• Laura VandeZande
• On October 11, 2012

The Great American Beer Festival has so much to offer. Below is a tasting from all over the country of exceptional beer. There’s just one problem: this route is a strong beer tasting. Though beer is poured one ounce at a time, these little droplets will mess you up. Honestly, I would not recommend tasting all of these in the same day but the options are available … well, maybe. I cannot guarantee these beers will be poured, but these are popular, so there’s a chance.

Breweries are organized by region, so I put them in general east to west order.

• World Wide Stout, an 18% stout by Dogfish Head
• Three Philosophers, a 9.8% quadrupel by Ommegang
• Ephriam, a 10.5% IPA by Hill Farmstead Brewery
• Golden Monkey, a 9.5% tripel by Victory
• Double Cream Ale, a 9.5% strong ale by Cigar City
• Dark Lord, a 15% imperial stout by Three Floyds
• Oro de Calabaza an 8% sour by Jolly Pumpkin
• Devil Dancer, a 12% IPA by Founders
• Darkness, a 10.3% Stout by Surly
• Beast/Samaels/Mephistopholies, all 16% by Avery
• Elevation, an 11.2% IPA by Renegade
• The Abyss, an 11% imperial stout by Deschutes
• Mother of all Storms, a 13.5% barleywine by Pelican Pub and Brewery
• Consecration, a 10% sour by Russian River
• Double Bastard, a 10.5% American strong ale by Stone

I tried to give a little variety. You could probably get drunk off imperial stouts within 10 minutes of walking through the convention center doors.

My honest recommendation is to talk to other people there. Beer lovers from all around the country make the pilgrimage to the Great American Beer Festival. Think about where you’re from and your favorite local breweries. Ask others where they’re from and what you should try. And while these strong ales are absolutely fantastic, please don’t get drunk in the first hour.