Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Michigan Beer Arrives Full Force in Colorado
Driving through Michigan with the Beer Geekette while attending a friend's wedding four years ago, I found over multiple stops at breweries and beer bars that two things stood out about the Wolverine State's brewing scene. First, there appeared to be a law that cherry had to be an ingredient in at least 25 percent of each brewery's offerings. And second, once you got past that, it was easy to see why the culture was producing so many good beers.
But while Michigan beer quality has remained one of the country's worst-kept secrets for half a decade, Coloradans have gotten only a small sampling of that goodness at local establishments through the likes of Jolly Pumpkin, Perrin and, to a more limited extent, New Holland Brewing. But that drought is ending this fall, as arguably the two finest breweries in the state finally will put products into local bars and liquor stores.
Bell's made its Colorado debut last week with parties and samplings and, thankfully, a lot of Two-Hearted Ale, the IPA that Zymurgy Magazine readers have named the best beer in the country for two years running now. And, according to PorchDrinking.com, Founders Brewing and its revered Kentucky Breakfast Stout will enter Colorado as soon as next month.
While it may seem like a "no-duh" statement that the finest breweries in America want to have their products on shelves in one of the top beer states in the country, that hasn't always been the case. Colorado is a notoriously tough market that has sent other well-known national names packing because of its drinkers' penchant for wanting to support local. As a result, the Centennial State is the 40th one that Bell's has gone into, while Founders has only three states in the country that it's not in yet besides Colorado.
For those unfamiliar with Bell's, you can expect a lot of darkness, mixed with some superb hopping quality and interesting experiments. Two Hearted earns its reputation by being both a bomb of Centennial hops and a well-balanced offering whose malt accents the grassy tones running through it. Its five-deep collection of regular stout offerings runs the flavor gamut from classic to imperial to a cherry stout that may be the best example of how to imbue unique flavor from the unofficial state fruit. And friends swear that Oberon, a slightly hoppy American wheat ale, is the perfect summer seasonal, available from April through August.
Founders, meanwhile, is associated with its KBS, which is one of the finest examples of how to brew a beer swimming with coffee aroma and flavors without leaving the bitter sting that can come with using too much of the signature bean. Its Dirty Bastard scotch ale is as big a malt monster as we currently have on the market, though, and its beers too span the spectrum of styles.
Even after those two breweries debut in Colorado, there is much more to the Michigan scene.
Short's Brewing, a favorite spot for many to hit at the Great American Beer Festival, creates beers with flavors ranging from spruce to carrot cake to key lime. Dragonmead Microbrewery - which I discovered in a beer bar in downtown Flint, of all places - makes a sooty red the likes of which was served at breweries in the 1990s, but far better. Petoskey, the 5,700-person bay city where I happened to be for said wedding had not one but two breweries (Beards Brewery and Petoskey Brewing, where the Beer Geekette is enjoying her samplers in the photo) that offered bold IPAs as well as smooth doppelbocks.
It's unrealistic to think the day will come when any brewery with a beer worth admiring will be able to put six-packs or tap handles in Colorado. But by bringing Bell's and Founders here, this state gets to see the excellent work that's taking place two time zones away. And everyone wins there.
Driving through Michigan with the Beer Geekette while attending a friend's wedding four years ago, I found over multiple stops at breweries and beer bars that two things stood out about the Wolverine State's brewing scene. First, there appeared to be a law that cherry had to be an ingredient in at least 25 percent of each brewery's offerings. And second, once you got past that, it was easy to see why the culture was producing so many good beers.
But while Michigan beer quality has remained one of the country's worst-kept secrets for half a decade, Coloradans have gotten only a small sampling of that goodness at local establishments through the likes of Jolly Pumpkin, Perrin and, to a more limited extent, New Holland Brewing. But that drought is ending this fall, as arguably the two finest breweries in the state finally will put products into local bars and liquor stores.
Bell's made its Colorado debut last week with parties and samplings and, thankfully, a lot of Two-Hearted Ale, the IPA that Zymurgy Magazine readers have named the best beer in the country for two years running now. And, according to PorchDrinking.com, Founders Brewing and its revered Kentucky Breakfast Stout will enter Colorado as soon as next month.
While it may seem like a "no-duh" statement that the finest breweries in America want to have their products on shelves in one of the top beer states in the country, that hasn't always been the case. Colorado is a notoriously tough market that has sent other well-known national names packing because of its drinkers' penchant for wanting to support local. As a result, the Centennial State is the 40th one that Bell's has gone into, while Founders has only three states in the country that it's not in yet besides Colorado.For those unfamiliar with Bell's, you can expect a lot of darkness, mixed with some superb hopping quality and interesting experiments. Two Hearted earns its reputation by being both a bomb of Centennial hops and a well-balanced offering whose malt accents the grassy tones running through it. Its five-deep collection of regular stout offerings runs the flavor gamut from classic to imperial to a cherry stout that may be the best example of how to imbue unique flavor from the unofficial state fruit. And friends swear that Oberon, a slightly hoppy American wheat ale, is the perfect summer seasonal, available from April through August.
Founders, meanwhile, is associated with its KBS, which is one of the finest examples of how to brew a beer swimming with coffee aroma and flavors without leaving the bitter sting that can come with using too much of the signature bean. Its Dirty Bastard scotch ale is as big a malt monster as we currently have on the market, though, and its beers too span the spectrum of styles.
Even after those two breweries debut in Colorado, there is much more to the Michigan scene.
Short's Brewing, a favorite spot for many to hit at the Great American Beer Festival, creates beers with flavors ranging from spruce to carrot cake to key lime. Dragonmead Microbrewery - which I discovered in a beer bar in downtown Flint, of all places - makes a sooty red the likes of which was served at breweries in the 1990s, but far better. Petoskey, the 5,700-person bay city where I happened to be for said wedding had not one but two breweries (Beards Brewery and Petoskey Brewing, where the Beer Geekette is enjoying her samplers in the photo) that offered bold IPAs as well as smooth doppelbocks.
It's unrealistic to think the day will come when any brewery with a beer worth admiring will be able to put six-packs or tap handles in Colorado. But by bringing Bell's and Founders here, this state gets to see the excellent work that's taking place two time zones away. And everyone wins there.
Labels: Beards Brewery, Bell's Brewing, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Founders Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin, Michigan beers, New Holland Brewing, Perrin Brewing, Petoskey Brewing, Short's Brewing
