Big Beers Announces Special 20th Anniversary Beer—Leopold Bros barrel-aged Mephistopheles

Breckenridge, CO – On January 9 the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival will begin the signature three day weekend marking its twentieth anniversary at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado. A USA Today 10Best Beer Festival for two years running, Big Beers is a unique specialty festival highly regarded by brewers and beer fans alike. How to celebrate? With over the top special events, top notch brewers, and - of course - a twentieth anniversary craft beer created especially for this occasion. 

“Adam Avery hosted the very first educational seminar in 2001”, says Laura Lodge, Executive Director of the Big Beers Educational Foundation, “with a vertical tasting of Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine. So when Adam suggested that his team could create a 20th Anniversary beer for Big Beers, it felt like a perfect full circle from year one.”

In order to adequately reflect the journey of the craft beer industry as well as the Big Beers Festival over twenty years, the beer needed to harken back to various chapters of brewing history. To do that, the Avery team was thinking big and barrels, but in a special way. 

”We haven’t made Mephistopheles in a couple of years…and one thing we have never packaged or served  outside of our tasting room is barrel-aged Mephistopheles,” emailed Andy Parker, Chief Barrel Herder for Avery.

The barrel side of the project was a fantastic coincidence of timing with Todd Leopold of Leopold Brothers. Todd was planning his own 20th Anniversary celebration in October, and had the release of a 9 year old Tennessee Style Whiskey scheduled….with the barrel emptied and available just that day. Further, Leopold said, they will never make this whiskey again, so this barrel is truly one of a kind.

To officially roll out the Big Beers 20th Anniversary-special Leopold barrel aged Mephistopheles, Adam Avery will be pouring it at the Big Beers 20 Year Reunion on Friday night, January 10, alongside 20+ other Big Beers Featured Brewmaster Alumni pouring special beers. This special celebration will be hosted by ABS Commercial and Antigo Zeon. 

Avery’s Chief Barrel Herder will also be showcasing the beer at John Holl’s “A Glimpse Into the Future of Craft Beer” seminar, in which Parker is a panelist alongside Paul Arney of The Ale Apothecary and Nile Zacherle of Mad Fritz Brewing Co.

A multitude of Big Beers Featured Brewmaster Alumni will be participating in Educational Seminars on Saturday, January 11, prior to the Commercial Tasting. These include the likes of Peter Bouckaert of Purpose Brewing and Cellars, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King Brewery, John Mallett of Bell’s Brewery, Cory King of Side Project Brewing, Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing, Doug Odell of Odell Brewing, Geoff Larson of Alaskan Brewing, Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing, Florian Kuplent of Urban Chestnut Brewing, and Kevin DeLange of Dry Dock Brewing Co.

Neil Fisher of WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, CO and Troy Casey of Casey Brewing and Blending in Glenwood Springs, CO will also be hosting educational seminars in addition to the Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner on Thursday evening as the official 2020 Big Beers Featured Brewmasters.

For more information about the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival, including a full schedule of events and ticketing details, peruse the festival’s website at www.BigBeersFestival.com or contact Big Beers Executive Director, Laura Lodge, at Laura@BigBeersFestival.com