Imagine a World Class Winter Wonderland of fun activities in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado…and then top off your trip with a World Class International Beer Festival, complete with Brewmasters’ Dinners and Seminars by some of the world’s most innovative Brewers…

Too good to be true? Read on!

Join us for the Tenth Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Weekend! Come up to Vail to experience the event that beer connoisseurs are raving about. Homebrewers, Professional Brewers and Industry Gurus alike speak highly with regard to the unique format, the unusual international collection of beers, the organization and the overall quality of the event.For those of you who are Big Beers Festival veterans, this Tenth Anniversary celebration promises to be exceptional, with Commemorative Tenth Anniversary brews being tapped for the first Welcome Reception, and a unique food & beer pairing menu at Atwater Tavern on Gore Creek in addition to other goodies.

Weekend Schedule
Lodging Rates and Information

It’s the perfect combination for a Winter Wonderland getaway: A world-class Beer Festival at a world-class Ski Resort! There are discounted ski/snowboard rentals available, discounted lodging, and other arrangements made for Big Beers Festival attendees. The entirety of the Tenth Anniversary weekend will be held at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.

Thursday evening (7:30) opens the Tenth Anniversary Big Beers Festival Weekend in traditional Big Beers style! Join Adam Avery, Brewmaster/Founder of Avery Brewing, and Sam Calagione, Founder/President of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, as they start the weekend off right with some incredible beers at our Calibration Dinner. Experience the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa’s $30 million renovation at the Creekside Terrace overlooking the infinity pool for appetizers, and Atwater at Gore Creek for dinner. See the Brewmasters’ Dinner page for further information.

Friday late morning (8:30 – noon) is the opportunity to show what you know about beer & brewing.The Cicerone Program is back.  Ray Daniels, creator of the program, will be here to lead this morning workshop himself! And thanks to All About Beer Magazine, our signature sponsor for this event, the $99 fee per person will be waived. Take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity in Vail! For more information, see the Brewing Seminars page.

Friday afternoon (12:00) is our Welcome Reception, and All About Beer Magazine has underwritten your opportunity to taste the Commemorative Tenth Anniversary beers that have been created for Big Beers Weekend by some of our amazing brewers. All of these beers are being rolled out at our festival weekend! Some will go on to be released to the general public, and some are a limited release for Big Beers attendees only. In addition to tasting, the Welcome Reception also offers the opportunity to hobnob with some of the most innovative brewers in the world. Guests attending multiple weekend events, Volunteers, Judges, Brewers and Brewery Representatives are welcome to drop in for some extreme libations. For more information, including these commemorative beers, see the Brewing Seminars page.

Friday afternoon (1:30 pm) is the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition. This event is a tasting by a select judging panel for entries registered in advance. For more information about the competition, see the Homebrew Competition page.  Spectators and interested parties are welcome to attend, although participation is by prior arrangement only.

Friday afternoon (2:30 pm) is your opportunity to become a Certified Cicerone! Ray Daniels will be administering the Certified Cicerone Exam to interested parties who have passed the online Certified Beer Server exam. For more information, see the Brewing Seminars page.

Friday evening (8:00) is the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Brewmasters’ Dinner. We are quite pleased to announce that Peter Bouckaert will be our Tenth Anniversary Colorado Featured Brewmaster, hailing from New Belgium Brewing Co. in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and Lodewijk Swinkels will be traveling internationally to join us from the Netherlands as our International Featured Brewmaster. The Brewmaster for LaTrappe at Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven, he is sharing the 125th Anniversary of LaTrappe with us for our Tenth Anniversary! See the Brewmasters’ Dinner page for further information.

Saturday morning (10:00 am - noon) is one of the many highlights of our Big Beers Festival Weekend. White Labs Yeast Company graciously underwrites our Experimental Brewing Seminar, titled “Brewing Outside of the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!”. This year’s “Brewers Gone Wild” will be speaking on Experimental Brewing from differing perspectives with the 2010 theme “Generations of Brewing”. See the Brewing Seminars page for further information…it’s definitely worth getting out of bed!

Saturday early afternoon (12:30 – 1:30pm) our International Featured Brewmaster, Lodewijk Swinkels of LaTrappe/ Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven, will be speaking on a topic of his choice for an educational seminar. See the Brewing Seminars page for further information.

Saturday afternoon (1:30 – 2:30 pm) our Colorado Featured Brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing Co., will be speaking on a topic of his choice for an educational seminar. See the Brewing Seminars page for further information.

Saturday afternoon, the Commercial Tasting portion of the Big Beers Festival begins at 2:30 pm.  and continues through until 7:00pm. This international tasting is open to the public and showcases over 150 different commercially produced specialty beers from around the world. Saturday’s event includes the 2010 Homebrew Competition Awards Presentation as well as the wildly popular International Beer & Food Pairing Challenge. Julia Herz of the Brewers Association will be moderating her innovative seminar beginning at 3:30 pm. This Beer & Food Seminar will feature a panel of Importers and American Craft Brewers and their brews. See the Brewing Seminars page for further information.

Lodging Rates and Information