With over a year since the last post I think it's safe to say i ran out of things to say on what was really a commentary on other people's beer. Not that there isn't an endless number of things to say, but I've grown a little tiresome of being focused on just that. After a fair amount of thought and around 7 months of effort renovating a small shed into a nano-brewery in Somerville MA - the slumbrew lab, we've decided to take this little project to a different level. Not entirely sure where this is all headed (or maybe just not willing to say right this moment) but the slumbrew lab offers a far greater range of possibilities for what we might experiment with. It's safe to say that slumbrew lab is running close to full tilt to get ready for a big pouring event March 19 and then a number of other events shortly thereafter. Also stay tuned for a brand new slumbrew.com which i am more than a little excited about. In the meantime, become a fan of slumbrew on facebook for the day to day ramblings.

Southern Tier is also to be commended for the diversity of their styles and limited release series. Beyond their year-round and seasonal beers, an enormous selection of imperials and Cuvée beers is also produced at various times throughout the year. The ten imperials make this brewery a powerhouse in the realm of “big beers” and I can't wait to see what they come out with next. Who would have thought a little brewery in the Southwestern corner of New York state would produce such a range of well crafted beers. Here's to a great 2008, and hoping they keep up the experimentation in 2009.

In the interest of maintaining sanity for any late-winter storms this year, Slum Brew brewed its second imperial stout which should be ready around mid-March - just in time for the last lingering winter storms. This beer was challenging as I was really trying to keep the alcohol north of 10% and so I did a mash based on 8 gallons but only collected the first six for the boil. It is also the first beer I've produced with Taza Cacao nibs (who I've gotten the great chance to know through my day job). Since this batch was a bit experimental I kept the production volume to 5 gallons. The grain bill was based on pale malt with additions of roasted barley, oats, black patent and chocolate malts and special B. Lightly toasted hazelnuts, dates, fresh orange peel and the cacao nibs were added late in the boil, and hops included Chinook, Nugget, Goldings EK and Fuggles. The only setback was the kettle strainer got clogged with hop residue and prevented me from extracting the last gallon. Final gravity for this batch came in at 1.106, which should bring the beer in around 11% if the yeast keep up their end of the bargain.

Also just bottled is the latest in the Flag Raiser IPA series. This IPA was split across two batches that used slightly different California Ale yeast strains. Both batches were based on an IPA that makes almost excusive use of Glacier hops. The one exception to this was some fresh hops from BGT's first year hop vines on the patio. I believe the frsh hops consisted of Cascade and Fuggles. Flag Raiser was dry-hopped with Glacier which makes for a strong hop aroma.

Our day began with a tour of the original brew house and a primer on the computer automation system that provides insight on every facet of the brewing process. Every operation from transferring grain to the mashtun, adding hop additions to the boil, moving hot wort to the chiller and controlling the fermentation process is automated and visible on computer workstations throughout the facility. The brew house was a highly efficient piece of artistry that makes most brewpubs look like bathtub gin shacks. Just as I was thoroughly impressed, JR let us know that they don't even use this brew house anymore – except in peak demands to supplement the other system. A recent expansion allowed NB to build a brew house with twice the capacity (200 barrels) and an even greater efficiency. There is virtually no waste in the brewing process as heat is captured from steam during the boil and wort chilling process by transforming that lost energy into hot water that gets stored in an energy reclaim tank. This energy, in the form of hot water, is then used for pre-heating new batches of wort before turning on the kettle burner, or for heating the brewing space or even the cold, North-facing loading dock area. All of the excess waste water is treated in NB's own treatment facility before being released into the sewage system and spent grain is sold to area farmers for blending into livestock feed.

While the actual brewing operation was impressive, JR had a passion for the cold side of the facility since that is where much of the magic happens (and where he works): fermentation, conditioning, aging, bottling. After climbing to the top of the fermentors, the view was as impressive as the fact we were standing on a small lake of beer. Even as we stood on top of a couple dozen 1,000 barrel fermentors, there was construction underway below to receive another six or so of the same size. Our tour of the oak room was no less impressive. La Folie was conditioning in each barrel for what can last for up to three years until it is ready to bottle. Although our energy was starting to fade, we were then off to the new bottling building next door which boasts one of a few all-digital bottle fillers than can be calibrated and modified in-line without shutting down the operation. What a day.

The remainder of our trip to Fort Collins consisted mainly of dinner since we missed the brewery hours at Odell Brewing and were quite exhausted after a full week. A return trip to Fort Collins is definitely in order next year since I feel we only scratched the surface in what seems to be a great corner of the world. The extensive tour of New Belgium was a rare opportunity to see a truly balanced operation between technical efficiency, environmental sustainability and workforce responsibility.

