With a minimum requirement of 7% ABV, the 8th Annual Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines Festival in Vail should showcase an interesting, and very flavorful assortment of fermented concoctions. These are the bears of beers – the titans. Belgians, Lambics, Sours, Mead, Barleywines, and Strong Ales from all over the globe, gathering in the Vail Valley to prove their worth. If you crave diversity in beer, and the thick, distinct flavors of some of the more abstract offerings from some of the worlds greatest brewers, then this festival should content your discriminating palette. Even if your a beer aficionado accustomed to more conventional fare, the Big Beers Festival should give you a wider perspective of the beer world, presenting types and styles you may not have known existed. You may even find a beer so delectable, something so profound, that it might alter your entire understanding of beer. Maybe. Regardless, you'll almost certainly find something you haven't tried before, and something your taste buds will find satisfying.

The festival will occupy three days in the scenic, snow-laden mountain hamlet. Thursday night initiates the festivities with a Beer Pairing dinner. Friday hosts an Experimental Brewers' Reception, the Belgians, Barleywines and Strong Ales Homebrew Competition, and the Brewmasters' Dinner. Saturday culminates the festival with an Experimental Brewing Seminar and the Commercial Tasting event showcasing over 150 beers from nearly 70 breweries. The featured brewmasters for the festival will be Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey in San Diego, CA, and Doug Odell of Odell Brewing.

By proudly touting the experimental nature and specialty of the beers that will be poured, the Big Beers Festival promises to offer some very unique, very tasty offerings. If your a seasoned veteran searching for the next great Strong Ale, or simply a casual beer drinker looking to broaden your horizons and taste some unconventional brews, this should be an outstanding festival to attend.

Visit the Big Beers Festival website below for more information.