Saturday, December 23, 2017
9 Christmas Beers to Get You Through the Rest of 2017
One of the cultural misconceptions of the 12 Days of Christmas is that it represents the 12 days leading into Christmas. Actually, the 12 days of Christmas in classical tradition actually begins on Dec. 25. And that seems unusually appropriate this year in the beer-drinking world.
After a season in which a number of retailers reported getting some of the gem Christmas beers late in the cycle and some breweries held off their winter-seasonal releases until December (what a concept), it only feels right to extend your drinking of these beers past the actual holiday. And while I don't want to do the full 12 beers of Christmas thing, there are enough notable offerings this year to leave you trying something new every night until the clock actually strikes 2018.
9) Strange Craft Beer Gingerbread Man
This annual offering is just as inviting as it sounds - both sweet and a little bit spicy, with a bready, almost cookie-like quality. Its only drawback is that it finishes a little too clean for a beer whose attributes you are hoping will linger.
8) Ratio Beerworks Reservoir
This old ale almost flies under the radar in the RiNo brewery's increasingly impressive portfolio. But with both roasty and nutty characteristics, it is both smooth and full - and as solid a winter seasonal as you'll find for the cold weather.
7) La Grivoise de Noel
"The Naughty Noel," a Belgian strong dark ale brewed by Canadian beer maker Le Trou Du Diable,
lives up to its billing with a slightly boozy Belgian candi sugar feel to its body, allowing it to warm you and loosen up family gatherings.
6) Diebolt Joyeux Noel
Another in the line of French- and Belgian-style treats for the season, this dark biere de garde ramps up the winter genre with its fuller-bodied undercurrents, but not so much that it takes away from the straight-up dark and roasted feel that makes it approachable even with its 8.2 percent ABV.
5) Odell Isolation Ale
There are classics out there that, for whatever reason, fall off your radar as so many more options come onto the market. But drinking Isolation again this year was a true rediscovery of a beer this is smooth, roasty and simultaneously aggressive and mellow in the approach to the alcohol in its body. This isn't a "wow" beer; it's just a damn good beer that's great for the season.
4) Bristol Winter Warlock
Similarly, this annual tradition is neither high-octane nor steeped in complexity. But one of Colorado's year-in-year-out Christmastime classics is so spot-on in its all-malt, non-bitter body that you are drawn to it like it's a throwback that delivers everything you want in a beer but more simply. The medium-bodied offering is the very definition of the fireside sipper.
3) The Bruery 10 Lords-A-Leaping
This dark imperial wit ale brewed with 10 spices is a hell of a lot of things at once, producing an extremely complex portrait that is best enjoyed with people willing to discuss it. The cinnamon, clove and allspice are the headliners in this mix, though the coriander may be the piece de resistance, allowing the beer to exit with a spicy kick. Put aside a whole evening for this one.
2) Great Divide Barrel-Aged Hibernation Ale
The Denver brewery's 22-year-old old ale recipe is a winner by itself. But put it into whiskey barrels for a year, and it finds a delicate, unsubtle balance between the huge, malty sweetness of the original beer and a sweet-tinged, fairly boozy touch of the barrel. This may not scream "Christmas beer" like some others on this list, yet the sweet but not overwhelming nature of this malt bomb leaves it far too fascinating to ignore.
1) Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
It's almost hard to describe what is so enjoyable about this 9.9 percent ABV Imperial Stout, perfect for sharing with friends even in its new 12-ounce packaging. But the heart of its pull lies in the fact that you can taste coffee, cocoa and roasted malts in this body and somehow not taste the alcohol that should be burning up your taste buds. Made with a masterful hand, this is big enjoyment presented in a way that nearly everyone will like. And it's exactly why you wait throughout the year for beers meant specifically to warm up the winter.
One of the cultural misconceptions of the 12 Days of Christmas is that it represents the 12 days leading into Christmas. Actually, the 12 days of Christmas in classical tradition actually begins on Dec. 25. And that seems unusually appropriate this year in the beer-drinking world.
After a season in which a number of retailers reported getting some of the gem Christmas beers late in the cycle and some breweries held off their winter-seasonal releases until December (what a concept), it only feels right to extend your drinking of these beers past the actual holiday. And while I don't want to do the full 12 beers of Christmas thing, there are enough notable offerings this year to leave you trying something new every night until the clock actually strikes 2018.
9) Strange Craft Beer Gingerbread Man
This annual offering is just as inviting as it sounds - both sweet and a little bit spicy, with a bready, almost cookie-like quality. Its only drawback is that it finishes a little too clean for a beer whose attributes you are hoping will linger.
8) Ratio Beerworks Reservoir
This old ale almost flies under the radar in the RiNo brewery's increasingly impressive portfolio. But with both roasty and nutty characteristics, it is both smooth and full - and as solid a winter seasonal as you'll find for the cold weather.
7) La Grivoise de Noel
"The Naughty Noel," a Belgian strong dark ale brewed by Canadian beer maker Le Trou Du Diable, lives up to its billing with a slightly boozy Belgian candi sugar feel to its body, allowing it to warm you and loosen up family gatherings.
6) Diebolt Joyeux Noel
Another in the line of French- and Belgian-style treats for the season, this dark biere de garde ramps up the winter genre with its fuller-bodied undercurrents, but not so much that it takes away from the straight-up dark and roasted feel that makes it approachable even with its 8.2 percent ABV.
5) Odell Isolation Ale
There are classics out there that, for whatever reason, fall off your radar as so many more options come onto the market. But drinking Isolation again this year was a true rediscovery of a beer this is smooth, roasty and simultaneously aggressive and mellow in the approach to the alcohol in its body. This isn't a "wow" beer; it's just a damn good beer that's great for the season.
4) Bristol Winter Warlock
Similarly, this annual tradition is neither high-octane nor steeped in complexity. But one of Colorado's year-in-year-out Christmastime classics is so spot-on in its all-malt, non-bitter body that you are drawn to it like it's a throwback that delivers everything you want in a beer but more simply. The medium-bodied offering is the very definition of the fireside sipper.
3) The Bruery 10 Lords-A-LeapingThis dark imperial wit ale brewed with 10 spices is a hell of a lot of things at once, producing an extremely complex portrait that is best enjoyed with people willing to discuss it. The cinnamon, clove and allspice are the headliners in this mix, though the coriander may be the piece de resistance, allowing the beer to exit with a spicy kick. Put aside a whole evening for this one.
2) Great Divide Barrel-Aged Hibernation Ale
The Denver brewery's 22-year-old old ale recipe is a winner by itself. But put it into whiskey barrels for a year, and it finds a delicate, unsubtle balance between the huge, malty sweetness of the original beer and a sweet-tinged, fairly boozy touch of the barrel. This may not scream "Christmas beer" like some others on this list, yet the sweet but not overwhelming nature of this malt bomb leaves it far too fascinating to ignore.
1) Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
It's almost hard to describe what is so enjoyable about this 9.9 percent ABV Imperial Stout, perfect for sharing with friends even in its new 12-ounce packaging. But the heart of its pull lies in the fact that you can taste coffee, cocoa and roasted malts in this body and somehow not taste the alcohol that should be burning up your taste buds. Made with a masterful hand, this is big enjoyment presented in a way that nearly everyone will like. And it's exactly why you wait throughout the year for beers meant specifically to warm up the winter.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Diebolt Brewing, Great Divide, Le Trou Du Diable, Odell Brewing, Port Brewing, Ratio Beerworks, Strange Craft Beer, The Bruery, Winter seasonals
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
A February Full of Beer-Event Personality
Craft beer fans and football fans share a mutual disdain for the month of February. For football fans, it's that desolate time in between the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. For beer aficionados in Colorado, it's the lonely month between Big Beers Festival and Collaboration Fest.
Luckily, though, a few event organizers have heard the anguished cry of the craft-beer drinker and tried to do something to make this month more memorable. And over the next 28 days, a number of gatherings - including a pair of new or reborn events in particular - are going to fill calendars surprisingly quickly and make March seem it got here with no delay at all.
First there is Beer Fight Club, the brainchild of buddies Jeff Flood and Adam Schell that debuts on Saturday at Larimer Beer Hall. Less an all-out Tyler Durden-style brawl and more a civilized March Madness-style precursor, it pits eight River North neighborhood breweries against each other in head-to-head blind-taste tests until only one survives the bracket to be crowned Beer Fight Club champion.
Flood and Schell had wanted to get into the craft-beer promotion business, and so they talked with a number of breweries about what kind of event might draw out drinkers and get them through the doldrums of winter. What they came up with was a ticketed event in which the eight contestants bring a beer of their choosing and advance through the bracket based on the combined votes of audience members and a specially chosen panel of experts. Flood and Schell hope to host three more such events featuring different brewing neighborhoods in the coming months, and then have a "best-of''' bracket to determine the ultimate Beer Fight Club champion.
"Every weekend there's a different type of beer fest, so we asked how we do something different," Flood said of the event, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Larimer Beer Hall featuring breweries like Epic, Mockery and River North - all of which will have folks at the event. "We really want to connect the beer drinker to the brewers, so they can establish a little longer-term relationship."
A smaller event was also the theme around which Colin Bickford and Patrick Brown wanted to organize the Mile High Beer Festival, a collection of 25 Colorado breweries that will be pouring beer at the Exdo Center in RiNo on Feb. 11 for both an afternoon and an evening session. They wanted reasonable lines, breweries that came from a reasonable distance away and a crowd that got to taste a substantive number of beers on the Colorado scene.
Bickford earlier organized the Epic Beer Festival with 80-plus breweries in 2013 and the Country Beer Festival in Jefferson County in 2016, but he wanted a different event in the heart of Denver this year. So, he and Brown gathered an array of Colorado craft breweries - from heavyweights like Odell and Crooked Stave to up-and-comers like ,Resolute and Verboten - and will have them pouring in a fairly intimate setting of some 500 attendees that revives the first Mile High Beer Festival, which Brown organized several years ago.
"We found that people don't want bigger. They just want a nice experience," Bickford said.
Those are two of the highlights for the month. Here's a few more:
* Denver Beer Co. which is becoming the master of the food-and-beer-pairing events, will host a beer, bacon and coffee festival at its main brewery from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Feb. 12.
* A number of breweries and bars are hosting Valentine's Day events. But for my money, you can't go wrong going down to Freshcraft that night, which will be tapping Southern Tier Creme Brulee.
* On Feb. 15, Yak & Yeti Brewery officially becomes Spice Trade Brewing Co., which will continue to operate within the Arvada restaurant but as a separate entity. It will tap a Szechuan Saison and a Mayan Chocolate Russian Imperial Stout, among other things.
* On Feb. 18, Bristol Brewing brings back its annual Firkin Rendezvous, in which 40 breweries will tap experimental versions of their beers. Tickets are $45.
* And, of course, all month is Stout Month at Mountain Sun and its affiliated brewery restaurants. Their offerings include the likes of a Mint Chocolate Girl Scout Stout, a Coconut Cream Stout and a Norwegian Wheat Stout. Oh, yes.
Craft beer fans and football fans share a mutual disdain for the month of February. For football fans, it's that desolate time in between the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. For beer aficionados in Colorado, it's the lonely month between Big Beers Festival and Collaboration Fest.Luckily, though, a few event organizers have heard the anguished cry of the craft-beer drinker and tried to do something to make this month more memorable. And over the next 28 days, a number of gatherings - including a pair of new or reborn events in particular - are going to fill calendars surprisingly quickly and make March seem it got here with no delay at all.
First there is Beer Fight Club, the brainchild of buddies Jeff Flood and Adam Schell that debuts on Saturday at Larimer Beer Hall. Less an all-out Tyler Durden-style brawl and more a civilized March Madness-style precursor, it pits eight River North neighborhood breweries against each other in head-to-head blind-taste tests until only one survives the bracket to be crowned Beer Fight Club champion.
Flood and Schell had wanted to get into the craft-beer promotion business, and so they talked with a number of breweries about what kind of event might draw out drinkers and get them through the doldrums of winter. What they came up with was a ticketed event in which the eight contestants bring a beer of their choosing and advance through the bracket based on the combined votes of audience members and a specially chosen panel of experts. Flood and Schell hope to host three more such events featuring different brewing neighborhoods in the coming months, and then have a "best-of''' bracket to determine the ultimate Beer Fight Club champion.
"Every weekend there's a different type of beer fest, so we asked how we do something different," Flood said of the event, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Larimer Beer Hall featuring breweries like Epic, Mockery and River North - all of which will have folks at the event. "We really want to connect the beer drinker to the brewers, so they can establish a little longer-term relationship."
Bickford earlier organized the Epic Beer Festival with 80-plus breweries in 2013 and the Country Beer Festival in Jefferson County in 2016, but he wanted a different event in the heart of Denver this year. So, he and Brown gathered an array of Colorado craft breweries - from heavyweights like Odell and Crooked Stave to up-and-comers like ,Resolute and Verboten - and will have them pouring in a fairly intimate setting of some 500 attendees that revives the first Mile High Beer Festival, which Brown organized several years ago.
"We found that people don't want bigger. They just want a nice experience," Bickford said.
Those are two of the highlights for the month. Here's a few more:
* Denver Beer Co. which is becoming the master of the food-and-beer-pairing events, will host a beer, bacon and coffee festival at its main brewery from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Feb. 12.
* A number of breweries and bars are hosting Valentine's Day events. But for my money, you can't go wrong going down to Freshcraft that night, which will be tapping Southern Tier Creme Brulee.* On Feb. 15, Yak & Yeti Brewery officially becomes Spice Trade Brewing Co., which will continue to operate within the Arvada restaurant but as a separate entity. It will tap a Szechuan Saison and a Mayan Chocolate Russian Imperial Stout, among other things.
