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 Thirteenth Anniversary weekend will be held at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.

Thursday evening (7:30 pm) opens the Thirteenth Anniversary Big Beers Festival Weekend in traditional Big Beers style! Enjoy a double beer pairing dinner with fantastic creations from both Avery and Dogfish Head at each course. See the Brewmasters’ Dinner page for further information.

Friday morning (8:30 am– noon) is the opportunity to bone up on your knowledge of everything about beer & brewing. The Cicerone team (perhaps Ray Daniels, creator of the program, himself) will be here to lead this morning workshop! 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 in which the following breweries will be highlighted: Alaskan Brewing Co. and others TBD. Each brewery will be showcasing a beer of their choice with a food pairing designed by Exec Chef Todd Bemis and his culinary team at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. 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.

Friday afternoon (1:30 pm) is the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition. This event is a judging 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! The Cicerone Team 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 (6:30 pm) CraftBeer.com’s Beer & Food Pairing Taste-Off. Julia Herz of the Brewers Association will be moderating this innovative & wildly popular event.  This year's contenders will be defending champion Shawn Dewitt of Coronado Brewing Co., Scott Witsoe of Wit's End Brewing Co., Geoff Larson of Alaskan Brewing Co., and Nathan Venner of the Altitude Chophouse & Brewery.

See the Brewing Seminars page for further information.

Friday evening (8:00 pm) is the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner. We are quite pleased to announce Kevin DeLange, Founder/Owner of Dry Dock Brewing Co. will be our Featured Colorado Brewmaster, and Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster for Firestone Walker Brewing Co. will be our International Featured Brewmaster. Join us for a second evening of double beer pairing fun! 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: our Experimental Brewing Seminar, titled “Brewing Outside of the Box: Brewers Gone Wild!”. The title of this year's seminar is "Smoke", and presenters will be Ro Guenzel of Left Hand Brewing Co., Geoff Larson of Alaskan Brewing Co., and Ray Daniels, creator of the Cicerone Program and co-author of "Smoked Beers: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes (Classic Beer Style)".

Saturday early afternoon (12:30 pm– 1:30 pm) our Colorado Featured Brewmaster, Kevin Delange, Founder/Owner of Dry Dock Brewing Co., in Aurora, CO, will be speaking o a topic of his choice.

Saturday early afternoon (12:30 pm - 1:30 pm) is a brewing seminar about “Brewing Belgian Styles” led by Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing Co. As Steven is Belgian, he’s got some amazing insight! See the Brewing Seminars page, and seating is limited for this event.

Saturday afternoon (1:45 pm– 2:45 pm) our International Featured Brewmaster, Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster for Firestone Walker Brewing Co., in Paso Robles, CA, will be speaking on "Oak Three Ways: Fermented, Aged & Wild".

Saturday afternoon (1:45 pm - 2:45 pm) Daniel Bradford of All About Beer Magazine will be hosting a sensory workshop focusing on "Creating Flavor - The Art of Blending Hops". See the Brewing Seminars page, and seating is limited for this event.

Saturday afternoon (2:30 - 6:00 pm), the Commercial Tasting portion of the Big Beers Festival begins at 2:30 pm and continues through until 6:00pm. This international tasting is open to the public and showcases over 200 different commercially produced specialty beers from around the world.

Saturday afternoon (3:00 pm), Saturday’s Commercial Tasting event includes the 2013 Homebrew Competition Awards Presentation as well as…

Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm), brings you a new sensory workshop about an unique beer & cheese relationship. Titled “The Beer in my Cheese” for fun, Ska Brewing Co. will show and tell about the relationship that can exist between the two. See the Brewing Seminars page, and seating is limited for this event.

Lodging Rates and Information

The Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival actively supports the efforts of the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, a local organization that helps individuals who live and work in the Vail Valley that have critical financial need due to medical catastrophes, accidents or long-term illnesses. For more information about the VVCF, visit www.vvcf.org, email info@vvcf.org or contact Karen Simon, 970-926-9795.

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