My wife, daughter, and I are traveling across the USA and back. Our first stops were in Utah. From Utah, we traveled over the Rocky Mountains to Denver, Colorado, arriving in time for the Denver Beer Fest. The Denver Beer Fest is a 10 day celebration of craft brewing and all things beer in the Denver area and runs in conjunction with the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) that is also being hosted in Denver this week.

Colorado ranks fifth in breweries per capita and has over 140 active breweries, including 4 of the top 50 brewing companies in the U.S. Denver is Colorado’s hub for all this brewing activity and success.

We arrived in Denver on Sunday evening and proceeded to meet a friend at Amato’s Ale House. Amato’s Ale House offers great food and over 42 craft beers on tap. The night we had dinner, Amato’s was featuring an Oskar Blues Brewing Tap Takeover. Proceeds from Oskar Blues beer sales were donated to the Colorado Flood Relief Fund. We tried the Oskar Blues White Buffalo (a west coast white IPA collaboration with singer Jake Smith); Old Chub (a Scottish-style ale); and a barrel-aged G’Knight (a dry-hopped imperial red IPA aged in Breckenridge bourbon barrels). Since we were visiting a friend, I didn’t take my normal tasting notes. However, all the beers were delicious and made for a great start in Denver!

One of the benefits of going to breweries and brewery tap rooms is meeting people who share a common interest in brewing and great beer. Add the Denver Beer Fest and GABF on top of visiting breweries in Denver and you are guaranteed to make some interesting new friends.

My first brewery stop was Great Divide Brewing. Started in 1994 by Brain Dunn, Great Divide has grown to become a recognized leading provider of quality beers. To date, Great Divide can boast that it is the winner of 17 Great American Beer Festival medals, recipient of 5 World Beer Cup awards, 12th in Ratebeer.com’s 2013 “Best Brewers in the World,” Ratebeer.com’s 2013 Top Brewer in Colorado, and 7th in Beer Advocate’s 2010 “All-Time Top Brewers.” Great Divide’s brewery and co-located taproom is located in downtown Denver.

Once seated at the Great Divide Brewery tap-room bar, I meet a fellow beer enthusiast named Ryan who was visiting from Vancouver, Canada. Ryan was in Denver for the first time, specifically to attend the Denver Beer Fest and GABF. Ryan informed me that the craft beer industry in Vancouver is taking-off. I’m looking forward to traveling to Vancouver soon and providing a first-hand report.

While I was talking to Ryan, my wife met a couple from Texas (Katie and her fiance whose name I didn’t catch) with beautiful hand-knit cozies on their beer glasses. The cozies are called “Beer Sox” and are Katie’s creations. In addition to being attractive, the cozies help to prevent transfer of heat from your hand to the beer you are drinking. Great idea and product!

The Great Divide Tap Room offered a varied selection of year-round and special release beers on tap. My tasting notes follow.

Great Divide Nomad Bohemian Pilsner (5.4% ABV): Nomad pours a beautiful clear, pale gold color with white foam. The beer has an aroma with floral, chalk, and citrus notes. Nomad is medium-bodied with moderate, prickly carbonation. This beer has a nice malt biscuit flavor with a crisp, dry hop-bitter finish. Nomad is an excellent session pilsner with well-integrated flavors.

Great Divide Colette Farmhouse Ale (7.3% ABV): This beer pours a hazy straw color with white foam. Colette smells of earthy hay/straw, medicinal herbs, clove, and coriander. The beer is medium-bodied but creamy with mild carbonation. Colette perfectly fits the style of a Belgian farmhouse ale and tastes of biscuit, earthy hay, medicinal herbs, coriander, clove, and fruit. The beer has a dry finish. Close your eyes, imagine farm fields in Belgium, and enjoy this outstanding Belgian-style farmhouse ale.

Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager (6.2% ABV): Hoss pours a clear copper-amber color with off-white foam. The beer has an aroma of rye with hints of sweet malt grain with subtle fruit background. Hoss is light-bodied with mild carbonation. The beer has a malt bread flavor with only a hint of rye and a light dryish finish. I enjoyed the beer but found it to be a Great Divide weak link.

Great Divide Denver Pale Ale (DPA) (5.4% ABV): This English-style pale ale pours a clear copper color with white foam. DPA has a floral hop aroma. The beer is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. DPA has a sweet malt flavor accompanied with light hops oil, earthy tones, fruit, as well as a subtle spicy undertone. DPA has a moderate dry and hop bitter finish with integrated grain flavor. Raise the Union Jack, I’m ready for this beer anytime!

Great Divide Titan IPA (7.1% ABV): Titan IPA pours a clear copper-amber color with white foam. Stick your nose close to the glass and you’ll be delightfully overwhelmed with a pine resin smell that is accompanied by citrus and floral notes. The beer is medium-bodied with mild carbonation. A sips starts with malt trying makes its presence known, but being rapidly overtaken by a delicious, earthy pine resin flavor and hops bitterness followed by a subtle and complimentary sweetness. Titan has a dry finish with lingering assertive hops bitterness. Aptly named, this is a Titan among IPAs.

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA (10.2% ABV): This double IPA pours a beautiful clear copper-amber color with white foam that left a great lace down the glass. Hercules has a grassy and grapefruit citrus aroma. The beer is full-bodied with mild carbonation. Hercules was an amazing delight. Did I accidentally get a barrel-aged version?! I’m tasting oak and a mellow, complex subtle bourbon flavor combined with sweet malt and a very, very assertive hops bitterness that is amazingly integrated and complimentary. There is a sophisticated dry finish. Hercules is unique, delicious, and slayed me with its flavors.

Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (7.7% ABV): Claymore pours a dark brown color (almost black) with beige foam. The beer has an aroma of roasted malt and light smoke. Claymore is medium to full-bodied with mild carbonation. The beer tastes of sweet caramel and roasted malt. Claymore is warming but it didn’t have the thickness I hoped to find. This beer is good but it didn’t blow my Tartan away. Let’s see, where’s my Traquair House?

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout (9.5% ABV): This beer pours dark black with brown foam. Yeti smells of roasted malt, caramel, and molasses. The beer is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. Yeti has rich flavors of roasted malt, espresso coffee, dark chocolate, and a hint of molasses. There is a nice sting of hops bitterness at the finish. Yeti has a great combination of well-integrated flavors. Yeti is no myth, I believe!

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (9.5% ABV): Oak Aged (OA) Yeti pours dark black with viscous brown foam. The beer has an oak and vanilla aroma with roasted malt. OA Yeti is rich, creamy, and full-bodied with moderate carbonation. Flavors of roasted malt, biscuit, vanilla, oak wood, and chocolate covered espresso beans envelope your tongue. There is a nice moderate hops bitter finish that compliments the luscious, creamy front-end tastes. Make no mistake, OA Yeti is a world-class treat!

Great Divide offers some great beers in a city of great breweries. I’m now lugging a bottle of OA Yeti in my ice chest to bring home. A huge thanks to my wife and daughter for supporting this trip and providing great suggestions.

Our next stop took me to sour beer heaven at what is now one of my favorite breweries. Stay tuned for Denver Beer Fest – Part 2 to read all about this wonderful adventure.