* On Feb. 18, Bristol Brewing brings back its annual Firkin Rendezvous, in which 40 breweries will tap experimental versions of their beers. Tickets are $45.
* And, of course, all month is Stout Month at Mountain Sun and its affiliated brewery restaurants. Their offerings include the likes of a Mint Chocolate Girl Scout Stout, a Coconut Cream Stout and a Norwegian Wheat Stout. Oh, yes.
Labels: Beer Fight Club, Bristol Brewing, Denver Beer Co, Freshcraft, Mile High Beer Festival, Mountain Sun, Spice Trade Brewing Co.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
The Subtle, Surprising Tastes of Summer
Past summers have been marked by brewers taking intriguing turns with fruit beers or pulling unexpected flavors out of their hats, and 2016 is likely to see more of that. But as Memorial Day weekend rolls around, there also seems a pattern this year toward something decidedly old-fashioned - crisp, clean lagers or golden ales that don't dazzle the palate so much as they go down smoothly with a surprisingly high amount of quality.
Nothing typifies this trend as much as the new Colorado Native Pilsner from AC Golden. This is a Coors offshoot that has tried and missed with a number of bland variations on the all-Colorado lager before. But the recently released pilsner is a spot-on, authentically German-style creation that cleanses the palate and finishes with a very subtle bite of hops to remind you it's got something more.
And if AC Golden surprises with its fresh entry into the lager market, maybe an even bigger surprise comes from Rock Bottom Denver. The Burro is an exceptionally smooth Vienna lager with a straw-hued body and a hint of nutty malt. Though one of the lightest beers currently on the brewpub's menu, it's arguably the most satisfying of the bunch.
It was be inaccurate to call maibocks summer beers, as they specifically are made for the spring season. But there are a couple that bring different characteristics to the current shoulder season. Strange Craft Beer's version weighs in at a meaty 7.5% ABV, and the slight alcoholic sting adds a new-world robustness to the old-world German flavor. Bristol Brewing's take on the style is more traditional and without much sweetness, but its full flavor reflects a good use of malt. I recently debated a server at Colorado Plus (see taster picture below) about which was better; the consensus was that you couldn't go wrong.
Not everything appropriate for the warmer-weather palate has to be of the lager variety, however. Dillon Dam's Go Devil Golden Strong Ale, sampled after a recent late-season ski run to the area, comes in at a full 9% ABV and packs the punch you might expect from the Belgian-style ale. But it also has a sweet, estery smoothness that translates well to mountain porch drinking, and should be sought out as such.
The summer season is almost upon us. Luckily, the beer offerings have beaten the calendar to our door steps, and the bounty looks impressive.
Past summers have been marked by brewers taking intriguing turns with fruit beers or pulling unexpected flavors out of their hats, and 2016 is likely to see more of that. But as Memorial Day weekend rolls around, there also seems a pattern this year toward something decidedly old-fashioned - crisp, clean lagers or golden ales that don't dazzle the palate so much as they go down smoothly with a surprisingly high amount of quality.Nothing typifies this trend as much as the new Colorado Native Pilsner from AC Golden. This is a Coors offshoot that has tried and missed with a number of bland variations on the all-Colorado lager before. But the recently released pilsner is a spot-on, authentically German-style creation that cleanses the palate and finishes with a very subtle bite of hops to remind you it's got something more.
And if AC Golden surprises with its fresh entry into the lager market, maybe an even bigger surprise comes from Rock Bottom Denver. The Burro is an exceptionally smooth Vienna lager with a straw-hued body and a hint of nutty malt. Though one of the lightest beers currently on the brewpub's menu, it's arguably the most satisfying of the bunch.
It was be inaccurate to call maibocks summer beers, as they specifically are made for the spring season. But there are a couple that bring different characteristics to the current shoulder season. Strange Craft Beer's version weighs in at a meaty 7.5% ABV, and the slight alcoholic sting adds a new-world robustness to the old-world German flavor. Bristol Brewing's take on the style is more traditional and without much sweetness, but its full flavor reflects a good use of malt. I recently debated a server at Colorado Plus (see taster picture below) about which was better; the consensus was that you couldn't go wrong.
Not everything appropriate for the warmer-weather palate has to be of the lager variety, however. Dillon Dam's Go Devil Golden Strong Ale, sampled after a recent late-season ski run to the area, comes in at a full 9% ABV and packs the punch you might expect from the Belgian-style ale. But it also has a sweet, estery smoothness that translates well to mountain porch drinking, and should be sought out as such.
The summer season is almost upon us. Luckily, the beer offerings have beaten the calendar to our door steps, and the bounty looks impressive.
Labels: AC Golden, Bristol Brewing, Dillon Dam Brewery, Rock Bottom Brewery, Strange Craft Beer, Summer beers
Monday, October 12, 2015
Guten Tag, Oktoberfest
In this age of pumpkin-mania, Oktoberfest seems to have been squeezed into a much smaller autumn window. A trip to the liquor store just two days into October, for example, revealed only a handful of marzen lagers on the shelf, already being pushed aside for the next seasonal thing.
Truth be told, however, this isn't a trend to be mourned. While the Oktoberfest style celebrates the Old World brewing process, it also is mired in tradition and, in many ways, lacking creativity. A couple weeks worth of sampling the style this year showed a lot of craft beers that, while perfectly well made, were also very similar in flavoring - caramel notes, a lighter body and just enough hops to give them a crisp aftertaste.
The biggest standout and most unique offering of this year came from Odd 13 Brewing - yet another winner in the Lafayette brewery's growing line of successes. Munchen Brett is a 100 percent Brett marzen with Nelson Sauvin hops, and you taste every nuance of both of those additions. It is complex yet also quite simple, offering a touch of funk without overwhelming the natural qualities of the style.
The best of the more traditional recipes, meanwhile, came from Bristol Brewing, a Colorado brewery that is adept at perfecting styles more than it is at breaking barriers. Red Baron offers a soft touch on the malt, with just enough hopping to cut the sweetness and make the body flow easily.
Beyond that, many beers broke the Oktoberfest taste protocol only with a slight derivation of one characteristic or another.
Left Hand's Oktoberfest Marzen Lager came in at a higher alcohol by volume (6.6 percent) that could be felt on the backtaste as a sort of lemony bitterness.
Epic's Fest Devious presented a drier taste, effectively using its hops to create balance.
Fort Collins Brewery's Oktoberfest, the gold-medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival this year, was thicker in body, relying more on the malt to match a traditional German recipe.
And Upslope, maker of some of the best seasonal beers in Colorado, put forward a lighter-bodied lager that was easy and enjoyable but also faded quickly from the palate.
It wasn't a standout year for Oktoberfest beers. Then again, maybe that's the point. These were crafted to be celebration beers that were easy to enjoy and hard to overthink. But at a time of bigger and bolder styles, Oktoberfest may just be the antithesis of the current craft climate.
