With 3800 beers from 800 breweries on tap at The Great American Beer Festival, it’s easy to get distracted. Bu tI had a plan. And mostly stuck to it, with just a few distractions along the way. A total of 32 beers sampled, from every region of the country, here are the five beers that stood out for me on night one of GABF 2016.
#5 | Hop Juju
Fat Head’s Brewery
North Olmsted, OH
A perennial favorite and arguably one of the best DIPAs in the land (2013 and 2015 GABF Gold). Fat Heads is always in the running for my favorite brewery at the show as well. Every beer in their lineup is on point!
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
IBU: 100
Yeast: American Ale
Malt: Pale, C-15, Caramel Light
Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Cascade, Citra
#4 | Barrel Aged Cherry Artillery
Wynkoop Brewing Co
Denver, CO
I wasn’t planning on stopping by Wynkoop, but once again they pulled me in with a big ole imperial brown aged in Laws Whiskey barrels for 11 months. It’s subtle on the booze and cherries, and dangersously easy to drink.
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Brown
ABV: 9%
IBU: 5
#3 | Coolship Red
Allagash Brewing Co
Portland, ME
Enjoyed this beautiful Lambic aged in oak barrels with raspberries while listening to Jason Perkins from Allagash explain the process and history of spontaneous fermentation in the Brewer’s Pavilion.
Style: Lambic
ABV: 5.7%
#2 | Barrel Aged Darkness
Surly Brewing
Brooklyn Center, MN
You could stand at the Surly booth and drink nothing but Darkness the entire session and it would be well worth the price of admission.
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.8%
IBU: 85
Malt: Pale Ale, Golden Promise, Crystal, Dark Crystal, Oats, Black Malt, Chocolate Malt, Roast Malt
Hops: Columbus, Amarillo, Simcoe
#1 | Gallagher Watermelon Gose
Storm Peak Brewing Co.
Steamboat Springs, CO
One of the last beers of the night. So good, and so easy to drink! I’m a sucker for watermelon, I guess. Add this year-round offering from Storm Peak to the long list of reasons to visit Steamboat as soon as possible!
Style: Gose
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 10
Malt: Pilsner, White Wheat, Caramel
Hops: Chinook
Complete chronological list of beers sampled
- Surly – Barrel Aged Darkness
- Fargo Brewing Company – Dad’s Pale Ale
- Black Bottle – Cerealiously Count Chocula
- Union – Old Pro Gose
- COOP – Alpha Hive DIPA
- Highland – Mandarina IPA
- Highland – IPA
- The Brew Kettle – White Rajah
- Tin Man – Tomato Gose
- pFriem – Sour IPA
- Laurelwood – Citrus Wit Mango
- Thomas Creek – Trifecta IPA
- Wind River – Indian Pass IPA
- Lagunitas – Double Dry Hopped Sucks
- Iron Hill – The Grand Inquisitor
- Allagash – Coolship Cerise
- Baere – Sour Brown
- Allagash – Coolship Red
- Wynkoop – Barrel Aged Cherry Artillery
- Fat Head’s – Hop JuJu
- Wonderland – Wet Hop IPA
- Bear Republic – Cafe Racer 15
- Surly – Pentagram
- New Holland – Dragon’s Milk
- Figueroa Mountain – Mosaic
- Rhinengeist – Peach Dodo
- Grand Teton – American Sour
- Fiction – Logic is Relative
- Barley Brown’s – Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA
- Ecliptic – Zenith Grapefruit Gose
- Storm Peak – Gallagher Watermelon Gose
- Spangalang – Colorado Junction