Stoutmeister here, checking in after a long drive, a long night of bad football, and in general being in Denver, within spitting distance of the Great American Beer Festival, but not having tickets for day one of the three-day event.

Yeah, in case I failed to mention, we did not get tix for day one, but in retrospect, considering how difficult it was for most people to obtain tix, I feel that by aiming solely for Friday-Saturday tix, we lucked out and got them while far too many people came up short (and yes, in years to come, we may aim for those wonderful “media” passes, but for now, we wanted to be with the people).

So instead of waiting in the loooooooong line into the Denver Convention Center, we did other stuff. Like spend most of Thursday driving up I-25 (it was fine until we got north of Colorado Springs, at which point the average driver IQ dropped sharply) and then arrive in Denver at our hotel, check in, rest for 30 minutes, and trek on over to Jackson’s (natch) for dinner and football. Yes, in case you have not met me, I am a Steelers fan since birth, so along with the Professor (it’s his fault, with some assistance from my late grandfather) I got to endure that horrible, horrible loss to the Titans. Damn you, Ike Taylor. E-Rock endured the Yankees’ loss to the Orioles in Game 4 of their series, so it was a bad sports night all around. But I digress, since this blog is supposed to be about beer and we had some non-ABQ-available styles of beer to try. Though not at Jackson’s, which once upon a time carried Breckenridge beers (back in 2007, when I road-tripped through town) but now has the more standard bar beers (when New Belgium’s Red Hoptober is your “rarest” beer, you know you should go elsewhere).

In search of a place with multiple beers to try, we ended up at the Yard House. Yes, yes, we know it is a chain of beer bars, with expensive food and bad music (seriously, it was 1989-92 night; I was in middle school all over again). But it also has lots and lots of different varieties of beer, including plenty of microbrews from across the western half of America. In fact, in addition to the usual menu items, there were special GABF-only beers on tap. Because I cannot read properly from a distance (I blame the beers consumed during the Steelers’ loss), I thought my selection was a 6.25% beer, instead of a $6.25 beer with a 10% ABV. Yes, I tackled the Odell brown ale aged in oak barrels. It was, um, burly. Actually, it was delicious, and while I knew it was brutally powerful in its ABV, I never thought about tossing it aside in favor of a beer that would not leave me with a “what the heck was I thinking” feeling the next morning. The bourbon-style flavor mixes well with the standard elements of a good, smooth brown ale. If you can find this beer, try it, enjoy it, and call a cab. Or stay in a hotel within walking distance of the place you are drinking at.

After that concoction made by the destroyer of worlds, I managed to drink a Lone Tree oatmeal stout in order to balance out the taste. Hey, 5% + 10% equals two sorta-average beers. Right? Right? Damn, the things you do in Denver when you’re not yet at GABF. The stout, from a small brewery in Colorado, was good, but not on par with the best of the Albuquerque area’s stouts.

E-Rock, far smarter (and possessing better eyesight) than I, enjoyed the following beers: “Since we started the night at a sports bar with a limited selection, I started my drinking with a trio of New Belgium beers: Fat Tire, Ranger IPA, and Red Hoptober. When we got to a bar with a more exciting beer list, I sampled the Alaskan Amber and the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. The Alaskan Amber was a solid, flavorful amber, while the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale was an impressive imperial black IPA that is high in flavor, hops, and alcohol content. Alaskan’s offering was good, but Stone’s was a must-drink.”

Well, that’s it from us for now. We’ll be wandering around downtown Denver until it’s time to line up for tonight’s session, fattening up on good food and staying hydrated. Hey, we want to remember this epic event. So if you are up here, look for me in an Il Vicino Sasquatch Scotch shirt, while E-Rock is repping Broken Bottle in black (of course). And if you have any suggestions as to what we absolutely, positively have to sample, let us know via Facebook or Twitter (@nmdarksidebc).

VALHALLA awaits in just a few hours!

— Stoutmeister