In this age of pumpkin-mania, Oktoberfest seems to have been squeezed into a much smaller autumn window. A trip to the liquor store just two days into October, for example, revealed only a handful of marzen lagers on the shelf, already being pushed aside for the next seasonal thing.Truth be told, however, this isn't a trend to be mourned. While the Oktoberfest style celebrates the Old World brewing process, it also is mired in tradition and, in many ways, lacking creativity. A couple weeks worth of sampling the style this year showed a lot of craft beers that, while perfectly well made, were also very similar in flavoring - caramel notes, a lighter body and just enough hops to give them a crisp aftertaste.
The biggest standout and most unique offering of this year came from Odd 13 Brewing - yet another winner in the Lafayette brewery's growing line of successes. Munchen Brett is a 100 percent Brett marzen with Nelson Sauvin hops, and you taste every nuance of both of those additions. It is complex yet also quite simple, offering a touch of funk without overwhelming the natural qualities of the style.
The best of the more traditional recipes, meanwhile, came from Bristol Brewing, a Colorado brewery that is adept at perfecting styles more than it is at breaking barriers. Red Baron offers a soft touch on the malt, with just enough hopping to cut the sweetness and make the body flow easily.
Beyond that, many beers broke the Oktoberfest taste protocol only with a slight derivation of one characteristic or another.
Left Hand's Oktoberfest Marzen Lager came in at a higher alcohol by volume (6.6 percent) that could be felt on the backtaste as a sort of lemony bitterness.
Epic's Fest Devious presented a drier taste, effectively using its hops to create balance.
Fort Collins Brewery's Oktoberfest, the gold-medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival this year, was thicker in body, relying more on the malt to match a traditional German recipe.And Upslope, maker of some of the best seasonal beers in Colorado, put forward a lighter-bodied lager that was easy and enjoyable but also faded quickly from the palate.
It wasn't a standout year for Oktoberfest beers. Then again, maybe that's the point. These were crafted to be celebration beers that were easy to enjoy and hard to overthink. But at a time of bigger and bolder styles, Oktoberfest may just be the antithesis of the current craft climate.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Epic Brewing, Fall seasonals, Fort Collins Brewing, Left Hand Brewing, Odd 13 Brewing, Oktoberfest, Upslope Brewing
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
The Naughty and Nice Beers List
If you are like the Beer Run Blog crew, you like to do your Christmas shopping late - specifically after Christmas, when everything goes on sale. And if that's the case, you might be able to find a good bargain among this year's Christmas beer offerings, which liquor stores are going to start pushing off their shelves soon.
So, in the spirit of always writing this column as late in the holiday season as humanly possible, it is worth giving a shout out to some of the beers that made the past month seasonally fun, especially as they start disappearing. Like searching for Santa, you'd better look quick before these are gone. And you'd better realize whether you've landed on the naughty or nice lists to figure out what you're getting.
Very, very nice - and knowledgeable about beer:
* Five Golden Rings - Saying that The Bruery's annual seasonal beer is the best on the market almost feels cliched. But when it adds pineapple juice and subtle spices to a Belgian strong golden ale to give it a hugely sweet and slightly tart feel, it's just the best thing out there.
* Tis the Saison - Denver Beer Co's offering was a thinker. You had to swirl its floral flavor around a few times before realizing that what made it unique was the peppermint and spearmint added to it. And then you ordered another one.
* Santa's Little Helper - Port Brewing makes another year-to-year top Christmas beer, but unlike The Bruery, it just stays consistent with a reindeer-butt-kicking imperial stout that warms you completely.
Quite nice
* Upslope Christmas Ale - A medium body and a bold taste made this spiced Belgian-style dubbel a full mouth experience with a slight spice to its backtaste. This Boulder brewery may just be becoming the new king of seasonal surprises.
* Hibernation Ale - Those who make the mistake of going a year without enjoying Great Divide's classic strong ale may forget how its woody, caramel-lined body backed by a strong hop backbone really is one of the most solid Christmas beers around.
* Winter Warlock - Bristol Brewing seemed to add a slight bit of sweetness to its traditionally dark oatmeal porter this year, giving it just a touch of pleasant newness.
Just plain nice
* Winter Tartan Scottish Ale - Maybe the surprise of the Christmas season was this vanilla-laced Scottish ale served up by Rock Bottom Downtown Denver, a unique addition to the holiday pantheon.
* Brr Winter Ale - The other great surprise was a hop bomb by Widmer Brothers that featured a berry-fruit taste rather than a traditional citrus fruit palate with its hops.
Naughty
* Big Shot Seasonal Ale - Fort Collins Brewery offered up a big brown ale that was malty, decently hopped on the back - and no different than a year-round decent brown ale would be.
* Newcastle Winter IPA - Yes, British IPAs are much subtler than American IPAs. But it's still extremely hard to identify the hop presence in this extremely easy-drinking caramel-base beer. It's not awful, just dull - not the kind of thing you want to put in a beer aficionado's stocking.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
If you are like the Beer Run Blog crew, you like to do your Christmas shopping late - specifically after Christmas, when everything goes on sale. And if that's the case, you might be able to find a good bargain among this year's Christmas beer offerings, which liquor stores are going to start pushing off their shelves soon.
So, in the spirit of always writing this column as late in the holiday season as humanly possible, it is worth giving a shout out to some of the beers that made the past month seasonally fun, especially as they start disappearing. Like searching for Santa, you'd better look quick before these are gone. And you'd better realize whether you've landed on the naughty or nice lists to figure out what you're getting.
Very, very nice - and knowledgeable about beer:
* Five Golden Rings - Saying that The Bruery's annual seasonal beer is the best on the market almost feels cliched. But when it adds pineapple juice and subtle spices to a Belgian strong golden ale to give it a hugely sweet and slightly tart feel, it's just the best thing out there.
* Tis the Saison - Denver Beer Co's offering was a thinker. You had to swirl its floral flavor around a few times before realizing that what made it unique was the peppermint and spearmint added to it. And then you ordered another one.
* Santa's Little Helper - Port Brewing makes another year-to-year top Christmas beer, but unlike The Bruery, it just stays consistent with a reindeer-butt-kicking imperial stout that warms you completely.
Quite nice
* Upslope Christmas Ale - A medium body and a bold taste made this spiced Belgian-style dubbel a full mouth experience with a slight spice to its backtaste. This Boulder brewery may just be becoming the new king of seasonal surprises.
* Hibernation Ale - Those who make the mistake of going a year without enjoying Great Divide's classic strong ale may forget how its woody, caramel-lined body backed by a strong hop backbone really is one of the most solid Christmas beers around.
* Winter Warlock - Bristol Brewing seemed to add a slight bit of sweetness to its traditionally dark oatmeal porter this year, giving it just a touch of pleasant newness.
Just plain nice
* Winter Tartan Scottish Ale - Maybe the surprise of the Christmas season was this vanilla-laced Scottish ale served up by Rock Bottom Downtown Denver, a unique addition to the holiday pantheon.
* Brr Winter Ale - The other great surprise was a hop bomb by Widmer Brothers that featured a berry-fruit taste rather than a traditional citrus fruit palate with its hops.
