A Trip to New Belgium

On the second day of GABF, I was able to join the crews from (512) Brewing Company and Live Oak Brewing Company for a trip to Fort Collins, Colorado. Our first stop was New Belgium Brewing, almost certainly the most beautiful brewery I've ever visited. Not only are the grounds and structures gorgeous, but the folks working there seemed incredibly happy.

This is where we signed in to our VIP tour at New Belgium. Check out the table made from bicycle wheels. Bikes, art, and unusual sculptures are a theme here.

You get a nice, big tasting glass inside the visitor center. Along the tour, taps seem to sprout everywhere. Like I said: fantastic place.

New Belgium has a nice keg sculpture featuring some of their values. I don't see too many businesses putting such effort in building their culture. I love it!

Finally, a mosaic surrounding one of their brew vessels. Delicious beer only tastes better in such fantastic surroundings. Beautiful!

Thanks to (512) Brewing Company for driving me out to Ft. Collins and letting me join them on their tour. Thanks again to Independence Brewery for making it possible to attend GABF!

More to come...

Photos from the Great American Beer Festival Day 0

The first day of GABF started at Great Divide's famous industry party. For many brewers, this is the last stop for relaxation before the busy work of GABF begins. When the doors open at the conference center, it's time for pouring beers, talking to fans, trying new beers, and in my case, enjoying cooking demonstrations and beer pairings at the Beer and Food Pavilion. 

Many thanks to Independence Brewing for making it possible to attend GABF this year!

Photos from the Great American Beer Festival: Day -1

The day before GABF is reserved for finding your beer friends and enjoying a few pints before the excitement begins. You can find more of my pre-GABF photos here.

Local Book: The Dark Side of Austin

Austin holds an abundance of great artists: brewers, photographers, authors, chefs, designers, and other crafty people. I love it.

My buddy Matt Ewan, a cohort of the Austin flickr group, recently published his own work of art, The Dark Side of Austin: Haunted Sites of Austin and Texas. I got to flip through a copy at the last flickr meeting, and it looks beautiful.

The book tickles me in the right places by revealing secrets that float just under the surface of reality. The book discusses the strange happenings and gruesome deeds from Austin's past, and then reveals the sinister nature of the places in striking black and white photos.

Matt made all the photos himself using a camera that he personally modified to take infrared photos. Because the photos are infrared, the resulting images literally reveal scenes not visible to the naked eye. Matt's distinctive framing plus the otherworldly infrared look gives me the curious impression that I've never been to many of these familiar Austin landmarks.

If you're into haunting photos, stories of hauntings, or simply enjoy re-discovering Austin, I think you'll like the book. If you visit the book's page, you can take a peek with an online preview.

Oh, and if you are into local beer or craft beer, don't forget to take a peek at my photo book: Crafting Beer with (512) Brewing Company. But only after you look at Matt's book -- the photos give me the chills.

Crafting Beer with (512) Photo Gallery

Nate savors the aroma of hops.Since Crafting Beer with (512) Brewing Company consists mostly of photographs of the beer brewing process, I thought it would be wise to upload some sample photos. I picked out a few of my favorites, including the brewery floor at 6am, and a photo of Nate savoring the aroma of a handful of hops (seen on the left).

These images are what the book is about: a craft brewer's work documented in photos. Of the 73 pages, 66 are dominated with photos taken on (512)'s brewery floor. If you've seen the book and have a favorite photo, let me know. I may add it to the gallery.

See the gallery here.

*Note that these photos may vary a little from their presentation in Crafting Beer with (512). Many of the photos in the book were cropped tighter to fit the book's format and show off details.