Amazing beer at Snowmass Mammoth Festival last weekend

     Music, camping, mountains and beer; what could make for a better festival? The 11th annual Snowmass Mammoth Festival held last weekend combined all the right ingredients for an amazing time. With headliners like Leftover Salmon and The Chris Robinson brotherhood I expected the music to be great but was pleasantly surprised by the craft beer festival held Saturday. With over 25 breweries and 90 beers being served it was a great chance to sample some breweries not local to the front range. We were given real commemorative glass not plastic which does not seem the norm at a lot of festivals. The beer tasting went on at the same time as the music giving everything a fun and vibrant atmosphere. The pours were full and the brewers seemed in great spirits. Many of the brewers were on hand pouring glasses and happy to answer any and all questions. While there were a number of amazing beers there were a few that surprised me and one that I fell in love with.
   The first beer that I had at the tasting that was a truly unique beer was Dillon Dam Brewery's Dark and Stormy Summit Saison which was a collaboration beer made with all six of Summit Counties breweries. This was an amazingly complex beer that had a true saison taste that started off as something of a stout. It was a beer you could drink all day and never figure out what flavors created it!
   The next beer is from Strange Craft Beer Company out of Denver. Having just visited this brewery for the first time last month I was very excited to see what beers they would come up with. And of course they did not disappoint! Le Bruit Du Diable Farmhouse ale may have a tough name to say but the beer is amazingly drinkable, especially after you learn that the alcohol content is 8.3ABV. This ale was slightly hoppy but well balanced with the fruitiness I would expect from a Belgian.
   Upslope won for best beer for me with of all things an IPA. Now IPA's are not normally my favorite but I have been finding white IPAs to be much more drinkable. Simply named Thai Style White IPA it was just released last month and is an incredible beer. This beer combines a wit with an IPA and then throws in cinnamon, cracked pepper, ginger, lemon grass, lemon peel and Thai basil for a tasty beer that is not too hoppy even for people like me who typically do not love a traditional IPA.
   All the beers were great, people amazing and fun to talk to, and scenery that was breathtaking. If you have the opportunity to go next year, this festival is one to start planning for!

Everyone's enjoying the beer tasting!