Saturday, October 06, 2012
Denver's Next Mayor Brewer
There will always be one man - John Hickenlooper - who will bear the title of "mayor brewer" here in the Mile High City. But the first beer from current Mayor Michael Hancock, unveiled Friday night at Denver Beer Co. (as seen in the great photo from Visit Denver and Trevor Brown), is deserving of kudos as well.
The beer is a spiced pumpkin ale made with gourds grown at Denver Urban Gardens. Hancock didn't come up with the recipe but did grind barley on a pedal-powered mill and toss the pumpkins and hops into the brew.
As far as pumpkin beers go, this one lacks the intensity of feeling like you're drinking liquefied pumpkin pie. The nutmeg and cinnamon jump out at you from the medium body. But the 110 pounds of pumpkins that went into the brew are more of an aromatic touch than a heavy touch, marking this as a spiced amber ale that's more relatable than a stand-out pumpkin beer.
Still, it's a nice beer to have as the nights get cooler, and the brewers at Denver Beer - the real brewers, rather than the celebrity brewer - add more interest to it by sprinkling granulated brown sugar on the rim. And Hancock can boast about the creation for as long as it's available, which should be at least throughout the Oct. 5-13 Denver Beer Fest.
There will always be one man - John Hickenlooper - who will bear the title of "mayor brewer" here in the Mile High City. But the first beer from current Mayor Michael Hancock, unveiled Friday night at Denver Beer Co. (as seen in the great photo from Visit Denver and Trevor Brown), is deserving of kudos as well.
The beer is a spiced pumpkin ale made with gourds grown at Denver Urban Gardens. Hancock didn't come up with the recipe but did grind barley on a pedal-powered mill and toss the pumpkins and hops into the brew.
As far as pumpkin beers go, this one lacks the intensity of feeling like you're drinking liquefied pumpkin pie. The nutmeg and cinnamon jump out at you from the medium body. But the 110 pounds of pumpkins that went into the brew are more of an aromatic touch than a heavy touch, marking this as a spiced amber ale that's more relatable than a stand-out pumpkin beer.
Still, it's a nice beer to have as the nights get cooler, and the brewers at Denver Beer - the real brewers, rather than the celebrity brewer - add more interest to it by sprinkling granulated brown sugar on the rim. And Hancock can boast about the creation for as long as it's available, which should be at least throughout the Oct. 5-13 Denver Beer Fest.
Labels: Denver Beer Co, Denver Beer Fest