Naughty
* Big Shot Seasonal Ale - Fort Collins Brewery offered up a big brown ale that was malty, decently hopped on the back - and no different than a year-round decent brown ale would be.
* Newcastle Winter IPA - Yes, British IPAs are much subtler than American IPAs. But it's still extremely hard to identify the hop presence in this extremely easy-drinking caramel-base beer. It's not awful, just dull - not the kind of thing you want to put in a beer aficionado's stocking.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Denver Beer Co, Fort Collins Brewing, Great Divide, Holiday beers, Newcastle, Port Brewing, Rock Bottom Brewery, The Bruery, Upslope Brewing, Widmer Brothers
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Holiday Beer Week, Part 1: Dark and Daring Holiday beers come in many styles, from the hopped to the heavy, but none seems as prominent as the dark beer that just reeks of warming on a cold winter night.
The bad news is that a number of the holiday darks push, like summer light ales, adventurouslessly toward a color rather than a unique flavor. But there are those that can pull of the label "dark and daring," and for them we should all be grateful.
*Bristol Brewing's Winter Warlock has long been a favorite of mine for its chewy roasted oat flavor, and this year the Colorado Springs brewery just cranks up the goodness by putting it on nitro (at least at the brewery). This smooths it out and lets the softly burned chocolate flavor stand out above the carbonation. Try it if you can find it this way.
*Great Divide's Hibernation Ale is another old standby - at 8.7% ABV it was the first big beer sold throughout Colorado. But this beer feels fresh every year. It's a big hit of both malt (on the aroma) and hops on the back of the tongue. And the high alcohol really does leave you warmed.
*If you're looking for something of the sweeter variety, Tommyknocker's Cocoa Porter seems to be picking up that characteristic more every year. It has just a hint of a vanilla cream taste and a medium-sized body, making this a perfect post-ski beer if you're stopping at the brewery on the way back down I-70.
*Left Hand's latest iteration of Paint It Black should only be drunk when not exhausted, as it's a jolt to the system. Ink black and thick as soup, the 2011 version outstrips the daring 2010 Baltic porter version because this adds just a hint of chili fire on the backtaste that lights up an otherwise fully dark mouthfeel.
*Finally, for those who like their Christmas beers like the ones that would have been drank in the 19th Century, there is Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout (pictured above) from Ridgeway Brewing of England. While British porters often tend to leave you with a mouthfeel of wet rope, this provides you with a dusty, even musky chocolate taste that feels it's blending old-world and new-world beer sensibilities.
This is day one of a five-part series examining the beers of this holiday season. Merry Christmas and happy new beer!
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Great Divide, Holiday beers, Left Hand Brewing, Tommyknocker Brewery
Friday, August 13, 2010
This Week in Colorado BeerThere are very few weekends that I mark early in the year and reserve, but this is one of them ...
Beer Festivals
*Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m.: One of Colorado's finest beer festivals, the Craft Lager Festival in Manitou Springs, takes place this weekend in Memorial Park. Colorado's finest brewers bring in their wheats, their pilsners and their special creations, some made just for this festival. And a few breweries will pop in from places like New York, Massachusetts and Oregon as well. The sun is hot, the atmosphere is casual and the cost is $35 - or $65 for a couple. Plus the money goes to benefit open-space preservation.
*Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.: Won't be on the Front Range for the lagerfest? The Winter Park Beer Festival features 19 breweries, many of them doing double duty at both gatherings. Tickets are $30 for unlimited tasting, and there's tons of music planned at Hideaway Park as well.
New Releases
*Friday, 5 p.m.: Trinity Brewing of Colorado Springs releases its Kinky Reggae, a Jamaican jerk-spiced concoction. Word from the brewery is that it tastes like a spice-filled Christmas beer.
*Tuesday, 5 p.m.: Bristol Brewing of Colorado Springs releases its Cheyenne Canon Ale, a pinon nut-roasted brown ale that benefits the Friends of Cheyenne Canon.
*Just got an e-mail this week that BJ's Brewhouse has put out its Light Switch Lager, for those of you looking for something really light this summer.
Beer/Food Pairing
*Tuesday, 7 p.m.: It's like man vs. beast or soccer vs. football. Great Divide Brewing engages in a beer vs. wine dinner at Denver's downtown TAG restaurant. Weigh in for $60.
Labels: BJ's, Bristol Brewing, Great Divide, Manitou Springs, Trinity Brewing
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The 12 Beers of Christmas: Day 3Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout
Note: I'm a fan of holiday ales, and I want to use this forum this year to lay out 12 beers that just seem essential for holiday party drinking. Plus, I want to see if I can sit down and write for 12 days in a row, a feat I've never pulled off on this blog.
There are big winter beers and there are dusty, pleasantly dark winter beers that aren't overpowering. And somehow, Bristol Brewing combines these two seemingly diverse genres into one spectacular bottle.
Having lived for six years in Colorado Springs, I learned that Winter Warlock is slightly tweaked every year - maybe it's a little more roasty or just a little more chocolaty in any given winter cycle. But the thick-tasting, medium-bodied combination remains, a testament to the ability to combine what is best about several winter styles and produce one of the most drinkable, most satisfying seasonal beverages available in stores.
Warlock's secret brilliance, though, is it's mixing commercial appeal with beer-geek craftsmanship in its oatmeal bedding to its lightly murky feel. Churn the two together, add a little roasted quality and you have something that defines the best of the season.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Holiday beers
Thursday, October 08, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerAnd in this strange, new post-GABF world, we have to search out events . . .
New Brewery Restaurant
*Monday: Oskar Blues throws open the doors to its new beer joint/restaurant, Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids, in Longmont. Offering southern BBQ and the live music that for which the still-operating Lyons brewery is known, the eatery will be easily distinguishable by the giant silo-sized rendition of a Dale's Pale Ale can attached to the side of it.
New Tappings
*Rock Bottom Brewery downtown just tapped its Dunkelweizen on Thursday; if it's anywhere near the quality of the beers that it offered during Denver Beer Fest, it will be worth stopping by the restaurant to try some. Also, Rock Bottom Westminster taps its Harvest Moon Rye at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
*Bristol Brewing of Colorado Springs released its Winter Warlock on Friday, which stands not only as one of the earlier release of a holiday beer in the state but as one of the darkest, thickest, finest local Christmastime beers on which you can get your hands.
Beer/Food Pairing
*Wednesday, 5 p.m.: Trinity Brewing, also of Colorado Springs, is having a rare beer dinner at its place . . . with another brewery. Not sure what exactly is involved with the Ska Beer and slow food event, but I do know this: I hope Ska brings its new Merlo Stout #12, an oak-aged (presumably in merlot barrels), dark-as-night creation that was entered in this year's pro-am competition at the Great American Beer Festival.
