Tasting tickets still on sale for Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival in Vail

VAIL — A Vail event since the inaugural tasting and lone seminar at 8150 and the Hubcap Brewery in March 2001, the 16th annual Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival will be held at Vail Cascade Resort & Spa Jan. 7-9.

Tickets for the event went on sale in September. The food-pairing events were sold out in 10 seconds, and VIP tickets ($500 per ticket) were snatched up within 30 minutes. There are plenty of Commercial Tasting & Seminar tickets still available on the Big Beers Festival website, and they also will be sold at several local liquor stores throughout the valley after Christmas. Reserved seats for seven of the 10 ticketed educational seminars are also available online.

Wait lists are kept and always used for all of the food-pairing events, so if you are interested in the Calibration Dinner with Avery Brewing Co. and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, the Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner with Alaskan Brewing Co. and Surly Brewing Co. or the Small Plates and Craft Beer Pairing with Nebraska Brewing Co. and Perennial Artisan Ales, contact event coordinator Laura Lodge at bigbeersfestival@hotmail.com.

EVENT IS GROWING

The Vail Cascade Resort has been the host for this multi-day educational and charitable event since its 10th anniversary and has seen dramatic growth of the event over this six-year period. Last year, the Gore Range Hall was filled to capacity with a waiting list for breweries wishing to participate, and the list has grown longer in 2016.

“We started in the Centennial Ballroom with the Commercial Tasting,” Lodge said, “and then expanded to two floors of the Conference Center, and now we’re in Gore Range Hall, filling more than double the space.”

In addition to ticketed educational seminars, there are two complimentary pairing events that are available to the general public without a ticket. They are the Cigar Pairing Experience on Friday, Jan. 8, from 10 p.m. to midnight and The Yoga of Brewing on Saturday, Jan. 9, from 10 to 11 a.m.

LODGING SPONSORS AND DISCOUNTS

Lodging sponsors for Big Beers in the Vail Valley include Simba Run Condominiums, Holiday Inn/Apex Vail, Evergreen Lodge, Lion Square Lodge, Montaneros Condominiums and the host resort, the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. All lodging sponsors are offering a discounted rate to all participants and attendees on a space-available basis.

In addition to lodging discounts, ECO Transit is providing complimentary tickets for both Friday and Saturday for riders wishing to travel responsibly before and after the event. Charter Sports in the Vail Cascade is likewise offering discounts to all participants and attendees, with a 35 percent discount on rentals.

For more information about the Big Beers Festival, visit http://www.bigbeersfestival.com or contact the event team at http://www.bigbeersfestival@hotmail.com. For more information about the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, Big Beers’ beneficiary, visit vvcf.org or email info@vvcf.org.