I arrived at my downtown hotel, the Curtis (clean, updated, retro-hip, close to the Colorado Convention Center, and highly recommended) Friday evening, too late to make it worthwhile going to the Friday session.  Instead, I walked two blocks from the hotel in the brisk, cold air (chillier than expected at around 45º F) to the Rock Bottom brewery/restaurant for some dinner.  Alas, their barrel-aged beers were already tapped out, so I asked for the cask version of the Red Rocks Red, dry-hopped with Simcoe (blissfully bitter, but otherwise a typical red ale at 5.4% abv) and ordered the smoked salmon fish ‘n’ chips (mildly smoked, nice take on the standard fare, huge portion).  Washed the rest of the meal down with the only other (seemingly) decent brew still pouring, the seasonal Rocktoberfest Märzen (quickly dissipating head, mild and malty at 5%…and boring).

Not a very auspicious start for my GABF weekend, so I got a growler of the Falcon IPA to take back to the room before heading out again for a more rewarding immersion into Denver’s beer culture.  While walking to the hotel, I started to feel light-headed, tired and tipsy –– like I had just downed several strong ales at about 10%!  I even found myself catching my breath while waiting for the traffic light to change.  I wasn’t even climbing a hill.  Then it hit me.  No, not a car, but the sudden realization that I was now some 5,300 feet above sea level, where alcohol (even a little) has an amplified affect on one who basically lives at sea level.  Here I am on my first trip to GABF, and suddenly I’m a cheap drunk.

Later on, I found myself on a lengthy line out in the cold, now dampened by heavy mist (a weather condition that would persist the entire weekend), waiting to get into the Falling Rock Tap House, the “Unofficial Pre- and Post-GABF Headquarters,” thirsty for a great beer or three.  Denver’s answer to San Francisco’s Toronado or D.C.’s Brickskeller, with some 70 taps and double that amount of bottles, Falling Rock is the beer bar in the Mile-High City, so there was no surprise that the place was packed to just below Fire Marshal limits –– nor that many of the kegs were blown, despite the fact that none of empty taps had their handles covered.

After several fruitless requests, I finally picked an available beer, Avery’s Jubilation (2007 vintage, on cask, ageing nicely) and actually managed to score a seat at the bar!  Also had an amazing new draught beer from Maui Brewing, Father Damien Abbey (a yeasty, malty Belgian Dubbel-style).  Before long, I ran into SoCal beer raconteur and Three Sheets interloper Logan (Aiiieeee!) Perkins, as well as Gabriel Gordon of Beachwood BBQ and his beer buddies –– including the guy who runs Hamilton’s in San Diego –– who shared their bottles of Cantillon Fou’ Foune (an apricot lambic) and new Belgium La Folie (2007 vintage, brewed for Falling Rock’s 10th anniversary).  Thanks, guys!

Then I met up with good buddy and Naja’s assistant gee em, Martin Svab, in town with friends for the fest, of course, but also for his bachelor party weekend (ask him about those details!).  We escaped the barroom crowd and managed to get into the Dogfish Head tasting party downstairs where, aside from enjoying some of the brewery’s tasty wares (especially the spicy, exotic Pangea), we talked beer biz with head Dogfisher Sam Calagione, my Celebrator editor Tom Dalldorf and Falling Rock owner Chris Black.  This was more like it.  Somehow, sometime in the wee hours, I made it back to the hotel room.

Late Saturday morning, my altitude-enhanced hangover abated somewhat after joining Martin and his crew for a hearty breakfast at Snooze, a hip designer diner and one of Denver’s best breakfast spots.  It helped to stave off the onslaught of beer we were about to experience at the Brewers Association’s “Members Only” GABF session (less crowded than other sessions, competition winners are announced, and your drinking vessel is made of “real” glass!) early afternoon.  If you are only going to attend one session at this fest, this is the one.

Talk about a kid in a candy store!  There were 2,052 different beers to sample, from 42 different U.S. breweries (and by Saturday night, over 46,000 attendees passed through the doors of the convention center in three days, trying to taste them all).  The first aisle you see when you enter was also the largest: the Pacific (California) section (506 beers total).  I figured, “Why spend my time here?  I’ve already had many of these beers…”  Oh, but no.  In trying to walk through the area, toward the Pacific Northwest section, I found California beers I hadn’t had –– some I hadn’t even heard of –– and of course I had to sample them.

Among the most memorable Cali quaffs were: Bear Republic’s Apex Douple IPA, Lagunitas’ Asylum Belgian-style Tripel (as well as an oaked version which only destroyed the spicy/yeasty profile!), Sierra Nevada’s Chico Estate Harvest, Russian River’s Consecration (a sour ale with currants aged in oak barrels) and, one of my favorites of the fest, The Bruery’s Autumn Maple (made with yams, molasses and maple syrup; a truly great Thanksgiving beer!).

Out-of-state standouts included Deschutes’ (Oregon) Hop Trip and Black Butte XX, Elysian’s (Seattle) Avatar Jasmine IPA, Flying Fish’s (Cherry Hill, NJ) Abbey Dubbel (which was announced as winning the Silver Medal in the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale category as I was ordering it!), Brooklyn Brewery’s Dry Hopped Weizen, Triumph’s (Princeton, NJ) Gothic Ale (a gruit), Weyerbacher’s (Easton, PA) Imperial Pumpkin and XIII Anniversary Stout, Three Floyd’s (Munster, IN) Moloko Milk Stout, Sly Fox’s (Royersford, PA) Incubus Tripel and Ichor Quadrupel, and New Glarus’ (Wisconsin) Berliner Weiss.

I consumed less than 40 one-ounce samples before I ran out of steam –– a good half-hour before the session was over.  Too much beer (and altitude), too little time.

Afterward, although it was all a bit hazy (not to mention cold and misty), I accompanied Martin and his pals to numerous other Denver watering holes, including Wynkoop Brewing Co. (an enormous space in an old warehouse, so-so beers –– especially after GABF –– although the Obamanator was a timely titled and tasty maibock), and Breckenridge Brewing Co. (sports bar, mediocre beers, but the Agave Wheat was an interesting twist), as well as a visit to a real live female roller derby competition to see the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls in action (don’t ask).

Come checkout time on Sunday, beer was the last thing I was interested in.  I left the unopened growler in the room fridge as a tip for the maid, and looked forward to returning to sea level.  Next year, I’ll be arriving in Denver early to give myself enough time to adjust to the altitude before diving into the drinking at GABF.  Hope to see you there.