a tour of Sierra Nevada with Ken Grossman

The first day of the Beer Bloggers Conference brought an incredible level of excitement. I kept calling it the first day of school – I don’t want to be late! Will the other kids like me? Where will I sit at lunch?

And as most first days go, it was bliss. Friends were made, beers were sipped, and many a business card was exchanged.

But after departing Oskar Blues’ new production and distribution facility, the anticipation caused our motley crew to oscillate between painfully quiet and this particular high-pitched buzz. We were headed up the long driveway to Sierra Nevada and each of our heads was on a swivel.

“It’s like Jurassic Park”, shouted one writer on my bus. Others used words like Disneyland, dreamland, and yet another blogger pinched himself – and others.

Ultimately there were very few words as we exited the bus, plopping one by one onto the environmentally-friendly pavement that acted as a red carpet to Ken and Brian Grossman, along with a host of Germans. From Germany. Shocked? Speechless? Wishing I’d brushed my hair for the event? Yes.

In going along with the speechless theme, here are some photos and video to give you an idea of the hospitality, grandiosity, and absolute beauty of the place.

Sierra Nevada decided to kick off Oktoberfest a bit early and kindly brought us along for the ride. We met with owners and brewers at Reigele, a brewery in Augsburg, Germany, that was founded in 1386. After tasting their collaboration beer, the inagural brew which kicks off a new annual tradition of German collaborations for Sierra Nevada, we also tried Reigele’s classic Marzen. That’s me pictured with the son of the master brewer, soon to be the 28th in line, Sebastian Priller-Riegele.

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