It’s that time of year again. For a Beer Director just very well be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. I am sitting comfortably in my reclined window seat in row 9 on one of Southwest Airlines’ newest planes – yes, complete with a new plane smell you don’t find too often. I’m heading to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival and on the plane I see at least a few people adorned in brewery shirts and hats, if I were a betting man I’d guess they’ll be sipping a lot of beer with a whole lot of people this week.

For those who travel frequently you know that beer selection on airplanes is limited, at best. Still on a flight like this there’s something right about a cold can of Heineken to tide me over till I find myself in the bowels of Falling Rock later tonight (Wednesday). The beer, for me, is so much better in a can. It is still light bodied, but the hops are vibrant and crisp with no sign of skunking commonly found in the green bottles. No, this won’t be the best beer of the day, but flying over western America at more than 41,000 feet, it ain’t a bad thing at all.

Tomorrow will be a whirlwind for me, and the fantastic crew of DRAFT Magazine. I, for one, will be making an early morning journey to Fort Collins where I will meet with brewers from the west coast to tour Odell, Coopersmith and New Belgium. I’ve been to Coopersmith and New Belgium, but I am quite excited to see Odell for the first time, to meet Doug Odell and to sample one of the country’s best IPAs from the source. Of coursee, lunch at Coopersmith isn’t to be overlooked. Here they serve patrons a wide selection of beer and I’m hoping for a stiff pint of English pale ale followed by a glass of their cherry lambic, aged in oak on top of whole cherries. If you haven’t been to Coopersmith, by all means do what you can to fix that. New Belgium will be a treat as we get a VIP guided tour with Bryan Simpson, the media relations man and overall great guy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see enormous vats of La Follie, or that tasting this and other rare offerings of the brewery wasn’t weighing heavy on my mind.

All that and it should be time for lunch. Hey, I told you it was whirlwind, right?

Back in Denver I have plans to sit with Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada for a quick discussion, followed by time with Sam Caglione of Dogfish Head. This won’t take long, or be overly stressful, but I still get butterflies when I’m around Grossman. I mean, the guy is a long-time hero of mine and his contributions to craft beer in American can’t be overstated. Ah, it will be a good time.

Next is our VIP party at Steamworks. This is party thrown by DRAFT and is by invitation only. Yeah, it sounds a little stuffy, but it may be a very welcome escape for industry folk who are trickling in from around the country (really, from around the world). I’ll be dressed in slacks, a long-sleeve button-down shirt, clean shaven and looking pretty preppy (not a look I’m accustom to).

If time allows I’ll find my way back to the first session of the GABF in time to find a few samples of something new, something the revelers there point me to with enthusiasm and joy. When this beer is found it is my hope that I can just stop for a moment, take in the sights of thousands of beer enthusiasts advancing not only in their beer education, but also building the tools and vocabulary necessary to share with others back home, helping others advance in their appreciation and understanding of beer. Taking the first sip I hope to not judge the beer, or critique it, or explain it. No, this first sip I long to savor, to appreciate, to enjoy. There will be time for evaluation later in the week, but this first sip, this is for me, it is the memory I want to build on, it the experience I hope everyone at the event gets to share in.

Throughout the next four days I’ll be taking time away from the beer and the people to relay my experiences. I am a fortunate, blessed man to be able to see and experience as much as I do. I am honored to have a job at America’s greatest beer magazine and simply love sharing my stories. I’d love to hear from you too. If you like something or want clarification about anything, please take a moment to leave a comment. Till next time.