Anyone who encountered The Wench during The Great American Festival post-Thursday night is probably aware of my “vocal complications.” Needless to say, the combination of high altitude, dry air, not enough rest, endless consumption of libations and copious amounts of talking … ultimately led to my vocal downfall. Aka: I lost my voice. There were times when I couldn’t even make a single sound. And for the most part, I sounded like a raspy old man who smoked 5 packs a day for 50 years.

Truth be told, I did way more talking and mingling during GABF than I did tasting beers. Sure, I tasted my fair share of beers — but I was not as diligent and dedicated as some of my other beer geek friends, who made sure to take notes, pictures and hit up all the special rare beer tappings.

This is why I’ve called upon Twitter to help me create a recap list of the “best beers” tasted during the Great American Beer Festival. And this is what they have to say, in 140 characters or less:

@TheBeerWench — Not gonna lie, we all know that the collaboration beer between New Holland + Mutineer Magazine that I helped design and brew was my ALL TIME HIGHLIGHT of GABF — and probably of my life, but moving on…

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@hookedonwinter — Bruery Black Tuesday & Oude Tart, Fat Heads Collaborative Evil, Founder CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout), Lost Abbey Cable Car, Rocky Mountain Cherry Pie, Odell Deconstruction

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@kerryfinsand — My favorite #GABF Beer was Two Brothers Brewing Cane & Ebel. A malty rye pale ale with citrus notes & a hoppy finish.

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@odiedog52 – Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Kolsch .. light, crisp, and full of flavor of fruity and grassy hops. Beautiful beer with a fitting name.

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@BasicallyRed —
Rocky Mountain Brewing Da Yoopers-Cherry Pie beer-you could smell cinnamon in the crust & taste the cherry filling! Plus, Duane is crazy

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@darthweef — Funkwerks Saison was by far my fav for the fest .. Legend of the Liquid Brain from Bull & Bush and Pizza Port Bacon & Eggs

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@DosBeerigos — Best Surprise beer: Upstream Grand Cru. Fav beers: Cable Car (Lost Abbey) and Deconstruction (Odell)

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@drinkeattravel (Stan) — TAP’S Remy, New Glarus Engima, The Bruery Black Tuesday, Bull and Bush Royal Oil

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@drinkeattravel (Cambria) — New Glarus Enigma, Bull & Bush’s Royal Oil + Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout, TAPS Belgian White, Salazar’s Tart Lychee

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@SteveParkes — Beers based on pie rocked this year. Key lime, lemon meringue beers made a nice change from the normal selection of pumpkin pie spiced beers

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@madhouselarry — Capt. Lawrence (all), New Glarus (all) and really dug the brews from Oregon’s Cascade Brewing and Oakshire Brewing. Peace, love and cheers!

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@MSJernigan — Trinity Brewing Co’s TPS Report and Rocky Mountain Brewing Co’s Peach Beer. So Good. Also the Bruery’s Black Tuesday.

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@adrianh77 — I loved the Dogfish Head’s Theobroma. I loved the cocoa powder in the beer and the chilies at the end gave it an awesome aftertaste.

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@Phil_from_MD — Kona Brewing Coconut Stout & Pipeline Porter. Founders Breakfast Stout, Great Lakes Blackout Stout. Ithaca Flower Power.

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BeachBumChris — Easy. the Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout was amazing! Great chocolate malt flavors with a touch of bacon. I want it on my pancakes!

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@AlexPDavis — Cable Car 09, Key Lime, Fatheads Collab Evil, Cuvee de Castleton, CBS, Sang Noir, Apricot, Deconstruction, BB Stout, Coffee Monster

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@mbl4889 — Either the Cherry Pie from Rocky Mtn (believe that’s them) or the Jewish Rye from Triumph Brewing, tastes just like eating Jewish rye bread.

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@sarahhuska — I’d have to say my favorite beer came not from the festival but from Falling Rock. 2007 New Belgium La Folie…holy heaven in a tulip glass!

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@GISBREWMASTER — Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. in Hays, Kansas There Red Rider (Amber) and Liberty Stout (American) stout.

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@WindAddict — Tough question. So many great beers! I’ll shout out uncommon brewer’s bacon brown ale & Alaskan’s smoked porter. Yum!

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@taphunter — Boulevard Tank 7, 90 Shilling, Freshcrafts Avery special tapping of “The Missionary” Guava Quad = beergasm

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@MlleBess — The fruit beers from Rocky Mountain the sours from Brugge and the Pumpkin Stout from Elysian! Go!

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@threefrenchs — Cascade’s Bourbonic Plague-Big, no huge beer but amazingly smooth. Tart with a clean finish. A very complex 11+% abv that is a great sipper.

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@AmieDM17 — #GABF Favorite Beer: Tie b/t @CigarCityBeer’s Final Push (Zhukov w/ Weasel Poop Cofffee) & Short’s Anniversary Ale (blood orange wheat wine)

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@StoneBrewJason — From Wood and Red Ale Marble Brewing. Foothill’s Sexual Chocolate. Cascade’s Vlad the Imp Aler. Real Ale’s Rio Blanco and Stone’s Sublimely

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@Beervangelist — Why Mutinous (Battle Chai), of course! Favorite non-New Holland experience was Victory Helios with pate and fruit jelle at Farm to table

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@Hillhaus — Bell’s: Oracle; Bruery: Oude Tart; Cascade: Apricot Ale; Cigar City: Final Push (Kopi Luwak!!!); Alesmith: IPA; MI Brew Guild: sour stout

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@egabrewing — GABF beer favs: Lost Abbey Frambois de Amarosa, Cable Car 08, Bruery Oude Tart.

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@100beers30days — Barrel-aged Coton/The Bruery.Tons of rich molasses, dark caramel, dried dates, maple toast, vanilla.It was UNBELIEVABLE. Chewable. Seriously.

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@AZGirlsPintOut — @FirestoneWalker Velvet Merlin, @YazooBrew Sue, Rocky Mountain Blueberry Cobbler, Founders Canadian Bfst Stout, Hollister Tiny Bubbles

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@COBeerWeek — Hmmm gotta go with a sour, either Snake River Brewing’s Le Serpent Cerise, or The Bruery’s Oude Tart. Both were amazing too hard to pick one

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@brewcrewtv — Raspberry Tart and Key Lime Pie for their sweet ingenuity ………………………………….

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@romejohn5 — Buckbean Very Noddy Double Black Lager

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@thefullpint — @OdellBrewing rocked my world. Rocky Mtn Da Yoopers Cherry Pie & Tatonka Blueberry Cobbler were big surprises. <3 Brugge Brasserie!

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Did I miss your response on Twitter? No fear … just post it in the comment section!

CHEERS!