I spent last week in Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival.

I was lucky enough to attend three sessions of GABF – and while the festival was certainly amazing, it wasn’t my favorite part of the trip. My afternoon at Avery Brewing in Boulder was by far the best, most memorable experience.

We started off in great spirits, as the 40-minute drive to Boulder was beyond beautiful. The snowcapped Rocky Mountains were so picturesque it almost didn’t look real.

The brewery is unassuming from the road and we weren’t sure what to expect. There was a carwash sign dwarfing Avery’s sign and we were essentially pulling into a business park. The moment we set foot in the crowded tasting room and saw the menu board and list of special tappings, we knew we had nothing to worry about.

We ordered a few tasters to share and found a table outside. With help from our pleasant, knowledgeable, and very accommodating server Allison, we sipped on beers like Old Jubilation Ale, The Reverend, Salvation, Samael’s, Collaboration not Litigation Ale, Eremita III and Eremita IV and enjoyed the best sweet potato tater tots I’ve ever had.

We happened to mention to Allison that we had a professional brewer in our group and that’s when things really got good. We were given an unscheduled, impromptu tour, guided by our new friend Ryan, we got to check out the barrel room and the back bar, and when a bunch of other Avery folks joined us back at our table they brought a few rarities with them, our favorite being Rumpkin, their big, spicy barrel-aged pumpkin ale that’s stored in dark rum barrels for six months and tastes like a dream. Spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger it’s sure to be the smoothest, most enjoyable, non-sissy liquid dessert you’ve ever had.

It was so good we brought the empty bottle home to remember it by.

The staff was even kind enough to give us a whole bunch of bottle caps for our Kaps for KegWorks wall project! The moral of the story is that we left full and happy with a newfound love for Avery, their beer, and their people.

If you’re in the Denver/Boulder area, it’s very much worth a trip. If you’re not, you should drink their beer anyway – it’s freaking delicious.