Craft Beer Education
*Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m.: Scott Kerkmans, who has the dream job as Chief Beer Officer (yes, that's his real title) for Four Points by Sheraton hotels, will offer a class on craft beer education at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in Denver. The price is $59, but you get to taste six beers.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Oskar Blues, Rock Bottom Brewery, Ska Brewing, Trinity Brewing
Thursday, July 16, 2009
This Weekend in Colorado BeerIt's just a lazy, dog-dangling summer . . .
Beer Festivals
Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m.: Breckenridge Beer Festival at the Main Street Station in the heart of town. Twenty-six breweries will be giving out their wares, and there's a good chance that Sam Adams will ask your opinion on its latest experiments. Be sure to wear sun screen; I will. $30.
New Tappings
Friday, 5 p.m.: Falling Rock Taphouse in LoDo cracks open a keg of Stone's deliciously hoppy, new 13th Anniversary Ale. But the real prize for those who venture down is the same brewery's Cali-Belgique, one of the leaders in the new Belgian IPA movement.
Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.: In Colorado Springs, Bristol Brewing will roll out the fourth release from Black Fox Brewing, an aggressively hopped saison by the name of Gusto.
Saturday, 4:20 p.m.: Boulder's Southern Sun Pub and Brewery and Denver's Vine Street Pub will tap St. Amos Belgian White, a Belgian-inspired white brewed with lemongrass, coriander and orange peel. I don't think you should read anything into the tapping time, but I could be wrong.
Almost Gone
Rock Bottom in downtown Denver may be just about out of its American Dream IPA, which it tapped on July 2. Very easy and light for its style, it has only a slow, lurking bitterness that doesn't bite as much as stick around longer than you might expect. But while it might be slightly heftless on its own, it actually blends well when combined with food, welcoming and then dispensing the grease while leaving a flavor that tinges but doesn't burn. Not the worst thing you could pair with a hot summer night munching on the 16th Street Mall patio.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Falling Rock Taphouse, Festivals, Rock Bottom Brewery
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerHelp a Brewer Out
Sunday: Dry Dock Brewing Company, the Aurora rags-to-riches story that went from start-up brewery to World Beer Cup medal winner a few years ago, is moving to bigger digs. They're looking for a little help in the move and are willing to ply faithful servants with kegs of CB & Potts Frambozen and Great Divide's Belgica and Titan IPA. (Their beer is being moved, of course.)
Beer Pairing Dinner
Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Oskar Blues is hosting a dinner at Castle Rock's Barking Goat Tavern. The menu includes salmon, pork medallions . . . oh, and some Gordon Double Red and Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. Cost is $42 and reservations are appreciated.
New Tappings
And you'll excuse me if I'm a little behind on some of these . . .
*Odell Brewing has released its St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale, a dry-hopped tribute to the scientific name of hops given by that legend, Pliny the Elder.
*Trinity Brewing has put out its Root Saison, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale brewed with beets, quinoa and dreadlock hops.
*Gordon Biersch in Broomfield has given the world its Sommerbrau, a light Kolsch-style ale.
*Thursday: The Rock Bottom in downtown Denver rolls out its Liquid Sun.
Mmmm . . . kegs
Friday: Oskar Blues taps a firkin of Farmhouse DPA, a Dale's Pale Ale fermented with Belgian farmhouse yeast.
Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.: It's time for another tapping of a cask IPA at Bristol Brewing.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Dry Dock Brewing, Odell Brewing, Oskar Blues, Rock Bottom Brewery, Trinity Brewing
Saturday, May 16, 2009
This Week in Colorado Beer
GABF Tickets
Yes, the Great American Beer Festival still may be 4-1/2 months away, but that doesn't mean it's not time to write it in red pen on your calendar for Sept. 24-26. Tickets go on sale Tuesday for American Homebrewers Association members (June 1 is you're not shelling out the paltry $38 for the membership). And while you might think, "Oh, I can get these later," remember that the festival sold out about two weeks in advance last year.
Festivals
Today (May 16): Summit Brewfest and BBQ in Colorado Springs. Any summer beer festival can have 38 different brewers there. But seven different kinds of barbecue? Mi adore. The festival runs from 2 to 10 p.m. today (which may be the longest single-day beer festival session in the state) and tickets are $20. This is a first-time event at the Norris Penrose Event Center.
New Tappings
Today (May 16): Bristol Brewing once again breaks out an IPA cask from noon to 9 for those that might want to stop by and grab a beer before the Summit Brewfest.
This week, hopefully: Avery will soon be putting out its Sixteen, a saison brewed with jasmine, peaches and honey, to celebrate the Boulder brewery's 16th anniversary. It's not listed on the website yet, but I have it from a good authority (a mass e-mail sent out from the brewery) that it's coming. Find it in bombers at local liquor stores. Or head up to the brewery Monday night; if it's not on tap yet, you can at least hear a presentation on barrel aging by the Society for the Pursuit of Hoppyness.
Beer/Food Pairing
Tuesday: Duo hosts another beer pairing dinner, with a twist. Not only will Great Divide be pouring its fine ales to go with the crusted snapper and chocolate torte, but Denver-based Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey will be there as well. Tickets are $35.
Welcome Back
Finally, Little Kings Cream Ale, the 7-oz. bottles that you probably drank in college (at least I did) have made a triumphal return to the state. The beer from Cincinnati's Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Co. made a return to Colorado, which used to be its second-largest U.S. market, earlier this week, according to news release sent out from the company. I can't say I remember a lot about the beer, but I do recall that it was smooth and fun to carry around those little bottles.
Labels: Avery Brewing, Bristol Brewing, Great American Beer Festival, Great Divide, Little Kings Cream Ale
Monday, March 30, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerOK, seriously that was the last time I go away for weeks on end. I mean it. Let's drink some good beer. And I've got a lot to say in the coming days and weeks about new beers, beer events and even beer books . . .
New tappings
*Tuesday, 5 to 9 p.m.: Bristol Brewing taps its fifth-edition Grand Cru. I personally believe that no one in the state of Colorado does sour and slightly sour beers better across the spectrum than the boys from Colorado Springs. Here's a chance to test that theory.
*Thursday: Dying for a new Rock Bottom beer? Then take your pick. The Downtown Denver location will be breaking out its Catcher in the Rye. Meanwhile, the Orchard Town Center facility rolls out its Anniversary ESB. Wait, are anniversaries supposed to be bitter?
Beer and food pairings
*Tuesday, 5 p.m: Great Divide breaks out its monthly allotment of non-government cheese, this time with five pairings from St. Killian's Cheese Shop (which is located in the Highlands, not in a Coors brewery). Ten dollars gets in you in.
*Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.: Wynkoop hosts an April Fool's Day beer dinner in honor of Dr. Suess. I haven't found details about the $35 menu, but let's assume Lorax lasagna is not on it. Oh, the places your tastebuds will go!
*Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Avery is pairing its beers not just with Scotch food but with a selection of Scotch brews as well. The event is $35 and is at the Scotch Corner Pub in Boulder. No kilts necessary. Here's the menu.
This one may be sort of a tease . . .