We arrived on Friday afternoon in a semi-industrial area down the street from Coors Field, and next to the former production brewery for Flying Dog. The entire production crew of Stranahan's consists of four guys committed to crafting a quality small-batch whiskey. Jake was a tour guide and took us through the entire operation which consists mainly of the distilling room – containing unique still combining a scotch-style pot with a bourbon-style column – and the barrel room. Jake was a really great guide and explained every step of the process. His passion for this craft was clearly evident.

The distillery was originally located next to the Flying Dog Brewery in order to procure its recipe of fermented beer wash directly from them. The wash was then double distilled and converted into the alcohol that is filled into oak barrels for aging. When Flying Dog moved to Maryland, Stran's then contracted with Oskar Blues to supply the fermented wash each week. The barrel room was a really unique experience since the entire stock of future bottling is present in the oak waiting to reach the proper maturation. The room was kept warm and humid to keep the barrels of aging whiskey on target for their proper flavor profile.

After leaving Stranahan's, we went next door to join the Flying Dog GABF party in the former production floor of the brewery. The former brew house is still present but all of the fermentors were removed and shipped to Maryland in the new brewery. We met up with Neil – one of the main voices of Flying Dog Twitter – and had a great time celebrating the remaining days of Flying Dog's contribution to the Denver beer scene.

Stop two and three on the crawl brought us toward Coors Field for Breckenridge and the Sandlot Breweries. Breckenridge is always a lot of fun and they have a wide selection of styles. I think the 471 Small Batch IPA was my favorite, but the oatmeal stout is not too shabby either. Sandlot BreweryOnly a block away is the Sandlot Brewery which in the last year has changed its name to the Blue Moon Brewing Company after the success of Blue Moon beer that was first developed at this location. Last year I was a little suspicious of the brewery since it operates as an experimental arm of the mega Coors Brewery, but there are some really dedicated brewers working here on quality beers. In fact, some of the area's best German and Czech style beers are produced here each year for the pro brewer's event held here on the Friday of GABF week.

After Sandlot, we were off to Wynkoop for some lunch and a sample size of B3K Schwarz Bier (which one Gold at GABF). Oh, and also a sample of their Chile Beer which is one of the strangest beers, but also irresistible every time I visit. Wynkoop has a great lineup of regular beers that are all quite unusual. BGT is a big fan of the Wixa Weiss which is also a strange approach to a weiss bier but pretty successful since it also won a Gold this year.

Having the experience of last year and a general sense of the layout, BGT and I thought we would be as efficient at visiting our favorite breweries as possible. GABF layoutWe generally head for the Pacific Northwest beers that were in the far corner of last year's layout so this year as the crowd poured in, we made a bee-line for the back of the hall. Unfortunately, it seems organizers wanted to keep us fans on our toes and inverted the layout, moving our destination to the exact area we scurried by upon entering. So, starting out with Southeastern area breweries I got to know a few beers that were really excellent and are a great representation for a region that I've never really been known for craft beer.

The GABF experience is like no other in that one has the chance to sample beers that would normally require a great amount of travel, all within a time span of a few hours. The downside is that each beer is not consumed in a quantity – of volume or time – where it has the chance to create a truly meaningful memory. From one fantastic beer to the next, they will begin to blend together over the course of the evening if you don't make deliberate mental notes of what is good/bad/interesting/horrible/intriguing. This year I really tried to stay away from beers I know and love in order to focus on breweries I am unfamiliar with and beers I've never tasted before. It was really hard to do but the result was quite worthwhile. My favorites of the evening were two beers I have (somehow) never had before: Short's Brewing Company's Nicie Spicie American wheat ale and Terrapin Beer Co.'s India Brown Ale. To be honest, the entire lineup of Short's beers was a hit and they had one of the highest patronage of any other booth on Thursday night. The Nicie Spicie was the only beer I went back for a second sample as it had an intriguing blend of cracked pepper flavors and citrus in a white wheat base. Terrapin's IBA was a unusual beer that balanced a very malty base with a hoppy nose (65 IBU's to be exact). There were many other great beers, but these were the two that stood out the most. Someday I will finish my iPhone beer rating app to help my memory out more.

Wednesday was like a summer day as the temperature soared well into the high-70's and not a cloud was in sight. A perfect day for a beer trek around the Greater Boulder area. Our first stop was Oskar Blues brewpub in Lyons. It was still early in the day so the crowd was, well… we were the crowd. We had to have a flight anyway and it was well worth it. I'm a huge fan of Gordon, but my favorite beer (and one I still reminisce about) was the limited run of Dale's Pale Ale aged in used Stranahan's whiskey barrels. At this point we knew nothing of Stranahan's, but it made for an amazingly smooth depth of flavor. Later in the week after more of the beer glitterati arrived, Rock Bottom had one of their IPA's aged in Stran barrels but it didn't come close to the subtleties of flavor brought out in the Dale's. As it turns out, Oskar Blues is also the new supplier of fermented beer wash that Stranahan's uses as the base for their distilling process so maybe that synergy contributed to the great flavors.

