With 35 brewers and more than 2,000 visitors over two tastings last weekend, the All Colorado Beer Festival shattered its past records for participation. More important, the fest raised much-needed funds for TheatreWorks, Home Front Cares and the Gazette’s Empty Stocking Fund.

In other words, the festival was all for a good cause and all in good fun — especially the classic rock cover band.

However, with the designation “All Colorado” and Colorado being the Napa Valley of beer, with a new 20,000-square-foot venue, my expectations were high and the experience fell somewhat flat.

Where am I?

I have to admit that I was excited to see what the festival had planned for the Springs Expo Center, because the growing pains were obvious at the former Mr. Bigg’s venue. Perhaps the huge, wide-open space confused organizers, though, because the M-shaped table design they chose was certainly confusing for visitors.

As the packed house of people attempted to navigate all 35 brewers, it was unclear who was standing in line and in which line. People who wanted to chat or stand back to enjoy their 2-ounce samples found themselves blocking the progress of others seeking out beer.

Sure, there were probably lots of conversations sparked between strangers figuring out where they were, but bonding over shared confusion probably isn’t what festival organizers were aiming for. The Expo Center has the space to give each brewer a little more breathing room, and the venue would have worked if the lines had been more obvious. Beer does contain alcohol, remember. Obvious is a good, good thing.

Who are you?

According to the festival Web site, brewers were encouraged to have representatives on hand to talk to visitors, but most of my samples were poured by volunteers, many of whom knew little to nothing about the brews they were proffering.

One of my favorite parts of beer festivals is the educational component, learning new things and discovering new flavors and talking to new-to-the-scene brewers. Without that education, the festival’s atmosphere seemed to be more about quantity than quality, more about consuming alcohol than savoring the craft.

What’s new here?

Beer snobs know there is a difference between bottled and tapped beer, and many other festivals I’ve attended (Craft Lager Fest comes to mind) prove that portable kegs are not difficult to arrange. Bottled beer is usually in the minority, but many of the brewers at All Colorado Beer Festival chose to go that route.

The selections were also uninspired, the same beers that you can order off the breweries’ standard menus or that you can buy in any local liquor store. Seasonal choices or special brews were more rare than I would have liked, and the result, for me, was a feeling of brewer apathy.

Highlights

Despite the confusion, there were still some standouts. This is Colorado, after all.

• Rock Bottom Brewery: Pumpkin beers are popular in the fall, but they’re often only novelties. Brewer Jason Leeman’s Pumpkin Harvest Ale is the exception and is exceptional, with a mellow but obvious squash flavor and a tickle of cinnamon. I’d trade out a growler of this ale for my pumpkin pie dessert at Thanksgiving, if the brew is still available. 

• BierWerks Brewery: The Apfelbier and Oktoberfest are two reasons to head up the pass to Woodland Park. The apple brew was crisp and refreshing, and the rich German malt was well-crafted and toasty.

• Avery Brewing: The fun, edgy devil on the label would lure me to buy the White Rascal authentic Belgian (Witbier), but the contents of the bottle are also great. The eminently drinkable, wide-appeal wheat beer has spicy undertones of coriander and orange peel.

• Rocky Mountain Brewery: This brewer certainly doesn’t lack for inspiration or creativity, and the S’more Stout shows both qualities. The sweet beer is perhaps a little syrupy and should best be enjoyed in small quantities, but it was one of the most inventive, talked-about beers at the festival.

• Bonfire Brewery: India Pale Ales can be somewhat highbrow for the average beer drinker, and this Pink-I Raspberry IPA offers a nice, more accessible introduction, thanks to the addition of fruity Oregon raspberry puree. While not revolutionary, the Vanilla Porter is also a solid choice.

Photo by PHOTO BY KATE JONUSKA