Pancake beer and other tales from GABF

Now that GABF 2008 is officially over, I guess I'll be driving clear across Nebraska tomorrow.

The festival was a blast. An absolute blast. Hanging out with Half Pint and Jesse most of the time meant non-stop carousing with brewers and other festival celebs. And, thanks to Half Pints' sticker madness and no-fear approach to pimping me out at the Beer Enthusiast Bookstore, half of the fest-goers wore Red, White, and Blue stickers. Sometimes in places she shouldn't have put them. But it worked. Because I was here more to sell books that taste A-mazing beers, I reckon, I'm happy to report that of all the titles available on the festival floor's bookstore, Red, White, and Brew sold the most copies!
(thanks, HP!)

Top 3 list of people I had the incredible pleasure of meeting, which only impresses fellow Beer People:
Charlie Papazian (I may have sold dozens of books this weekend, but he's sold over a million, and counting)
Zane Lamprey (host of the best conceived TV show ever, Three Sheets, and his monkey, Pleepleus)
Garret Oliver (debonaire brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, and esteemed "fellow" beer book author)

Top 3 beers I remember tasting earlier:
3. The Bruery's "Autumn Maple." Brewed with real maple syrup and yams, and hence, the perfect beer to go with pancakes.
2. A "Milk Chocolate Stout" from an unknown brewery. Really delicious, when not all choco or lactose beers work nearly this well. Special honors go to Tommyknocker's Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer.
1. Alltech's Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. I know I raved about this one in the book, but it's still my favorite bourbon-aged beer.

The night ended with one last trip to Falling Rock, having one last pint of some amazing beer, and images of Cornhuskers dancing through my dreams.