11th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest hosted by Avery Brewing Co

This weekend is the 11th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest that is hosted by Avery Brewing Co. The fest is Friday March 1 from 5 - 10pm and Saturday March 2 from noon - 5 pm. The Strong Ale Fest has one criteria for all the beers, they have to be over 8% ABV.
The fest is located at the Avery Brewery with the over 70 beers being poured in the taproom, barrel aging room, and outside the back of the building under tents. It is a really good venue to taste beers from all over the country, like Dogfish Head, Cambridge Brewing, Cigar City from the east coast, Ballast Brewing, Stone Brewing, Alpine Brewing from the west coast and of course, local breweries from Colorado.
I will be blogging from the fest with updates on the fantastic brews I find worthy to write about. I will also try to maintain my composure and not drink too fast or too much.

Larry Smith, Andy Parker (Avery Brewer), and Mitch Smith
from 2012 Strong Ale Fest

Fate Brewing in Boulder

Here we are having a beer at Fate Brewing with Jared waiting on us. I decided on Cherry Fate, a cherry foreign stout that's a collaboration of Fate and the Mountain Sun Brewpub. It's smooth with a cherry front and a tart finish at 7.2% ABV.

Pliny the younger

Waiting on line for the second round of Pliny the Younger at the Falling Rock!

Stout Month at the Mtn Sun

First time this year at Stout Month at the Mtn Sun in Boulder. So excited because I love stouts in general as my go to beer styles.

Red Porter at Black Shirt Brewing in the RiNo district

Black Shirt Brewing is one of our favorite breweries that we haven't been to in a while so after our Pliny craze we stopped on by. They have a small batch of Red Porter that is so smooth with chocolate and roasted coffee notes. It's very flavorful and ABV is comparable most porters at 6.0%.

Pliny the Younger at Falling Rock Tap House

Waiting for the doors to open for the first installment of Pliny the Younger at the Falling Rock!

BrettAPA from Trinity Brewing

Wow, what flavors, citrus hops with a sour back end! It's about 6% ABV, so quite sessionable :)

Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs

In between being at Galaxy Fest, must stop at a few breweries in the city. Trinity Brewing is a must stop, I'm drinking Pappy Legba. It's a crimson saison that has a fruity flavor, cherries like pie. Pappy Legba is a big saison at 13% ABV, it's imperial!