Wednesday, July 24, 2019
5 Things I Learned from the Historic Styles Brewfest
Saturday's Historic Styles Brewfest at History Colorado Center was an eye-opener into both what it is that local breweries consider a historic interpretation of beer and how they re-interpret it through their own craftsmanship.
There were true beers of antiquity, from a recipe molded from residue found in a 2,300-year Hebrew vessel to interpretations of several-hundred-year-old Belgian and French styles. There were a number of pre-Prohibition pilsners, as well as several interpretations on the California Common style that played a major role in early American West imbibing. And then there were a couple of breweries whose "historic" offerings either were beers they made a quarter-century ago or beers they've discontinued (and, no, you get no style points for that).
But beyond the wild variance in how "historic" was defined, there were a couple of stand-out impressions from this unique event.
1) Avery Brewing is far more than a bunch of hop fiends and barrel hoarders.
Overlooked among its aggressively hopped and tart beers is the Dogfish Head-like antiquity beer program that brewer/archaeologist Travis Rupp has established at the Boulder County brewery. And because of that, Avery flat-out won the night with its offerings.
One was the brewery's Beersheba, a (likely improved) re-creation of a beer the 3rd Century B.C. Hebrews would have made by using the bacteria on grape skins to ferment it, giving it a funky, oenobeer-like quality that went beyond standard sour to something bold and unique. Subtler but just as impressive was George Washington's Porter, made from one of the recipes our first president used as an Army general and transporting you back to a time when simple ingredients satisfied enough.
2) If pre-Prohibition pilsners were this much fuller, Carrie Nation should be ashamed.
Sure, maybe alcohol had reached the same scourge levels in America 100 years ago that opioids have reached now, but the re-interpretation of 1900s pilsners universally features a bolder malt base, hopping that adds bite without bitterness and, most importantly, no flavor-stealing adjuncts. Chalk that up in the category of "Another reason activists pushing Prohibition set back our country."
Walter's Beer of Pueblo had the gold standard of the night, an offering it serves as a regular part of its lineup and that comes across as smooth and yet full, reflecting a beer the brewery actually made when it operated in its first incarnation from 1889 to 1975. Renegade Brewing, Tivoli Brewing and AC Golden offered slightly lighter versions - but still things you would not mistake for a Bud Light.
3) Re-creating old American recipes is fun and worthwhile.
Strange Craft Beer unearthed a 1909 Burton Ale recipe that was less aggressive than a standard Old Ale but intriguing in its malt-forward and alcohol-forward body. Kudos also go to Joyride Brewing for putting forward an 1897 English IPA that had the semi-medicinal quality of classical English hops but really offered you a glimpse into the past that was palpable as you sipped it.
4) Modernizing the hell out of old American recipes can be really fun as well.
Woods Boss Brewing created a very nice California Common in the style that western pioneers made the beer, and New Belgium put forward one that seemed a little light and cautious, even if historically accurate. But the best interpretation of the style, frankly, was the Imperial Kentucky Common offered up by Factotum Brewhouse - anti-historical to the point of being almost an oxymoron, yes, but hugely tasty in its penetrating sweetness and maybe the best time-machine link of the festival between historic styles and what their descendants have become.
5) Green chili beers had to be drinkable, no matter the era.
When the extreme heat of Oasis Brewing's offering made my eyes bulge with pain, a brewery with a nearby table at the festival quickly offered me a dump bucket, saying they had seen that reaction all night long. Chili beers may have both historical and very modern qualities, but there must be moderation to the heat (like Walter's Beer offered in its Pueblo Chile Beer) or else it's just a bad dare, no matter whether you're asking a cowboy or an Instagram junkie to take that dare.
Saturday's Historic Styles Brewfest at History Colorado Center was an eye-opener into both what it is that local breweries consider a historic interpretation of beer and how they re-interpret it through their own craftsmanship.
There were true beers of antiquity, from a recipe molded from residue found in a 2,300-year Hebrew vessel to interpretations of several-hundred-year-old Belgian and French styles. There were a number of pre-Prohibition pilsners, as well as several interpretations on the California Common style that played a major role in early American West imbibing. And then there were a couple of breweries whose "historic" offerings either were beers they made a quarter-century ago or beers they've discontinued (and, no, you get no style points for that).
But beyond the wild variance in how "historic" was defined, there were a couple of stand-out impressions from this unique event.
