Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Making Colorado Proud
Two weeks ago, the Colorado Department of Agriculture launched the "Choose Colorado" state tour, promoting local agriculture and products. There was talk of local cantaloupes and corn. But make no mistake, this tour is laden with beer as well.
The 14-year-old "Colorado Proud" program is set up to promote all food and beverage products grown and made in Colorado, and it is heading out on statewide tour for the first time this year. And state officials have not been shy about pointing out the advantage of locally grown hops, barley and additives that make locally brewed beverages especially special.
Take, for example, Breckenridge Brewery's Agave Wheat, a beer made with a key cactus ingredient that Breck brewers picked up at Sprouts grocery stores throughout the Denver area. They created the beer, labeled it proudly as a Colorado ale and watched sales of the tangy wheat with a stronger punch than most of its ilk grow across the country.
And, said marketing director Todd Thibault (pictured to left), he and brewer Todd Usry used the Colorado label to promote it, especially when growing into a new market in South Carolina some seven years ago.
"We'd walk in bars and say 'We're Todd and Todd from Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. And people would say, "Hey, Colorado?'" he said.
Doug Hyndman, head brewer at Dry Dock Brewing, went to Clemson University in that very same state of South Carolina, and he (pictured below) followed the Colorado reputation across the country. Dry Dock just recently joined Colorado Proud to support Colorado's efforts to promote its homegrown products, he said. (And we all know how well that brewery promotes Colorado beer.)
So, what does this program really mean for the average beer geek, who already tends to search out Colorado brews and promote the state's brewing scene? Probably not a whole lot to the learned.
But what can it do for businesses that are considering whether to invest more in Colorado products, including Colorado beers, as well as their customers? Well, just ask Rob Lanphier, owner of the Handlebar bar/restaurant and Pour Kids Bar Group.
Pour Kids is a "statetriotic" effort that promotes not just Colorado beer, wine and liquor but Colorado-raised produce and Colorado-made products. People may not think about ordering Colorado-specific when they come in, but when presented with a menu full of state-centric options, they tend to gravitate toward them and support local products, Lanphier said.
"There's really a heightened interest in buying local. I've noticed this trend the last couple of years," he said.
And that's a goal that all Colorado beer drinkers can support.
Two weeks ago, the Colorado Department of Agriculture launched the "Choose Colorado" state tour, promoting local agriculture and products. There was talk of local cantaloupes and corn. But make no mistake, this tour is laden with beer as well.
The 14-year-old "Colorado Proud" program is set up to promote all food and beverage products grown and made in Colorado, and it is heading out on statewide tour for the first time this year. And state officials have not been shy about pointing out the advantage of locally grown hops, barley and additives that make locally brewed beverages especially special.
Take, for example, Breckenridge Brewery's Agave Wheat, a beer made with a key cactus ingredient that Breck brewers picked up at Sprouts grocery stores throughout the Denver area. They created the beer, labeled it proudly as a Colorado ale and watched sales of the tangy wheat with a stronger punch than most of its ilk grow across the country.
"We'd walk in bars and say 'We're Todd and Todd from Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. And people would say, "Hey, Colorado?'" he said.
Doug Hyndman, head brewer at Dry Dock Brewing, went to Clemson University in that very same state of South Carolina, and he (pictured below) followed the Colorado reputation across the country. Dry Dock just recently joined Colorado Proud to support Colorado's efforts to promote its homegrown products, he said. (And we all know how well that brewery promotes Colorado beer.)
So, what does this program really mean for the average beer geek, who already tends to search out Colorado brews and promote the state's brewing scene? Probably not a whole lot to the learned.
But what can it do for businesses that are considering whether to invest more in Colorado products, including Colorado beers, as well as their customers? Well, just ask Rob Lanphier, owner of the Handlebar bar/restaurant and Pour Kids Bar Group.
Pour Kids is a "statetriotic" effort that promotes not just Colorado beer, wine and liquor but Colorado-raised produce and Colorado-made products. People may not think about ordering Colorado-specific when they come in, but when presented with a menu full of state-centric options, they tend to gravitate toward them and support local products, Lanphier said.
"There's really a heightened interest in buying local. I've noticed this trend the last couple of years," he said.
And that's a goal that all Colorado beer drinkers can support.
Labels: Breckenridge Brewery, Colorado Brews, Dry Dock Brewing
Thursday, April 04, 2013
So, What is "Colorado Brews"?
To put it most simply, it is my continuing attempt to tell the story of Colorado's beer culture and brewing industry.
If you haven't heard yet, "Colorado Brews" is a half-hour show whose pilot episode runs Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS, Channel 6. If reaction is positive, chances are likely that the station will pick it up for a full season in the fall.
The planning for this began last summer, when I got a call from a producer by the name of Charles Nuckolls who said he was looking to do a weekly show on the state's beer scene and had seen my work in writing "Mountain Brew" and appearing on TV a number of times to talk about beer and politics (never at the same time, mind you). We taped the pilot over the course of a 10-hour day at Crabtree Brewing in Greeley, getting to know better how the town's lone craft brewery came about and evolved into an artisan that is experimenting more and more with barrel aging.
Then Charles rounded up a collection of some of the best bloggers in the area to do segment reports for the show: Dave Butler of "Fermentedly Challenged" talking about beer tech; Billy Broas of "BillyBrew" walking the viewer through homebrewing; and Leah Arthur of "Colorado Beer Girl" reporting from events. And we found David Davis, executive chef of the Golden Hotel, to talk about beer-food pairings.
The hope is that we have a chance to explore even parts of the state that I didn't get to for my book. And that we get to tell a lot of stories that make people appreciate the beer in their glass just a little bit more.
Tune in, and please let me know what you think.
To put it most simply, it is my continuing attempt to tell the story of Colorado's beer culture and brewing industry.
If you haven't heard yet, "Colorado Brews" is a half-hour show whose pilot episode runs Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS, Channel 6. If reaction is positive, chances are likely that the station will pick it up for a full season in the fall.
The planning for this began last summer, when I got a call from a producer by the name of Charles Nuckolls who said he was looking to do a weekly show on the state's beer scene and had seen my work in writing "Mountain Brew" and appearing on TV a number of times to talk about beer and politics (never at the same time, mind you). We taped the pilot over the course of a 10-hour day at Crabtree Brewing in Greeley, getting to know better how the town's lone craft brewery came about and evolved into an artisan that is experimenting more and more with barrel aging.
Then Charles rounded up a collection of some of the best bloggers in the area to do segment reports for the show: Dave Butler of "Fermentedly Challenged" talking about beer tech; Billy Broas of "BillyBrew" walking the viewer through homebrewing; and Leah Arthur of "Colorado Beer Girl" reporting from events. And we found David Davis, executive chef of the Golden Hotel, to talk about beer-food pairings.
The hope is that we have a chance to explore even parts of the state that I didn't get to for my book. And that we get to tell a lot of stories that make people appreciate the beer in their glass just a little bit more.
Tune in, and please let me know what you think.
Labels: Colorado Brews
