Thursday, February 18, 2021
A Georgia Beer Pioneer Comes to Colorado
Living in South Carolina in the late 1990s, SweetWater Brewing was an ideal that you hoped other brewers could achieve. Its 420 Extra Pale Ale was as edgy a taste as you could find in the hops arena, and the rest of its portfolio was a dive into different styles.
I didn't think it would be 20 more years (save for Great American Beer Festival tastings and occasional trips to Atlanta or Savannah) before I could sip SweetWater again in the comfort of my own home. And, like much in the craft-brewing scene, the Atlanta pioneer, which began distribution to Colorado on Feb. 1, has changed over the past two decades. But it remains a very relevant national brewery.
It entered Colorado this month with its hoppiest foot forward, coming in with four different IPA variants and a quartet of seltzers that will give the best light-bodied fruited malt beverages in Colorado a run for their money (for whatever that may be worth to beer drinkers). And while SweetWater is definitely a worthwhile addition to the Colorado-sold portfolio, it's going to have to rely on some of the unique niches it plays in to really stand out in this crowded field.
The best way to do that is to show off its G13 IPA, a beer that smells so dank you might mistake it for a joint but surprises you with a pleasantly drinkable body that is reminiscent of biting into a dandelion and is reflective of an old-school West Coast IPA. In fact, what stands out most about it is that its aroma, which walks a tight line between being boldly assertive and being overbearing, actually seems to balance the medium-sized body and make it more intense. Made with a hemp flavor blend, this is a beer you don't soon forget, and you want more.
The same can't be said for the High Light Lo-Cal Easy IPA, which, like the rest of the 100-calorie, 4% ABV ilk, is a beer that seems to hope you can write off its lack of flavor as a small downside to its healthier makeup (and the fact it comes in 15-packs rather than 12-packs). There is an upfront, bitter bite from its hop blend that includes El Dorado and Simcoe, but it fades quickly into a light body that is a whole lot of nothing. It's not that this beer is any worse than 100-calorie IPAs in general, but it certainly doesn't elevate the style.
SweetWater's H.A.Z.Y. IPA, its newest addition to its year-round lineup, does a better job of capitalizing on a trendy style, though it lacks the bomb of tropical flavors that many of Colorado's best purveyors of this genre offer. Instead, it presents a softer flavor, with an exceptional grain base that doesn't diminish the hop presence so much as it makes the specific hops flavor harder to pinpoint. This is a worthwhile addition to the local scene specifically because it is so different from the pack, though dedicated haze bros might think it doesn't go far enough in pushing away from traditional IPAs.
And then there is 420, still enjoyable after all these years, though its hop profile — Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and US Golding — feels like a throwback, particularly with the presence of a woody malt sweetness that emboldens the flavor even as it cuts down on the hop bite. Those with ties to the Southeast are likely to feel a pull to this, but those new to the brewery might find it hard to identify the characteristics that would make this beer memorable to those not taking notes on it. The palate is clean, the hops explosion is laid back, but its flavor falls short of standing out.
But then there is the Oasis hard seltzer line, which offers the biggest surprise kick of the bunch. No, really. Its Raspberry Lemon bursts with the nose of a fantastic popsicle and offers a spark from the combination of berry and citrus flavors, and its Strawberry Kiwi has one of the juiciest flavors of the genre and remains refreshing. Beer aficionados aren't going to turn their stripes over to the seltzer world because of these two offerings (two other Oasis brands are a bit more boring), but even they will have to admit that SweetWater at least manages to get a lot of flavor out of an often flavor-free sector.
SweetWater isn't stopping with just these initial offerings, as the brewery announced just last week that it's bringing a tropical wheat ale and a barrel-aged sour hazy IPA made for its 24th anniversary to town. Maybe some of the more experimental beers from its Woodlands Project will follow.
If you haven't tried SweetWater, it's worth getting your hands on some and thinking about how similarly aged Colorado breweries, like Oskar Blues or Left Hand, have aged and kept pace with the massive changes in the craft beer scene. This is, no question, a brewery for hopheads who like their beer less tropical and more steeped in woody, grassy, more traditional hops, mixed in with some terpene advancement. But there's something to like here.
Labels: Georgia beers, hazy IPAs, IPA, Pale Ale, seltzers, Session beers, SweetWater Brewing
Wednesday, November 01, 2017
Surly Leaves Us Temporarily Sated ... And Definitely Wanting More
Each time a new brewery enters the Colorado market, one must ask: "What are it bringing to the local beer party, and how does it change the beer scene here?"