After leaving Lyons, our next stop was a short drive over to Longmont to visit our old friends at Left Hand Brewery. Last year's visit sealed the deal on the 2007 Slum Brew award for favorite brewery. This year we came well after their expansion that has supposedly reduced the number of all night brewing sessions to keep up with demand. Left Hand Milk Stout is probably one of my favorite beers and has been available in some of the beer bars for a long time, but I noticed it is now a regular draft line at places like Miracle of Science in Cambridge, MA which must be an indication of recent expansion in Northeast markets. I'm sure they will be back to all night brewing again soon. We contemplated that while enjoying a perfect afternoon on the patio drinking Twin Sisters and Chainsaw Ale.

An even shorter ride over to the Oskar Blues Longmont brewery allowed us to catch up with a Left Hand tour bus shuttling GABF'ers around the area. OB is one of a few pioneers in resurrecting the idea of canning beer in commercial operations – which I am a huge supporter/fan of. Their new space in Longmont is enormous and divided up by the occasional 15 foot high column of empty cans. To break up the cavernous space and time between hop additions (I assume) was a basketball court and batting cage that was a major hit with the current tour. The brewery has plenty of room to expand and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the Northeast. On a recent visit to Roadhouse in Brookline, MA, I noticed that bartenders couldn't sell cans of Dale's fast enough so there certainly is demand.

Wednesday evening ended with some rest at the hotel and then a venture to the mothership of all beer glitterati during GABF week: Falling Rock. Falling RockIt truly was a scene of many old friends catching up over the past year and enjoying some of the best craft beers that could be poured in Denver – which is saying a lot. We could barely look in any direction without running into friends or famed personalities on the beer circuit: Don Younger from the Horse Brass Pub, Garrett from Maui Brewing, folks from Stone, many people from Wyeast (who were there with bells on), and many many others. The beer selection was awesome but BGT and I zeroed in on Russian River's Pliny the Elder like a laser. Many east-coasters have never heard of Russian River, much less Pliny, but to those in the know (and at Falling Rock, with this crowd and on this night, pretty much everyone) this is one beer worthy of a true pilgrimage. Pliny is a beer that challenges your taste buds' very understanding of hoppyness as if a double IPA were watered down Gatorade in a sippy cup. Its an experience of true lupulin overload and at 8%, it made for a rough start to Thursday.

Our crowd sampled around eight different cheeses from Public House Provisions and all were really amazing. I'm so happy they are now in the beer business as well after a rather prolonged waiting period to gain the required permits. Roadhouse BBQ inBrookline stole the night though. As many peeps have certainly observed, Roadhouse has had a rocky start at best. The reviews on Beer Advocate, Yelp, et al. have been discouraging for the latest addition to the Boston beer/BBQ crowd. The most common complaint has been around long waits and cold food which are certainly understandable. I'm not sure the beer selection has ever been an issue since as an offshoot of the Public House, expertise in that area has been proven for years. Although I haven't eaten at Roadhouse before Saturday night, I must say on my most recent trip a couple weeks ago I can confirm that the entrees were temperature challenged. Not so much nowadays. On this past trip, all of our meals were steaming hot and delicious. The beer menu was top notch as it has been and the general ambiance is one of the best in the area. I think most people in Roadhouse were enjoying themselves and it makes me happy to see another establishment add to the already thriving beer culture in Boston. For a different recent review, see BGT's here.

My day brewing with Will and Megan at Cambridge Brewing Company has come andgone, but what a great day it was. We contributed another 10bbl to the popular demand of Great Pumpkin Ale which seems to have taken CBC by storm over the last few years. It was a lot of work, even on a relatively easy day – I missed out on the “opportunity” to clean a fermentor since we split our 10bbl across two batches from the night before. That disappointment is offset by the offer to come back another time later in the year – which I am very much excited for.

The countdown continues for GABF and what will most certainly be an exciting week. BGT and I will arrive on Tuesday evening, with various brewery tours Wednesday, GABF visit on Thursday, the Beer Advocate pub crawl on Friday, Fort Collins and New Belgian on Saturday and flying back to Boston on Sunday. Incidentally, our group photo of last year's GABF comes up on page 3 of a Google image search for the terms “Beer Festival Boston”. Who knew we were so search engine optimized!