The Beerdrinker of the Year is crowned

The search is over

On Feb. 21, Wynkoop Brewing Company ended its search for the Beerdrinker of the Year; and for the first time ever, he was right here in Denver.

Through thick and thin, light and dark, froth and through foam, Cody Christman became the first person from any non-coastal state to win the esteemed title from the Wynkoop Brewing Company, not to mention the first Coloradan.

The competition was certainly tough, as expected when fighting for such a noteworthy crown. The other two finalists, Phil Farrell, from Georgia; and J Mark Angelus, from Oregon, both came prepared to do some serious work.

The competition was complete with everything from a 'Bribe the Judges' round, where the finalists presented gifts to the judges, ranging from rare beers to brewmaster literature; to 60 second chats with their favorite beer. Then it was on to Q&A sessions from each other, the judges and audience, and finally finishing up with a beer tasting identification round.

"It's an honor to hold such a title," Christman told Metromix afterwards. "The monkey is off Denver's back, but it's also huge for the entire mountain region. As for myself, beer drinking is a deep passion of mine. It's a fraternity, and now I'm an exclusive member."

As the beer went down, the questions became more witty and bold, but there was no shortage of quizzing the beer enthusiast's knowledge. Both Christman and Farrell have extensive brewing experience, while Angelus has tasted 1029 beers and visited 93 breweries in 3 nations in just 2008 alone. Curse you, liver.  Their crafty wisdom came in handy when thrown questions about prohibition, brewing processes, and the general history of beer. 

The Wynkoop might not be as happy as Christman, though. Part of the prize is free beer for life at the Wynkoop. Seeing that no local has ever taken the title, the open tab has never been fully utilized. Christman also won a bag full of Metromix schwag for winning the online voting by a landslide, with Farrell coming in second as polling closed Saturday morning.

While the competition was hoppin', it stayed friendly. When asked why Colorado beer was better than Oregon beer, Angelus answered simply, "Well, Colorado beer is better in Colorado, and Oregon beer is better in Oregon." At the end of the day, all three contestants were able to raise their glasses and congratulate each other.

After all, it's commonly said that beer and friendship go hand in hand. —Alex Jimenez