*Friday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.: New Belgium Brewing hosts a membership rally for the American Homebrewers Association. I'd go on about how cool this events are, but unfortunately, the website says it's already RSVP'd out. So, if you were smart and thought ahead (unlike some of us), hoist a La Folie for the rest of us. Oh, and tell them to let more people in.
Labels: Avery Brewing, Bristol Brewing, Great Divide, New Belgium Brewing, Rock Bottom Brewery, Wynkoop Brewery
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerSpecial events
*Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m.: Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs is throwing a Firkin Rendezvous. Roughly 20 Colorado microbreweries will be bringing cask-conditioned ales to tap. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
*Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. Wynkoop hosts its annual Beerdrinker of the Year finals, in which a panel of judges grill three finalists from across the country to see who deserves the prestigious title. Venzke Weizen, a smoked dunkel named for last year's winner, will be served during the event.
New tappings
*Tonight, 5 to 8 p.m.: Avery releases Brabant, a barrel-aged stout with heavy emphasis on the bourbon influence. The release party is free and head brewer/legend Adam Avery will be signing bottles for people who buy them.
*Saturday, 4 to 7 p.m.: Dying to get to an Avery release party but can't make tonight's soiree? Head up to the Boulder brewery again for the release of its Maharaja double IPA, complete with Indian food. (This one costs $15, however.)
*Tonight: Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs cracks out its Chi Belgian Golden.
*Thursday, 6 p.m. Rock Bottom restaurants across the state debut their Fire Chief Ale, which helps to fund firefighter-related charities.
*Friday, 5 p.m. Ska's new Modus Hoperandi makes its debut. For those of you in the Denver area, Falling Rock Taphouse starts pouring it at this time.
Labels: Avery Brewing, Bristol Brewing, Falling Rock Taphouse, Rock Bottom Brewery, Trinity Brewing, Wynkoop Brewery
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerIt's an exciting week for new beers, and beginning tomorrow I'll be posting daily blurbs about both some of what is listed here and some others that have come out recently.
New Bottlings
*New Belgium has released its Lips of Faith Dark Kriek in bombers. The Lips of Faith series, you may know is made up of experimental beers and has produced such greats as its sour Eric's Ale. This is the first time that a Lips of Faith beer has been bottled and distributed.
*Odell just rolled out its Odell Red Ale. It's a red like an American red, except that, in classic Odell style, it's got some monster hops and comes in at 6.5% ABV. Will be available through May.
New Tappings
*Just in time for Valentine's Day, Carver Brewing of Durango is now tapping its Brewer's Reserve Lover's Chocolate Stout. Champagne bottles to go sell for $12.95
*BJ's of Westminster has just put 30 new beers on tap - and, as one might expect, they're not all from BJ's. Eat a pizookie, then call a cab.
*Thursday: Trinity Brewing releases its Farmhouse #34, Saison Nocturnum. Coming in at 12% ABV, it's described as the largest spiced beer ever brewed in Colorado Springs. I'll buy that.
*Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.: Bristol Brewing has an IPA cask tapping. Actually, Bristol has this most every Saturday. So, if you're in Colorado Springs, just make this part of your weekly calendar.
Labels: BJ's, Bristol Brewing, Carver Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Odell Brewing, Trinity Brewing
Thursday, January 15, 2009
This Week in Colorado BeerNew Beers
*CB & Potts in Westminster has gone against the dark-and-alcoholic winter trend and recently tapped its Colorado Blonde Ale.
*BJ's (that's in Aurora, Boulder and Westminster) has stayed more true to typical winter boldness and broken out a Grand Cru. For $4.95 you get a special glass.
*And Bristol is once again tapping an IPA Cask Ale on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. to help all of you in Colorado Springs start your day right.
Beer Pairing Dinners
*Monday, 6:30 p.m.: Bristol puts on a soiree at its next-door neighbor, the Blue Star, for a $55 fee. There's no menu listed, but previous experience at the Blue Star says this will be creative.
*Tuesday, 7 p.m.: BJ's in Boulder hosts its Winter Warmer dinner, complete with the aforementioned Grand Cru, for $30. Call (303) 402-9294 for reservations.
*Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Rock Bottom' Orchard Town Center location hosts a chef and brewer dinner. Details unavailable because I can't get the web site to open at this very moment.
Labels: BJ's, Bristol Brewing, CB Potts, Rock Bottom Brewery
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
This Week in Colorado BeerTo kick off the new year in style, I want to introduce a new feature to the site that will try to keep readers up to date on tappings, beer dinners and other events you may not want to miss at Colorado breweries. This is a new experiment at building an online community, so please contribute with things you know are coming over the next week, and we can all be better people for it.
New Brews
By the time you read this (unless you're on a laptop at a bar right now), two Colorado Springs breweries have tapped a couple of beers.
Trinity Brewing on Monday unveiled a Farmhouse 32 Noel Blanc brewed using juniper berries, rose hips, coriander, and "grains of paradise."
Bristol Brewing, meanwhile, tapped its aged wheat tonight. The last batch was a wonderful Frankenstein of a creation that was part sour beer and part cloudy wheat. You kept ruminating on how to categorize it exactly until you realized that you'd finished your glass.
New Year's Eve
Just about every brew pub and beer bar in the state is doing something, so I won't single too many out. But the favorites I've seen include Trinity's tapping of four Belgians and four domestics, including supposedly the only keg of Breckenridge Whiskey Barrel Porter ever made. And Carver Brewing in Durango deserves props for its free barleywine/champagne toast at midnight. Take that, stodgy old traditions!
Beer and Food
This one's close to my heart: Avery is hosting a beer dinner on Jan. 5 at Gelman's Bistro, which is a block-and-a-half from my house in northwest Denver. And it's not just any old beers they'll be serving. White Rascal, Hog Heaven, The Reverend and Samael's Oak Aged Ale (the best-kept secret at the brewery) will pair with a likely fancy menu at a place I know for cooking a mean cheeseburger.
Labels: Avery Brewing, Beer calendar, Bristol Brewing, Trinity Brewing
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Back to SchoolIt's a truism that during times of high unemployment, more people go back to school. And, coincidentally, studies have shown that beer sales typically weather recessions.
So, it's only natural that in these hard times, Bristol Brewery is offering a series of 10 classes on Thursday nights beginning on Jan. 8 and running through mid-March to help people better understand that magical liquid that will help them get through it all.
The Colorado Springs brewery offered its Bristol Beer School last year as well, and members of the Fearless Tasting Crew who attended a few of the sessions report that it was wildly educational. Actually, they mentioned that part only after they went on and on about all the good beer they got to drink. But it was educational all the same, they say.
The 2009 course catalogue includes everything from Intro to Beer and Intro to Homebrewing to graduate-level courses like Sour Beers and Intro to Brewing Chemistry. Each of the classes runs you $25 (plus a food-pairing class with a $15 lab fee), but hey, that's just your way of helping the economy right itself.
So, go smarten up and save the ales at the same time. Maybe I'll see you at one of these classes.