But with Zymurgy Magazine's 24th-ranked brewery in America making its full-time distribution debut in the state just this week, the more appropriate question seems to be: "What more is there to come?"
Surly Brewing of Minnesota has earned its national reputation for pushing taste boundaries and disregarding traditional style definitions. It's the most well-regarded brewery to emerge from the Gopher State, and it draws crowds at events like the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines festival, where its experimental beers are on offering here for at least one day a year.
What's intriguing about Surly's entrance into Colorado, then, is that it's coming in with one of its best-known beers (Furious, an IPA) and two drinkable others (Xtra-Citra pale ale and Hell pilsner) that may surprise people who are looking for its Pentagram sour dark ale or its Darkness, a Russian imperial stout. And it seems at first like the strategy may be to whet Coloradans' appetites enough to get us asking for more.
Just to be clear, the trio of Surly offerings now available at bars and liquor stores are quality beers. Furious greets you with a piny bite but leaves without residual bitterness. Hell is classic German lager, with just enough sweetness from its Carahell malts to make it stand out. And Xtra-Citra is arguably the jewel of the bunch, a melon-forward, full-mouthed pale that bounces between citrus and tropical flavors and leaves you wanting another — which is appropriate, since it's only 4.5% ABV.
But anyone who has tasted a creation like Surly's Five — its fifth-anniversary Brett dark ale that was aged in red wine barrels and was bursting with the flavor of tart cherries — knows the brewery is more than crushable post-hike beers and top-notch IPAs. This is a brewery, named for owner Omar Ansari's angst at not finding good beer options in his state before he decided to open his own place in 2004, that can present flavors that only a minimal number of Colorado beer makers are creating. And you just want the chance to pick those up locally.
So, welcome to the state, Surly and your tasty creations. And please don't leave us surly about what Minnesotans have that your new friends in Colorado can't yet get.
Each time a new brewery enters the Colorado market, one must ask: "What are it bringing to the local beer party, and how does it change the beer scene here?"
But with Zymurgy Magazine's 24th-ranked brewery in America making its full-time distribution debut in the state just this week, the more appropriate question seems to be: "What more is there to come?"
Surly Brewing of Minnesota has earned its national reputation for pushing taste boundaries and disregarding traditional style definitions. It's the most well-regarded brewery to emerge from the Gopher State, and it draws crowds at events like the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines festival, where its experimental beers are on offering here for at least one day a year.
Just to be clear, the trio of Surly offerings now available at bars and liquor stores are quality beers. Furious greets you with a piny bite but leaves without residual bitterness. Hell is classic German lager, with just enough sweetness from its Carahell malts to make it stand out. And Xtra-Citra is arguably the jewel of the bunch, a melon-forward, full-mouthed pale that bounces between citrus and tropical flavors and leaves you wanting another — which is appropriate, since it's only 4.5% ABV.
But anyone who has tasted a creation like Surly's Five — its fifth-anniversary Brett dark ale that was aged in red wine barrels and was bursting with the flavor of tart cherries — knows the brewery is more than crushable post-hike beers and top-notch IPAs. This is a brewery, named for owner Omar Ansari's angst at not finding good beer options in his state before he decided to open his own place in 2004, that can present flavors that only a minimal number of Colorado beer makers are creating. And you just want the chance to pick those up locally.
So, welcome to the state, Surly and your tasty creations. And please don't leave us surly about what Minnesotans have that your new friends in Colorado can't yet get.
Labels: Barrel aging, Big Beers, IPA, lager, Pale Ale, Surly Brewing, Zymurgy
Monday, June 12, 2017
Grand County's Sprouting Beer Scene
When I drove through Grand County seven years ago researching my book "Mountain Brew," there were two breweries in the county and one was making extract beers. That extract brewery remains, and the other - Grand Lake Brewing - has moved from the town of its namesake to the Front Range. All is not lost, however.
Over the past three years, three new breweries have moved into the quiet paradise of mountains, lakes and mud-season solitude. And they collectively are giving a new personality to the beer scene from Winter Park to Grand Lake to Kremmling, making the county a worthwhile place to seek out the local beers while you are bathing in its natural beauty.
The most hidden of the three - but also the greatest gem - is Never Summer Brewing, a slightly-more-than-a-year-old nanobrewery tucked into the back of the Everybody's Brewin' It homebrew shop on the main street through the sleepy town of Granby. There owner Kirk Main offers just six taps of beer at a four-stool bar, but he's got a great thing going in both his laid-back atmosphere and the quality of his brews.