1) Avery Brewing is far more than a bunch of hop fiends and barrel hoarders.
Overlooked among its aggressively hopped and tart beers is the Dogfish Head-like antiquity beer program that brewer/archaeologist Travis Rupp has established at the Boulder County brewery. And because of that, Avery flat-out won the night with its offerings.
One was the brewery's Beersheba, a (likely improved) re-creation of a beer the 3rd Century B.C. Hebrews would have made by using the bacteria on grape skins to ferment it, giving it a funky, oenobeer-like quality that went beyond standard sour to something bold and unique. Subtler but just as impressive was George Washington's Porter, made from one of the recipes our first president used as an Army general and transporting you back to a time when simple ingredients satisfied enough.
2) If pre-Prohibition pilsners were this much fuller, Carrie Nation should be ashamed.
Sure, maybe alcohol had reached the same scourge levels in America 100 years ago that opioids have reached now, but the re-interpretation of 1900s pilsners universally features a bolder malt base, hopping that adds bite without bitterness and, most importantly, no flavor-stealing adjuncts. Chalk that up in the category of "Another reason activists pushing Prohibition set back our country."
Walter's Beer of Pueblo had the gold standard of the night, an offering it serves as a regular part of its lineup and that comes across as smooth and yet full, reflecting a beer the brewery actually made when it operated in its first incarnation from 1889 to 1975. Renegade Brewing, Tivoli Brewing and AC Golden offered slightly lighter versions - but still things you would not mistake for a Bud Light.
3) Re-creating old American recipes is fun and worthwhile.
Strange Craft Beer unearthed a 1909 Burton Ale recipe that was less aggressive than a standard Old Ale but intriguing in its malt-forward and alcohol-forward body. Kudos also go to Joyride Brewing for putting forward an 1897 English IPA that had the semi-medicinal quality of classical English hops but really offered you a glimpse into the past that was palpable as you sipped it.
4) Modernizing the hell out of old American recipes can be really fun as well.
Woods Boss Brewing created a very nice California Common in the style that western pioneers made the beer, and New Belgium put forward one that seemed a little light and cautious, even if historically accurate. But the best interpretation of the style, frankly, was the Imperial Kentucky Common offered up by Factotum Brewhouse - anti-historical to the point of being almost an oxymoron, yes, but hugely tasty in its penetrating sweetness and maybe the best time-machine link of the festival between historic styles and what their descendants have become.
5) Green chili beers had to be drinkable, no matter the era.
When the extreme heat of Oasis Brewing's offering made my eyes bulge with pain, a brewery with a nearby table at the festival quickly offered me a dump bucket, saying they had seen that reaction all night long. Chili beers may have both historical and very modern qualities, but there must be moderation to the heat (like Walter's Beer offered in its Pueblo Chile Beer) or else it's just a bad dare, no matter whether you're asking a cowboy or an Instagram junkie to take that dare.
Labels: Avery Brewing, California Common, Factotum Brewhouse, historic beer styles, History Colorado, Joyride Brewing, Oasis Brewing, Pre-Prohibition pilsner, Strange Craft Beer, Walter's Beer
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
A Historically Different Beer Festival
Yes, beer festivals come and go. And while some distinguish themselves, many do not. But on Saturday night, History Colorado Center will offer a beer event that may be unlike any event that has occurred in this state.
As part of its ongoing exhibit "Beer Here," the state's history museum will put on a Historic Styles Brewfest containing a host of beers that will take you back to a different age. There will be pre-Prohibition lagers galore, pre-Columbian offerings and even beers dating back to the early days of the Jewish people.
The event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at the downtown Denver museum and still has a few tickets for sale, is something that Jason Hanson, History Colorado's chief creative officer, has been mulling almost as long as he was planning "Beer Here," the look at the history of beer in this state. One of the questions he constantly receives from people when he tells them of his shared love of suds and the past is: What do you think beer tasted like back in the early days of this state?
In lieu of time travel, this festival will offer the next best thing: Some 25 of today's expert brewers offering their interpretations of the styles that our grandfathers, forefathers and much more distant relatives quaffed. It is the first time History Colorado Center has run a beer festival - and, Hanson believes, the first time a beer festival devoted exclusively to historic styles has been done in this country.
