The start of last month brought with it the 23rd edition of the Great American Beer Festival, held as it is every year in Denver, Colorado. Having made it my habit to attend the GABF on only even-numbered years, it was again my turn to visit the Mile High City and sip some of the best the breweries of the United States have to offer, as well as, it must be added, some of the worst. A few of the highlights and one decided lowlight:

     - My beers of the fest hailed from two highly respected brewpubs located on opposite coasts. From Long Island, New York, brewer Phil Markowski of the Southampton Publick House brought his remarkable Cuvée des Fleurs, an intensely fragrant, floral and lightly spicy ale hopped with not only conventional hops, but also several varieties of edible flowers. And from the Pizza Port location at Solano Beach, California, Tomme Arthur offered his masterful wood-aged blonde ale, Le Woody, a funky and fruity treat with notes of tart, red fruit underscored by hints of vanilla and an appetizingly dry finish.

     - The judges must have agreed with me on the Pizza Port front, because Tomme won both a gold for Le Woody in the Belgian-Style Sour Ale category and the coveted title of Small Brewpub Brewmaster of the Year. (For a list of all the winners, see http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/04winners.htm, and please, no angry emails about the big brewers receiving awards.)

     - My hands-down choice for worst of the fest was the Coors-produced Zima XXX Orange, poured from a slushy machine, no less. My motive for sampling this was that I'd likely never have the chance again, but that hardly justified the gooey, sickly sweet slush that ended up contaminating my tasting glass through THREE washings.

     - Most interesting was the long-awaited Bard's Tale Dragon's Gold, which in my estimation is the first gluten-free beer with actual flavour. Celiac beer drinkers in the U.S. rejoice, there is finally a beer for you! For more info, please visit http://www.bardsbeer.com.

     - Continuing on the specialized beer front, the Wolavers Organic Brown Ale from Vermont impressed with its toasty-roasty aroma and balanced if somewhat restrained body of toasted malt, dates and hints of cocoa. As I've said in the past about Wolavers beers, it's nice to have organic brews that need no apologies.

     - As ever, some of the most interesting finds took place outside of the festival hall at select special events, such as the launch of Sarticious Gin, a new cilantro-spiced spirit from Santa Cruz, California. Mellower than Anchor Distilling's Junipero, Sarticious offers a lovely balance between juniper and spice, with a hint of orange thrown in for good measure, and to my taste is best served neat. More info may be found at http://www.sarticious.com.

     - Another off-site visit yielded a delicious pint of O'Hara's Celtic Stout, an ale from the Carlow Brewing Company of Eire soon to be imported to the States by Distinguished Brands International. As for a description, I can do no better than John McKenna of The Irish Times: "At a time when Guinness now produces a drink that puts one in mind of what Americans call popsicles, the toasty, roasty, hoppy enervation of O'Hara's is thrilling. This is a true stout: nutty and buttery with a weighty body and a tart crispness."

     - And on the non-beer front, I enjoyed one of the most pleasurable meals I've had in Denver for years at Table 6, a chic but homey restaurant in the Capitol Hill district. There, Chef Aaron Whitcomb crafted for me an outstanding culinary opus, featuring an Onion & Parmesan Soup highlighted by one of the most intensely flavoured broths I have ever encountered in a soup bowl, a scallop sausage perched atop near-perfect calamari "noodles" and sumptuous roasted lamb accompanied by delightful goat cheese and basil ravioli. Located at 609 Corona Street (p: 303-831-8800), Table 6 should be considered a definite destination for anyone living in or visiting Denver.

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• Ten Days in Belgium, Part II, April 2000
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• New Years Eve, Dec 1999
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• Visiting the World's Best Beer Fest, Oct 1999
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