Beer Run Blog

6 Beers That Have Put a Spring in Spring's Step

Judging by the weekday crowd at Elitch Gardens today, spring has already segued into summer, no matter what the calendar may say. But beer seasons stick around a little longer, giving that precious extra time to sup up what breweries have made to help Coloradans bridge the crucial months between ski season and full-out camping time.

This year brought a variety of tastes giving life to what used to be a blah few months for new creations and seasonal offerings. And in the catch-all spirit of spring-cleaning one's beer notebook, a half dozen that ran the gamuts of flavor and release timing need to be called out and, in some cases, lobbied to be brought back again when the calendar turns from snow to sunshine in the same week.





1) Paradox MF Gose Pamplemousse
A star of the Teller County brewery's recent mixed-fermentation special series, this gose with fruit and sea salt combines complex tartness with a smoothness that rarely is found in the style. Low levels of acidity make the grapefruit nose and mouthfeel the true star, accented by a little bit of Pixie-Stick-style sweetness that makes you stop to think about everything going on within your mouth.

2) Denver Beer Co. Juicy Freak IPA
Introduced just recently but planned as a year-round beer, this packs a much bigger and bolder flavor than could be expected of any beer with so light a body. The American Mosaic and Simcoe hops produce flavors both dank and tropical, creating an extremely juicy mouthfeel without weighing you down even a bit.

3)  3 Superheroes Walk Into a Brewery
This Comic Book Day collaboration between Odd13 Brewing, Cannonball Creek and Odyssey Beerwerks also goes above and beyond its pale-ale genre, bringing about a full taste in which the sharp mango of its Amarillo and Galaxy hops is cut by the coconut of its Sabro hop addition. Cloudy like a hazy offering, its more citrus flavors linger, celebrating its complexity.

4) Melvin Brewing TGR Pilsgnar
Though it really was a winter beer, Melvin's TGR Pilsgnar earns mention here because of its hop-forward characteristics that make it not just a viable refresher following a day of skiing but a fully formed offering legitimate for both winter warming and springtime adventures. What stands out from this collaboration with extreme-sports media company Teton Gravity Research is its notable level of crispness that lands squarely and dryly on your palate and becomes a true craft pilsner experience.

5) Bell's Brewery Official IPA
Like Melvin, Bell's is technically an interloper to this state, but its late 2018 launch into Colorado gives its beers here a very fresh feel and makes you appreciate its unique new offerings like they were something coming for the first time from the brewery around the corner. Official IPA stands out for being a hazy IPA without diving fully into the New England citrus and tropical blend of hops, instead being smooth, juicy and very summer-ready with hints of papaya upfront and just a faint grassy bitterness remaining on the backtaste.

6) Left Hand Wheels Gose 'Round
The better of Left Hand's two raspberry-infused spring seasonals, this gose that is made also with lemon peel gains your attention quickly with its glowing red body but holds it with enough citrus bitterness to give it multiple layers. The best word to describe it is "sharp" - an offering that will continue to be relevant through the lighter-bodied summer season but that brings a new, fresh character to this classic brewery's portfolio.

Labels: Bell's Brewing, Cannonball Creek Brewing, Denver Beer Co, Left Hand Brewing, Melvin Brewing, Odd 13 Brewing, Odyssey Beerwerks, Paradox Brewing, spring seasonals