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7. Drake’s Brewing Company, San Leandro. Two Candles is nearly a beer-wine hybrid itself. A blend of the brewery’s Blonde and Hefeweizen aged in Chardonnay barrels, this 5% sour celebrates the second anniversary of Drake’s barrelhouse. Citrus and sour oak, as well as notes of grape, grass and leather, make welcome appearances.

8. Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles. Sometimes, the best beers at GABF aren’t even poured on the convention center floor. Case in point: one of the rarest and strongest (13.7%) beers ever produced by Firestone, PNC — an Imperial Buckwheat Stout aged for a year in Tequila barrels brewed for the Publican National Committee — could be found in bottles (Batch 001) and on tap at Denver’s Falling Rock Taphouse.

Aside from it being the first Tequila-aged beer I’ve had that I thought actually works, it is an astoundingly complex brew, on par with the brewery’s justifiably acclaimed anniversary blends. Smoke, coffee, cocoa, plums, raisin, vanilla and burnt caramel are but a few of the flavor sensations that surface and pretty much mask the alcohol. And yes, that agave taste is detectable, and manages to lend a dry, salty kick to the proceedings. Very likely the best beer of the fest.

Lab Brewing’s owner and brewmaster Roger “Dr. Hops” Bott and his wife staffed a GABF booth.

9. Lab Brewing Company, Agoura Hills. Take Her Home Tripel is a citrus and spicy take on the Belgian abbey-style, if boozier than the norm with its 10.6 % abv. Bubblegum, banana, grass and a floral quality are in the aroma and flavor as well.

10. Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma. Higher-West is the brewery’s renowned Cappucino Stout aged in High West rye barrels. It drinks like chocolate and vanilla cake icing, but packs a 13.7% kick, not unlike the aforementioned PNC. It was not available on the convention floor, but was on tap at Falling Rock on Thursday afternoon before the fest started. In fact, this was the beer I was sipping when I came across the PNC. Although it can’t compare (what could?), Higher-West is a delicious high-test candy of a beer.

11. Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa. A worthy addition to the brewery’s venerable “tion” series of beers, Propitiaton is a sour Baltic Porter — at least that’s how co-owner Natalie Cilurzo described it when she filled my taster glass. Dry and very tart, with berry, vanilla, coffee, leather and, of course, wood flavors, this 7.0% beer was one of the components of RR’s Toronado 25th Anniversary beer last year, which was then aged for a year in wine barrels and carbonated.

12. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico. Redeeming the disappointment that was Narwhal Imperial Stout (with the body of a weak Baltic Porter), the Barrel-Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout at 12.9% is rich, complex and, essentially, everything its predecessor should have been. The bourbon barrel aging brings lots of vanilla and chocolate aromas and flavors to this big brew, as well as notes of coffee, burnt and roasty malts, plus some sweet bourbon to boot. And it seems to increase the body. This was my favorite beer poured at the convention center.

Brewery founder Ken Grossman, who was pouring at the Sierra Nevada booth, revealed that Barrel-Aged Narwhal may soon see a release in 750 ml bottles. If it does, do not miss a chance to pick one up.

Okay, that was my list. What did you like at this year’s GABF?

Tomm Carroll drinks and writes about beer in Los Angeles. Contact him at [email protected].