Eleventh Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival
Vail, Colorado • January 6-8, 2011 – Imagine a World Class Winter Wonderland of fun activities in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado… and then top off your trip with a World Class International Beer Festival, complete with Brewmasters’ Dinners and Seminars by some of the world’s most innovative Brewers…
Could it be the ultimate beer vacation? Your bucket list “beercation”?
Steven Pauwels and Chris Bauweraerts have been selected to join Sam Calagione and Adam Avery for the 2011 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival in Vail, CO. Pauwels and Bauweraerts will be the event’s 2011 Featured Brewmasters, hosting the Brewmasters’ Dinner at Atwater on Gore Creek with Executive Chef Adam Votaw in addition to individual educational seminars throughout the weekend. The Big Beers Festival is hosting its 11th annual white tablecloth event at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa from January 6 – 8, 2011, and coordinators estimate that 1200 guests & participants will attend. For the weekend overview, see www.BigBeersFestival.com.
Pauwels, Brewmaster for Boulevard Brewing Co in Kansas City, MO, is a transplant from Belgium, and has spent more than a decade overseeing all aspects of brewing and quality control as the regional craft brewer’s sales have more than tripled. Pauwels is also responsible for 13 additions to Boulevard’s brand lineup, including the critically acclaimed Smokestack Series line of artisanal beers.
Bauweraerts, co-Founder of Brasserie d’Achouffe in Achouffe, Belgium, will not only be representing his Chouffe lineup of beers, but also other products within the Duvel-Moortgat portfolio. Bauweraerts founded Achouffe in 1982 as a hobby with his brother-in-law, and the pair have grown the brewery into a commercial venture that has been quite successful. Well known for the friendly elf that decorates all of their labels as well as their exceptional beers, the Chouffe products have a unique niche within the Duvel-Moortgat lineup.
Avery & Calagione, Founders of Avery Brewing Co. and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery respectively, anchor the Big Beers Festival and roll out the carpet annually with their Calibration Dinner on Thursday evening of Big Beers weekend. Calagione will also be speaking about his recent adventures around the world with Discovery Channel at a special seminar on Friday night.
Big Beers Festival weekend also includes the Cicerone Workshop, led by creator Ray Daniels, which is a program similar to the Sommelier designation in the world of wine. Sponsored by All About Beer Magazine, this workshop is free and the public is encourage to attend, whether attending other Big Beers ticketed events or not. Highly regarded within the beer industry, the certification is recommended for all food & beverage staff as well as beverage retailers and beer connoisseurs.
For a full schedule listing, information about the Big Beers Festival’s worthy beneficiary, the Vail Val-ley Charitable Fund, and discounted lodging and ski/snowboard rentals, visit their website at www.BigBeersFestival.com. A weekend of seminars, workshops, dinners, the homebrew competition judging, CraftBeer.com’s Beer & Food Pairing Smackdown, and the ever popular Commercial Tasting of over 200 big, Belgian & experimental beers awaits. It’s a must-do event – a bucket list qualifier – for beer lovers worldwide.