Labels: Beer School, Bristol Brewing
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
GABF: The Pre- and Post-Parties
One of the wonderful things about Great American Beer Festival weekend is that you don't actually have to attend the festival to enjoy at least some of its benefits. Sure, nothing beats the energy pulsing through the convention hall as you scurry from table to table trying to find that brew you'll always remember. But if you didn't plan ahead to get tickets, there are a few area watering holes where you can find beers of the same level - and in some cases even rarer - than what's going on inside.
1) Falling Rock Tap House
If you're reading this, I can only assume you already know about the joys of Denver's most diverse beer menu. But on the off chance that you don't, any night between Wednesday and Saturday will introduce you to its pleasures.
For a complete list of the week's activities, go here. And remember that this is the place to find the brewers after the show. Here's a few highlights:
*9 p.m. Wednesday: Avery, which already produces some of the most experimental Belgian-style and hopped-up beers that you'll find in liquor stores, rolls out five recipes that make, say, The Reverend look tame. The only downside to this is that you have to pace yourself enough that you're not hung over for the first day of the festival.
*Noon Friday: Sierra Nevada kill-a-keg. You and multiple dozens of your closest friends see how fast you can put down a keg of the wet-hop Harvest Ale. Try to enjoy its taste while you're doing so, however.
*10 p.m. Saturday: New Belgium galore. If you attend all four sessions like I do, your taste buds are usually a distant memory by Saturday night. For me, only one thing shocks them back into life: sour Belgian beers that are like the defibrillator to the tongue.
2) Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs
Coming from down south for the event? Here's where you go the night before to prep for your drive to Denver the next day.
Brewmaster Jason Yester has always been the guy I go to at the GABF to try to find out what's worth trying from around the country. Seeing the list of beers he will be serving at his new place on Wednesday night reminds me why. Experimentals from around Colorado will not only prep your palate but will give you that much more reason to fan out and try what the rest of the country has to offer over the ensuing three days. Thanks to reader and longtime Fearless Tasting Crew member Larry Fish for sending me that link.
3) Most every brewpub is going to be putting something new and bold on tap this week to show they're not just your average amber-and-hefe joint. I don't have everybody's schedule, but here are two I'd like to mention:
*Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs has rolled out its Skull 'N Bones Old Bruin - a Flemish-style brown ale that brewmaster Joe Hull has been keeping under wraps for a while - and the annual batch of Winter Warlock, which has run the gamut from chocolatey smooth to pound-your-taste buds dark in recent years.
*Great Divide wasted no time in moving from Friday's introduction of its newest Fresh Hop and Hibernation releases to putting out barrel-aged versions of its Yeti Imperial Stout and Old Ruffian Barley Wine. I can't say I've gotten to try these yet, but their descriptions - both have been sitting for 20 months in Stranahan's whiskey barrels - are enough to make me clear space on my calendar.
So, there's a few ideas for extra-curricular festival activities. Anyone else have any bars or breweries they recommending visiting in the coming days?
One of the wonderful things about Great American Beer Festival weekend is that you don't actually have to attend the festival to enjoy at least some of its benefits. Sure, nothing beats the energy pulsing through the convention hall as you scurry from table to table trying to find that brew you'll always remember. But if you didn't plan ahead to get tickets, there are a few area watering holes where you can find beers of the same level - and in some cases even rarer - than what's going on inside.
1) Falling Rock Tap House
If you're reading this, I can only assume you already know about the joys of Denver's most diverse beer menu. But on the off chance that you don't, any night between Wednesday and Saturday will introduce you to its pleasures.
For a complete list of the week's activities, go here. And remember that this is the place to find the brewers after the show. Here's a few highlights:
*9 p.m. Wednesday: Avery, which already produces some of the most experimental Belgian-style and hopped-up beers that you'll find in liquor stores, rolls out five recipes that make, say, The Reverend look tame. The only downside to this is that you have to pace yourself enough that you're not hung over for the first day of the festival.
*Noon Friday: Sierra Nevada kill-a-keg. You and multiple dozens of your closest friends see how fast you can put down a keg of the wet-hop Harvest Ale. Try to enjoy its taste while you're doing so, however.
*10 p.m. Saturday: New Belgium galore. If you attend all four sessions like I do, your taste buds are usually a distant memory by Saturday night. For me, only one thing shocks them back into life: sour Belgian beers that are like the defibrillator to the tongue.
2) Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs
Coming from down south for the event? Here's where you go the night before to prep for your drive to Denver the next day.
Brewmaster Jason Yester has always been the guy I go to at the GABF to try to find out what's worth trying from around the country. Seeing the list of beers he will be serving at his new place on Wednesday night reminds me why. Experimentals from around Colorado will not only prep your palate but will give you that much more reason to fan out and try what the rest of the country has to offer over the ensuing three days. Thanks to reader and longtime Fearless Tasting Crew member Larry Fish for sending me that link.
3) Most every brewpub is going to be putting something new and bold on tap this week to show they're not just your average amber-and-hefe joint. I don't have everybody's schedule, but here are two I'd like to mention:
*Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs has rolled out its Skull 'N Bones Old Bruin - a Flemish-style brown ale that brewmaster Joe Hull has been keeping under wraps for a while - and the annual batch of Winter Warlock, which has run the gamut from chocolatey smooth to pound-your-taste buds dark in recent years.
*Great Divide wasted no time in moving from Friday's introduction of its newest Fresh Hop and Hibernation releases to putting out barrel-aged versions of its Yeti Imperial Stout and Old Ruffian Barley Wine. I can't say I've gotten to try these yet, but their descriptions - both have been sitting for 20 months in Stranahan's whiskey barrels - are enough to make me clear space on my calendar.
So, there's a few ideas for extra-curricular festival activities. Anyone else have any bars or breweries they recommending visiting in the coming days?
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Falling Rock Taphouse, Great American Beer Festival, Great Divide, Trinity Brewing
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Suds on the Sabbath
Wow, I just returned from back-to-back trips to Italy and Iowa, and it seems like there's tons to talk about in Colorado beer. Let's start with the thing I'm most excited about.
Bristol Brewing is now open on Sunday.
For those of you unaware of it, Colorado Springs' finest brewery got with the spirit of the new Sunday sales law and opened its doors on the sabbath for the first time on Sept. 14. Reports out of the Springs are that it's a big hit. The brewery plans to operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on that day, though a recent newsletter noted that they could open or close earlier depending on the all-important timing of Broncos games.
Does anyone know of any other breweries that are just getting around to Sunday openings?
Wow, I just returned from back-to-back trips to Italy and Iowa, and it seems like there's tons to talk about in Colorado beer. Let's start with the thing I'm most excited about.
Bristol Brewing is now open on Sunday.
For those of you unaware of it, Colorado Springs' finest brewery got with the spirit of the new Sunday sales law and opened its doors on the sabbath for the first time on Sept. 14. Reports out of the Springs are that it's a big hit. The brewery plans to operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on that day, though a recent newsletter noted that they could open or close earlier depending on the all-important timing of Broncos games.
Does anyone know of any other breweries that are just getting around to Sunday openings?
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Sunday sales
