{"id":3351,"date":"2010-01-05T14:51:38","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T20:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=3351"},"modified":"2016-12-16T22:47:16","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T04:47:16","slug":"this-weekend-in-vail-ski-vacation-and-a-beer-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/this-weekend-in-vail-ski-vacation-and-a-beer-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"This weekend in Vail: ski vacation and a beer festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/em><\/p>\n

\"ski<\/em><\/em>

Vail Cascade Resort & Spa<\/p><\/div>\n

By <\/em>PJ Hoberman<\/em><\/p>\n

This weekend marks the 10th annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival<\/strong><\/a> in Vail, Colo. Beer festival combined with a ski vacation<\/a><\/strong>? Yes, please!<\/p>\n

Beer lovers, geeks, connoisseurs and brewers from all over the country, and some from international locales, will converge at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa<\/strong><\/a> Jan. 7-9. Events range from homebrew competitions to brewmasters dinners, seminars to serving exams.<\/p>\n

The festival starts off Thursday night with a brewmasters dinner with two of the biggest names in big beer: Adam Avery, brewmaster and Founder of Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colo., and Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware.<\/p>\n

Friday opens up with a lesson in beer and brewing, lead by Cicerone founder and brewing author Ray Daniels. Later, participants gain access to a rare beer tasting, full of beers brewed specially for this event\u2019s 10th anniversary. The day continues with a Cicerone exam, homebrew competition and another brewmasters dinner.<\/p>\n

Saturday is sure wear you thin, in that \u201cWow, I just skied moguls all day and can\u2019t move; please bring me to a hot tub now,\u201d awesome sort of way. The morning starts with a seminar on experimental beers, entitled \u201cBrewing Outside the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!\u201d<\/p>\n

After a seminar by international featured brewmaster Lodewijk Swinkels of LaTrappe\/Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven, and a seminar by Colorado featured brewmaster Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing Company, the commercial beer tasting event kicks off. With over 150 different beers to choose from, a beer and food pairing challenge, and the homebrew competition award ceremony, it\u2019s going to be an amazing afternoon.<\/p>\n

Sunday, I go skiing.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n