By Heather Morton
At the recent Great American Beer Festival (GABF), held in Denver, 49,000 attendees sampled more than 3,500 beers from across the country.
The majority of the attention during the festival was focused on the 268 medals awarded to commercial brewers and three Pro-Am medals. The real beer battle, however, brewed between the bipartisan legislator teams from the Colorado House of Representatives and Senate for the first Hop the Vote Beer-Tasting Competition.
With the lead changing sides throughout the three-day event, the House team emerged triumphant with 51.9 percent of the vote by 894 GABF attendees.
The House team brewed its Representative Saison at the Denver Beer Company with the help of Representatives Joann Ginal (D), Chris Holbert (R), Polly Lawrence (R), Beth McCann (D), Dan Pabson (D), Bob Rankin (R), Jonathan Singer (D), Spencer Swalm (R) and Angela Williams (D). For beer aficionados, the winning beer was a hoppy saison made with Citra and whole left Simcoe hops, with Belgian characteristics.
The Senate team included Senators Matt Jones (D), Andy Kerr (D), Scott Renfroe (R), Pat Steadman (D), Lois Tochtrop (D), Jessie Ulibarri (D) and Rachel Zenzinger (D). The Upper Chamber Fresh Hop Pale Ale, brewed at Dry Dock Brewing Co., used organic Cascade hops, balancing floral and citrus notes against the Cascade hops.
The Hop the Vote competition was sponsored by the Colorado Brewers Guild.
Heather Morton is a program principal in Fiscal Affairs. She covers alcohol production and sales issues for NCSL.
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