"I'm super excited. It's been my dream since I started that research on the exhibit," Hanson said over a couple of IPAs Tuesday afternoon at Henry's Tavern downtown. "I'm like everyone else. I think 'What did these beers taste like?' And this is as close as we are ever going to get to knowing."
Hanson (pictured above, with me) and other History Colorado leaders allowed each participating brewery to craft their own definition of historic, and the beers of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century that dotted Colorado taverns were a very popular choice. Beer makers from High Hops Brewery of Windsor to the hidden gem that is Walter's Beer of Pueblo will roll out pre-Prohibition pilsners and other forms of lagers, and Hanson thinks the drinking public could be surprised by the variety of lagers that existed.
Dos Luces Brewery will go a little older still, bringing the centuries-old Pulque beer drinks of Mexico and Chicha offerings from Peru that make the South Broadway brewery one of the more interesting places to try a taster flight in town. And Avery Brewing beer archaeologist Travis Rupp will bust out two rarer offerings from the Boulder icon - George Washington's Porter, which the general and future president made while in the field during the Revolutionary War, and Beersheba, a spontaneously fermented re-creation of a brew made in Israel around the 3rd Century B.C.
I sat on the advisory committee for "Beer Here" and remember the conversations around not only how the exhibit (including the mountains of glasses pictured below) was meant to make people think differently about historical presentations but about how events like this could show people a side of the state's history in a very hands-on way. I'm not sure exactly what Saturday night will produce for the palate or how I may think differently about our imbibing history after it's done, but I for one am eager to see a beer festival take me not only to another place but to another time entirely when our notions of beer were different than they are now.
"One thing we as a history museum want to do is provide these immersive experiences is help you connect with the past in a way you won't do just by looking at a chart upon a wall," Hanson mused. "You're going to taste lagers that were like a revelation to the people who settled Denver."
Yes, beer festivals come and go. And while some distinguish themselves, many do not. But on Saturday night, History Colorado Center will offer a beer event that may be unlike any event that has occurred in this state.
As part of its ongoing exhibit "Beer Here," the state's history museum will put on a Historic Styles Brewfest containing a host of beers that will take you back to a different age. There will be pre-Prohibition lagers galore, pre-Columbian offerings and even beers dating back to the early days of the Jewish people.
The event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at the downtown Denver museum and still has a few tickets for sale, is something that Jason Hanson, History Colorado's chief creative officer, has been mulling almost as long as he was planning "Beer Here," the look at the history of beer in this state. One of the questions he constantly receives from people when he tells them of his shared love of suds and the past is: What do you think beer tasted like back in the early days of this state?
In lieu of time travel, this festival will offer the next best thing: Some 25 of today's expert brewers offering their interpretations of the styles that our grandfathers, forefathers and much more distant relatives quaffed. It is the first time History Colorado Center has run a beer festival - and, Hanson believes, the first time a beer festival devoted exclusively to historic styles has been done in this country.
"I'm super excited. It's been my dream since I started that research on the exhibit," Hanson said over a couple of IPAs Tuesday afternoon at Henry's Tavern downtown. "I'm like everyone else. I think 'What did these beers taste like?' And this is as close as we are ever going to get to knowing."
Hanson (pictured above, with me) and other History Colorado leaders allowed each participating brewery to craft their own definition of historic, and the beers of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century that dotted Colorado taverns were a very popular choice. Beer makers from High Hops Brewery of Windsor to the hidden gem that is Walter's Beer of Pueblo will roll out pre-Prohibition pilsners and other forms of lagers, and Hanson thinks the drinking public could be surprised by the variety of lagers that existed.
Dos Luces Brewery will go a little older still, bringing the centuries-old Pulque beer drinks of Mexico and Chicha offerings from Peru that make the South Broadway brewery one of the more interesting places to try a taster flight in town. And Avery Brewing beer archaeologist Travis Rupp will bust out two rarer offerings from the Boulder icon - George Washington's Porter, which the general and future president made while in the field during the Revolutionary War, and Beersheba, a spontaneously fermented re-creation of a brew made in Israel around the 3rd Century B.C.
I sat on the advisory committee for "Beer Here" and remember the conversations around not only how the exhibit (including the mountains of glasses pictured below) was meant to make people think differently about historical presentations but about how events like this could show people a side of the state's history in a very hands-on way. I'm not sure exactly what Saturday night will produce for the palate or how I may think differently about our imbibing history after it's done, but I for one am eager to see a beer festival take me not only to another place but to another time entirely when our notions of beer were different than they are now.
