2017 Archives: Festival Weekend Event Schedule

2017 Event: Thursday | Friday | Saturday

See Big Beers 2017 Affiliate Events

It’s the perfect combination for a Winter Wonderland getaway: A world-class beer festival at a world-class ski resort! There are discounted ski/snowboard rentals available, discounted lodging, and other arrangements made for Big Beers Festival attendees. Almost all of the Seventeenth Anniversary weekend will be held at Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center, with some single events held in other locations.

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Thursday, January 5th Schedule
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Thursday (6–9 pm)

This is our opportunity to thank all of the breweries and importers who make this weekend possible. Our third annual Brewers Reception will be held at Coppertop Cafeteria with much fun and camaraderie. BSG Craft Brewing is sponsoring the event, and we thank the brewers for donating libations for the festivities. This is a closed event; brewers and importers only.

Thursday Evening (7:30 pm)
The Seventeenth Anniversary Big Beers Festival Weekend opens in traditional Big Beers style! Enjoy a double beer pairing dinner with fantastic creations from both Avery and Dogfish Head at each course. Adam Avery will once again be hosting the Calibration Dinner with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, and Executive Chef Phil Dilks & the Beaver Run culinary team will join the fun for the first time this year. See the Calibration Dinner page for further information.

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Friday, January 6th Schedule
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Friday Morning (8:30 am–noon)

This is the opportunity to bone up on your knowledge of everything about beer & brewing at our Cicerone Workshop. The Cicerone Team will be here to lead this morning workshop! And thanks to All About Beer Magazine, our signature sponsor for this event, the $99 fee per person will be waived.

Take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity in Breckenridge! For more information, see the Seminars page.

Friday Morning (9:30 am–noon)
The first session of the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition. This event is a judging by a select judging panel for entries registered in advance. For more information about the competition, see the Homebrew Competition page. Spectators and interested parties are welcome to attend, although participation is by prior arrangement only.

Friday Afternoon (12:00–1:00 pm)
Our Welcome Reception will be featuring the following breweries: Coronado Brewing Co., WeldWerks Brewing Co., and Brouwerij de Brabandere. Each will be showcasing a beer of their choice with a food pairing designed by Exec Chef Phil and his culinary team at Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center. In addition to tasting, the Welcome Reception also offers the opportunity to hobnob with some of the most innovative brewers in the world. Guests attending multiple weekend events, Volunteers, Judges, Brewers and Brewery Representatives are welcome to drop in.

Friday Afternoon (1:00 pm)
The second session of the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition. This event is a judging by a select judging panel for entries registered in advance. For more information about the competition, see the Homebrew Competition page. Spectators and interested parties are welcome to attend, although participation is by prior arrangement only.

Friday Afternoon (1:30 pm)
This is your opportunity to become a Certified Cicerone! The Cicerone Team will be administering the Certified Cicerone Exam to interested parties who have passed the online Certified Beer Server exam. For more information, see the Seminars page.

Friday Afternoon (4:00–6:00 pm)
Our Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing event will be held off-site at Ember Restaurant. The two Brewmasters/Owner teams featured for this dinner are Chris Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing and Fred Bueltmann of New Holland Brewing Co. John Holl, Editor of All About Beer Magazine, will be your Master of Ceremonies. See the Small Plates Pairing page for further information.

Friday Evening (6:00–7:00 pm)
CraftBeer.com presents Craftbeer.com Beer and Food Experience with Chef Adam Dulye and Julia Herz. Foodies and beer geeks unite while we help tune your inner pairing guide during this unique and cutting edge demonstration. Get ready to enjoy craft beers from small and independent U.S. brewers along with a strategic pairing plate of locally sourced ingredients representing the basic tastes of sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami while we take your palate and mind on a ride. See the Seminars page for further information.

Friday Evening (7:30 pm)
The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner highlighting our 2017 Featured Brewmasters Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster of Brewery Ommegang and Florian Kuplent, Co-Owner/Brewmaster at Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. will be held off-site at Quandary Grille. Julia Herz, Brewers Association Craft Beer Program Director, will be your Master of Ceremonies.  Join us for a second evening of double beer pairing fun! See the Brewmasters’ Dinner page for further information.

Friday Evening (10 pm–midnight)
Cigar Pairing Experience – Join us for cigars and great craft beer with Paul Gatza of the Brewers Association and Greg & Bridgette Geiger. Experiment with various pairings and visit with Clay Carlton of Palma Cigars and your hosts behind the featured pairings. No ticket required for this event, and no formal presentation. Come and go as you like. Bring a jacket for smoking cigars outside. See the Seminars page for further information.

