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Blog Entry 22 of 24 My Life: Beer and Blogs

I'm a new media guy who happens to live in the Napa Valley of beer. This blog will chronicle my adventures through beers, blogs and everything else. Cheers!

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A beer tasting with a surprise guest

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Contributed by: Justinian Hatfield on 2/20/2008

Last night, my wife and I attended the first beer tasting organized by Mile High Wine and Spirits. There was a wide variety of beers from Avery, Boulder Beer, Odell, Deschutes, and some imports from Anheuser Busch.

In a way, it was like going to a concert. Many of the attendees were wearing shirts from their favorite breweries, like New Belgium and Ska brewing. One guy was even wearing a Beer Advocate T-shirt -- a shirt reserved for the true beer geek.
The event was hosted at the Gaslamp Grill, the former Garrison Street Station at Alameda and Garrison. The Gaslamp Grill has quite a nice ambiance, and I'm sure it would be even nicer without a hundred beer geeks jamming the bar area.
We didn't eat there, but it's on our list for a night out soon.

I was surprised by the selection of beers that were represented, with the exception of Deschute's and the imports, every brewer brought out the big guns. The place was overflowing with IPA, and not just standard grade stuff either, we're talking double-digit alcohol content and super heavy hop dosages.

I'll save the surprise guest for last, but I did get to try some beers that I hadn't had before. Here's the highlights:

Boulder Beer Co.
The first real treat was Boulder's Mojo Risin' Imperial IPA. It's one of Boulder's Single Batch series, which means it won't be around for long. At 10.5% ABV, this is the normal Mojo's Big Bad Brother who comes to town and beats up all your friends. It's a little sweet, but then you get hit by hops on the after taste.

Boulder also had another special beer. Obovoid Empirical Stout ranks up there at 9 % ABV. This was the last beer I tried, and therefore my notes and my taste buds didn't recall much, although I do recall enjoying it.

Odell Brewing Co.
Odell also showed up with it's Imperial Stout. At 8.2% it's not quite as big as Obovoid, but it's tasty nonetheless.

Surprisingly, I had never tasted Odell's India Pale Ale. It's got a great hop nose up front with a big mouthfeel and sweet finish. I'm going to be spending some more time with this beer.

Avery Brewing Co.
Had this been an event to see who could bring the biggest, baddest beers, Avery would have won hands down. I skipped all the normal beers and went straight to the bottles with the foil-wrapped necks. First off was Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale. Now, had this beer been named today, it would likely be called an Imperial or Double IPA, but back when this was first brewed in 1999, those terms weren't being used. The Avery rep there called this one "The Dimebag in a bottle." At 9.2% and full of hops, this one isn't to be missed.

Now to the special guest: Avery's Latest Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale, made a surprise appearance a day before it's official release! This was an immense treat for any Hopheads who happened to be there. Coming in at 10% ABV, this beer is so well balanced that you don't really notice the sweetness that is usually present with that much alcohol. Maharaja should be in stores on Friday. But if you're looking to get a sneak peak, head to Boulder tonight for the release party and inaugural meeting of the Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness. Check out www.averybrewing.com for more info.

Overall, the event was quite fun. The absence of food while we were there was a bit dangerous considering the big beers. And I think must of us will get over drinking beer out of wine glasses.

Here's to the next one!

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Showing 1-9 of 9 comments

Submitted By: Jamie VanEaton

posted on 3/1/2008 @ 7:06:01 PM

Rated Blog Entry

I was born in Milwaukee,WI, so it is mandatory that I give all beer blogs a good rating. They're watching.

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Submitted By: Linda Gerlinger

posted on 2/28/2008 @ 12:16:23 PM

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Yes, that beautiful wife is my daughter :-) Just came across your stories by accident. Enjoyed reading them. MoM

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Submitted By: Brian Crandall

posted on 2/26/2008 @ 9:09:08 AM

Rated Blog Entry

I am a lover of many many beers. I've done the 110 beer tour and gone far beyond that. There are many beers that I truly enjoy, yet, among beer enthusiasts I seem to be the only one who does not like the I.P.A.'s. I mean, i really! dont like them.! The Brown Ale's are the ones that I always seem to like the best from any of the many Craft Brewers we have to choose from. Anyway, nice write up, I enjoyed it.

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Submitted By: Ron Debeque

posted on 2/24/2008 @ 7:09:29 AM

Rated Blog Entry

Whenever I need an interesting brewski, I check the Brew-Ha link at milehighwineandspirits.com - the store is by Whole Foods in Belmar.

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Submitted By: Michael Rule

posted on 2/21/2008 @ 9:27:30 PM

Rated Blog Entry

Lately I've been enjoying Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale. As a matter of fact, my glass runneth empty......

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Submitted By: Justinian Hatfield

posted on 2/20/2008 @ 3:31:17 PM

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Hey Lydia, Maybe we'll see you at the next one :) Did you get to try the Maharaja?

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Submitted By: Justinian Hatfield

posted on 2/20/2008 @ 3:30:25 PM

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You know Erin, I have no problem committing to a whole beer - even one I don't really like :)

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Submitted By: Lydia Anderson

posted on 2/20/2008 @ 11:49:22 AM

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My fiance and I also went to the event! I wore my beer shirt from a beer festival in our college town back in Washington State! The back said, "Let it rain beer!" We had a great time trying the beers, but I agree, it was too packed. We are going to try the restaurant as well. Nice atmosphere.

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Submitted By: Erin Feese

posted on 2/20/2008 @ 9:42:14 AM

Rated Blog Entry

Sounds like a good time. I've done beer tastings at breweries before, like Flying Dog in Denver, and it's a good opportunity to discover what you like without having to commit to to whole beer, like you would ordering at a bar.

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Showing 1-9 of 9 comments

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Justinian Hatfield

Lakewood , CO

Justinian Hatfield has posted 24 blog entries and 51 comments since joining on 7/12/2006. Justinian Hatfield's average blog rating is 5.

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