An age old truism is that wine gets better with age. We contend that the same wisdom holds for beer, or rather for the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival. The festival is now entering its ninth year and has consistently outdone itself from one year to the next. Last year we witnessed amazing turnout for the weekend long festival's many seminars and dinners, and nothing short of unbridled enthusiasm for the fan favorite event, the Commercial Tasting, which features brewers and beer enthusiasts from around the world. Well, it's time to get excited again. This past weekend Big Beers released the names of the featured brewmasters for the ninth annual festival.
From Brew Monkey:
"International Brewmaster honors will be held by Vinnie Cilurzo, Owner & Brewmaster of Russian River Brewing Co., and Matt Brophy, Manager of Brewing Operations for Flying Dog Brewery, will co-host the January 8 - 10, 2009 event as Colorado Brewmaster."
"Cilurzo, who owns Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa, CA with his wife, Natalie, is known for his adventurous brewing techniques and has been credited with the invention of the "Double IPA". He promises to feature some newer creations, including beer created with wild yeast strains and beer fermented in wine barrels, in addition to favorites such as Pliny the Elder throughout the weekend.
Brophy joined the ranks of Aspen-born Flying Dog Brewery while both were still in Colorado, and claims that part of his original inspiration for brewing was hearing Charlie Papazian on "Radio Times", an NPR radio show. Brophy will be showcasing his Canis Major Series of big beers, along with some other purposeful, provocative and irreverent award-winning and adventurous beers over the course of the Big Beers Festival. Both Brophy and Flying Dog Brewery have recently relocated to Frederick, MD."
The crowd-pleasing "Brewers Gone Wild!" seminar will also return this year with a focus on "Micro to Macro", showcasing four brewmasters who work in distinctly different sized environments, from brewpubs to mega breweries.
The Ninth Annual Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival will take place January 8 through 10, 2009 at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort. For more information, check out www.bigbeersfestival.com
Check out highlights from last year's festival above.
Add your comments...