Stoutmeister here, some 24 hours away from Denver and the Great American Beer Festival. Upon learning of this annual event a few years ago, my dear father, whom we call the Professor Emeritus of Beer, decided he just had to go sometime. That time became this year, so with the click of a mouse we snagged tickets to the Friday and Saturday sessions (we skipped Thursday’s opener, which was probably a good thing considering how many people we know tried and failed to get tickets because they started with that day; you could not buy an all-session pass, but rather just one day after another).

We are still heading up on Thursday, since being car-lagged before 4 1/2 hours of beer tasting seemed like a bad idea. We are staying in the heart of downtown at the Magnolia Hotel and will be providing as much live (or close to live) updates as we possibly can. This event has “sensory overload” written all over it. If you do not believe me, check out the event page and click on the map.

Our plan is to hit up the Pro-Am (home brewers) booth first, then head over to the Mid-Atlantic booths and try as many as possible (Dogfish Head, we are coming for you!). From there, we will aim for the Southeast, Midwest, and New England, since most of these beers are impossible to obtain in New Mexico. Don’t worry, we will make sure to stop by the various NM brewery booths in order to say hello to our friends who are on hand. As of today, the monks from Abbey Beverage Co. will be there, as well as Blue Corn, Chama River, Il Vicino, La Cumbre, Marble, Nexus, Santa Fe, Sierra Blanca, and Tractor.

I have no idea if we can fit all of this into Friday’s session, so there may be spillover into Saturday, when I hope to visit the various Western breweries we also cannot get a hold of in ABQ. Know of a brewery we absolutely, positively have to visit? (We know Russian River is a must-visit) Send us a message on Facebook (we will have a specific post up for that) or via Twitter. We will be sending out photos and Tweets throughout the session. I apologize if our grammar/spelling/ability-to-focus-the-camera-phone declines as the night goes on, but hey, BEER. It tends to do that. I will have my digital voice recorder along for the duration, so that should help us after things get, um, hazy.

As for the whole VALHALLA thing I brought up in Tuesday’s beer notes, well, that’s just the nickname we decided to bestow upon the GABF. For it is truly VALHALLA, the golden hall at the end of the beer-flavored rainbow. This is the great gathering of beer producers and beer lovers, all together for one happy long weekend. For all I know, this might be the one and only time that E-Rock, the Professor, and myself ever get to go, or get to go as a group.

And rest assured, before we enter the Denver Convention Center, this shall be recited by E-Rock and I:

‘Lo, there do I see my father.
‘Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers.
‘Lo, there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning.
‘Lo, they do call to me.
They bid me take my place among them.
In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever!

If you are in Denver, seek us out in the crowd, or Tweet/message us and we will meet up with you, even if it is before/after the GABF sessions. For those who cannot go, we welcome you to live vicariously through us the next few days.

VALHALLA awaits!

— Stoutmeister