Connoisseurs' session at festival lets snobs hobnob with brewers

[ With Dawnell Smith ]

Published: January 9th, 2008 10:30 PM
Last Modified: January 9th, 2008 05:06 AM

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Remember how you tried to get into the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival last year only to run into a wall of chilled bodies twisting around the Egan Center in tangles of pained, contorted desire? Everybody wanted a beer and looked like frosted beer mugs.

Several changes in the festival's organization might just solve the problem of mob control this year when the event kicks off Jan. 18.

For one thing, you can and should buy session tickets in advance online at www. auroraproductions.net. You'll pay a $5.50 convenience fee but avoid the trauma of long lines during a mid-January cold spell.

Besides, the folks at Aurora Productions believe some or all of the sessions will sell out, so don't delay if you want a taste of the best barley wines around. Fortunately, the festival includes a Saturday-afternoon session to space out the crowds while catering to beer fans and snobs who really want to hobnob with brewers.

The connoisseurs' session will run from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 19 and cost $10 more to support the Brewers Guild of Alaska, whose mission is to create, advocate and legislate craft beer in Alaska. People in the know say that the extra cash is a small price to pay for tasting the cream of the crop and gaining access to brewers and beer geeks from across the country.

"This session was created for the more serious beer drinker who wants to chat up the brewers in a more beer-centric environment," said Barb Miller of Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Many brewers will pour beers not available during the general evening sessions, Miller added. Midnight Sun will pour its sublime Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter that is aged in bourbon barrels -- the version that won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival last year. Other breweries will do the same, including Alaskan Brewing Co., which will share a special stash of its 1996 Smoked Porter on tap.

Connoisseurs get just as crazy as anyone else, of course, and will groove to the Rolling Boil Blues Band while waiting to hear the winners of the barley wine competition. It makes sense to celebrate the best barley wines of the festival in a crowd of beer geeks. In past years, the general population seemed unaware of anything happening within a 5-foot radius, let alone what all the hooting and hollering meant when another Alaska brewery hit pay dirt.

Beer connoisseurs will certainly pay a little more attention to that kind of thing, even as they spill on their date while rushing to the first-place brewery's booth for a sample. Some things are common to all people, and the desire for a good beer is one of them.

Festival pre-loading

Local homebrew gurus talk about "pre-loading" as a means of priming the spirit with brew before the big event. I advise against same-day pre-loading but support a little festival warm-up the week before. Cafe Amsterdam (530 E. Benson Blvd., www.cafe-amsterdam.com) will have all seven Midnight Sun Brewing Co. sin beers on tap starting Jan. 18, along with a grand assortment of other brews. A lot of brewers like to hang out at the Midtown watering hole for breakfast, lunch or an evening pint, and so should you.

Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse (610 W. Sixth Ave., www.humpys.com) not only stocks a vast assortment of beer but also throws an annual pre-festival beer dinner. This year, Humpy's will feature a 7 Deadly Sin beer dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The event draws a big crowd, so call Humpy's now to ask for a seat (276-BEER).

Expect to pay around $95 for the evening shindig, which includes multiple courses of food, all seven Sin beers and an appropriate bonus brew, Fallen Angel.

Do not expect to drive yourself home.

• Find Daily News reporter Dawnell Smith at adn.com/contact/dsmith or call 257-4587.

The Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival

When: 5 to 10 p.m. Jan. 18, 6 to 10 p.m. Jan. 19, connoisseur's session 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 19

Where: Egan Center (555 W. Fifth Ave.)

How much: $30, includes 30 tasting tickets and a sample glass. $40 for connoisseurs' session

Web: www.auroraproductions. net, www.ticketmaster.com/venue/123545

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