of the big barleywine or imperials available today) and worth considering. I’m almost at capacity myself… time for a new cellaring unit!

If you missed this year’s event, be sure to save the date for next year, the 30th anniversary of the festival, on September 29th to October 1st, 2011.

What do you think about my observations? Are you on board with any of these trends, or was there something else you experienced at GABF that I didn’t get to touch upon? I’d love to hear what you’re thinking about… what’s brewing in your brain?

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