"One thing we as a history museum want to do is provide these immersive experiences is help you connect with the past in a way you won't do just by looking at a chart upon a wall," Hanson mused. "You're going to taste lagers that were like a revelation to the people who settled Denver."
Labels: Avery Brewing, Beer festivals, Dos Luces Brewery, High Hops Brewery, historic beer styles, History Colorado, Walter's Beer
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
History, with Hops
No beer aficionado called upon to list the best places to drink an IPA after work has ever listed "History Colorado Center." That, however, might be about to change.
In a sign of just how far craft beer has pervaded our culture, the Golden Triangle museum tonight is launching History Buffs & Brews, a series of Tuesday-night events over the next two months that encourage people to explore the state's past while sipping some of what makes it so cool now. Great Divide will provide the beverages — specifically, Titan IPA, Colette and the newly reconfigured Denver Pale Ale — and up its taste profile on Aug. 9, when it will offer up a trove of beers during a talk on the history of Colorado brewing.
Yes, craft beer is popping up in plenty of places where it didn't used to be, from chain restaurants to The People's Fair. But what makes this series stand out is the way that an institution so old and woven into the state's academia — the Colorado Historical Society was founded in 1879, just three years after the state itself came into being — is not turning to beer to connect with a new generation.
"We felt that our summer program was a little light, and we wanted to do something that was contributing to the vibe of the Golden Triangle area," said Brooke Gladstone, the communications expert for the historical society who helped to come up with the idea. "It's a pop culture right now."
The events will run from 4 to 7 p.m. each Tuesday through the end of August in the museum's Rendezvous Cafe. Admission is free, and the beers only cost $3. Yeah, you read that right.
Tonight and on Aug. 16, the events will feature historic trivia contests. But the lineup will change. There's the Aug. 9 talk given by deputy state historian Jason Hanson. There's a craft-distillery talk and tasting on Aug. 23. And on the last Tuesday of each month, there will be a "Collections after Dark" talk, where staffers explain the seamier side of state history.
As someone who just wrote a book combining historical travel with hikes and brewery visits, I personally can geek out to things like History Buffs & Brews more than the average person. But the fact that History Colorado is reaching out with a vessel like craft beer to bring people into its sphere shows it understands almost as much about the present and the future of this state as it knows about Colorado's past.
No beer aficionado called upon to list the best places to drink an IPA after work has ever listed "History Colorado Center." That, however, might be about to change.
In a sign of just how far craft beer has pervaded our culture, the Golden Triangle museum tonight is launching History Buffs & Brews, a series of Tuesday-night events over the next two months that encourage people to explore the state's past while sipping some of what makes it so cool now. Great Divide will provide the beverages — specifically, Titan IPA, Colette and the newly reconfigured Denver Pale Ale — and up its taste profile on Aug. 9, when it will offer up a trove of beers during a talk on the history of Colorado brewing.
Yes, craft beer is popping up in plenty of places where it didn't used to be, from chain restaurants to The People's Fair. But what makes this series stand out is the way that an institution so old and woven into the state's academia — the Colorado Historical Society was founded in 1879, just three years after the state itself came into being — is not turning to beer to connect with a new generation.
"We felt that our summer program was a little light, and we wanted to do something that was contributing to the vibe of the Golden Triangle area," said Brooke Gladstone, the communications expert for the historical society who helped to come up with the idea. "It's a pop culture right now."
The events will run from 4 to 7 p.m. each Tuesday through the end of August in the museum's Rendezvous Cafe. Admission is free, and the beers only cost $3. Yeah, you read that right.
Tonight and on Aug. 16, the events will feature historic trivia contests. But the lineup will change. There's the Aug. 9 talk given by deputy state historian Jason Hanson. There's a craft-distillery talk and tasting on Aug. 23. And on the last Tuesday of each month, there will be a "Collections after Dark" talk, where staffers explain the seamier side of state history.
As someone who just wrote a book combining historical travel with hikes and brewery visits, I personally can geek out to things like History Buffs & Brews more than the average person. But the fact that History Colorado is reaching out with a vessel like craft beer to bring people into its sphere shows it understands almost as much about the present and the future of this state as it knows about Colorado's past.
Labels: Great Divide, History Colorado