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Saturday, January 7th Schedule
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Saturday Morning (9:30–11:30 am)
One of the many highlights of our Big Beers Festival Weekend: our Experimental Brewing Seminar, titled “Brewing Outside of the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!” The topic for this year’s seminar is “Experimenting with Local Maltsters”. Jason Cody of Colorado Malting Co., John Bricker and Will Kreutzer of Three Barrel Brewing Co., John Mallett of Bell’s Brewery, Andrea Stanley of Valley Malt, and Chad Yakobson of Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project will be among the panelists. David Edgar will lead the charge for this crazy panel and try to keep them under control. See the Seminars page for further information.

Saturday Morning (10–11 am)
The Yoga of Brewing: Discover yogic wisdom and practices to enhance your skill as both a brewer and a consumer of amazing beer. This session is the perfect way to prepare your body, mind, and soul to receive the outstanding selection of beers coming your way throughout the day. Join Kim Fuller, Yoga Instructor and Co-Founder of In Your Element Yoga, and Bobby L’Heureux, Yoga Instructor. No yoga experience, mat, or yoga pants required! Roll out of bed for your first – and most unique – pairing of the day. See the Seminars page for further information.

Saturday First Session Seminars (12:00 pm– 12:50 pm)

• Brewmasters Seminar Track: “Brewing Strong Beers of Belgian & German Origin” by Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster for Brewery Ommegang & Florian Kuplent, Co-Owner/Brewmaster of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Technical Seminar Track: “Discovering Fruit & Fruit Flavors in Brewing” by Steven Pauwels, Boulevard Brewing Co. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Sensory Workshop Track: “Brewing With Exotic Fruit & Vegetables” with John Holl, Editor, All About Beer Magazine. Panelists will be Brian Faivre of Deschutes Brewery, Kyle Carbaugh of Wiley Roots Brewing Co., Phil Markowski of Two Roads Brewing Co., and Dr. Jeremy Gobein of Copper Kettle Brewing Co. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Random Track: “Unearthing Ancient Styles” moderated by Aaron Heaton of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse with panel including Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Tony Simmons of Pagosa Brewing Co., James Howat of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, and Don Chapman of of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse. See the Seminars page for further information.

Saturday Second Session Seminars (1:15 pm– 2:05 pm)

• Brewmasters Seminar Track: “Ommegang & Urban Chestnut Collaborations” by Florian Kuplent, Co-Owner/Brewmaster of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. & Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster of Brewery Ommegang. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Technical Seminar Track: “Brewery Terroir” by Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King Brewery, Chase Healey of American Solera, Phil Markowski of Two Roads Brewing Co., and Nile Zacherle of Mad Fritz Brewing Co. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Sensory Workshop Track: “Who Needs Milk When You Can Have Beer With Your Cookies” by Dr. Bill Sysak, Wild Barrel Brewing Co. See the Seminars page for further information.

• Random Track: “The Science of Contentious Big Beers: Our Love/Hate Relationship with Bitter and Sour” by Dr. Nicole Garneau, DraughtLab, LLC. See the Seminars page for further information.

Saturday Afternoon (2:30–6:00 pm)

The Commercial Tasting portion of the Big Beers Festival begins at 2:30 pm and continues through until 6:00pm. This international tasting is open to the public and showcases over 400 different commercially produced specialty beers from around the world.

Saturday Afternoon (3:30 pm)
Saturday’s Commercial Tasting event includes the Homebrew Competition Awards Presentation.

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BIG BEERS 2017 AFFILIATE EVENTS
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New for 2017, the Big Beers Festival has activated in the Town of Breckenridge to create some terrific events in conjunction with Breckenridge businesses. Although there will be many events going on in addition to this list, these breweries and event hosts have gone the extra mile to add something extra to their event… education, food pairings, community connection, music, art, etc.  In return, we have offered each event host and supporter an honorary Big Beers sponsorship with benefits.

Many thanks to everyone involved, and have a wonderful Big Beers weekend!

Affiliate Event sponsors include:

• Flipside Burger
• Modis Breckenridge
• Rocky Mountain Underground
• Rita’s Specialty Margs & Taco Bar
• Base Camp Wine & Spirits
• Kenosha Steakhouse
• Apres Handcrafted Libations
• Ollie’s Pub & Grub
• The Gold Pan
• The Historic Brown Bar & Venue
• The Breckenridge Tap House
• Chef Jensen Cummings, Brewed Food
• Broken Compass
• The Baker’s Brewery