As befitting a brewery in a town off the beaten path, Main doesn't get overly exotic with his styles, but he nails the ones he offers. The Up River Nut Brown Ale is a particularly pleasant offering combining a hint of nuttiness with a smooth, roasted backtaste. The Jacksaw Oatmeal Stout has a full, soupy body with an almost campfire-smoke mouthfeel. And while the Wiley Rye-Oatey Pale Ale was a bit light-bodied, you could still feel the craftsmanship that was deserving of a pint after a summer hike down the ski hill at nearby Granby Ranch.
Hideaway Park Brewery in Winter Park is also staking its claim, now able to tout itself as the grain-brewed granddaddy of the local scene at three years old. And while its best beers are its simplest, it packs a lot of flavors into styles that might get lost at other establishments.
The best thing on its menu is the Little Mac Pale Ale, a light-bodied offering with a sharp but subdued pine backtaste that rewards the drinker by being refreshing but also bringing a full mouthfeel. Its Humulus #6 black IPA also grabs attention with a body that is almost sooty and packs a roasted malt wallop that goes toe to toe (and stands out from) its substantial hop undertones. By the time you've scaled the tasting menu up to experiments like its Purple Drank port-barrel aged red ale, you'll be looking for some more definition and clarity as to what the brewery is trying to do with some of the beers. But you'll enjoy the ride on the way up there, and the small-bar-with-games-and-a-patio atmosphere captures the spirit of the town perfectly.
Winter Park also offers The Peak Bistro & Brewery, a sports bar with a full and tasty menu as well as the longest original beer list of the county's purveyors. But while this is a good place to hang out and enjoy a barbecue chicken pizza, the beers have a lowest-common-denominator feel to them, even when the brewery reaches and tries a unique style.
Take, for example, its American Lilly, a pomegranate and blueberry wheat that has the soft glow of summer sunset, though the color doesn't quite resemble anything that's found in the natural world. The infusion of two types of juices here is a sign that the brewers are reaching for something different, but it lands flat, with a body so light that the actual beer feels subservient to the juice.
To be sure, beers like the AC (Arapaho Creek IPA) and the Rifle Sight Rye Pale Ale are quaffable enough, but their bodies, like those of the Timberline Stout and Winter Park Ale, are just missing complexity. It's a large place with a family-friendly atmosphere, however.
Grand County's brewing scene won't be mistaken for that of its eastern neighbor, Larimer County, anytime soon. But considering those who make the trip over Berthoud Pass are likely doing so to get away from the more bustling parts of Colorado anyway, they at least don't have to leave behind the beer scene altogether anymore.
When I drove through Grand County seven years ago researching my book "Mountain Brew," there were two breweries in the county and one was making extract beers. That extract brewery remains, and the other - Grand Lake Brewing - has moved from the town of its namesake to the Front Range. All is not lost, however.
Over the past three years, three new breweries have moved into the quiet paradise of mountains, lakes and mud-season solitude. And they collectively are giving a new personality to the beer scene from Winter Park to Grand Lake to Kremmling, making the county a worthwhile place to seek out the local beers while you are bathing in its natural beauty.
As befitting a brewery in a town off the beaten path, Main doesn't get overly exotic with his styles, but he nails the ones he offers. The Up River Nut Brown Ale is a particularly pleasant offering combining a hint of nuttiness with a smooth, roasted backtaste. The Jacksaw Oatmeal Stout has a full, soupy body with an almost campfire-smoke mouthfeel. And while the Wiley Rye-Oatey Pale Ale was a bit light-bodied, you could still feel the craftsmanship that was deserving of a pint after a summer hike down the ski hill at nearby Granby Ranch.
Hideaway Park Brewery in Winter Park is also staking its claim, now able to tout itself as the grain-brewed granddaddy of the local scene at three years old. And while its best beers are its simplest, it packs a lot of flavors into styles that might get lost at other establishments.
The best thing on its menu is the Little Mac Pale Ale, a light-bodied offering with a sharp but subdued pine backtaste that rewards the drinker by being refreshing but also bringing a full mouthfeel. Its Humulus #6 black IPA also grabs attention with a body that is almost sooty and packs a roasted malt wallop that goes toe to toe (and stands out from) its substantial hop undertones. By the time you've scaled the tasting menu up to experiments like its Purple Drank port-barrel aged red ale, you'll be looking for some more definition and clarity as to what the brewery is trying to do with some of the beers. But you'll enjoy the ride on the way up there, and the small-bar-with-games-and-a-patio atmosphere captures the spirit of the town perfectly.
Winter Park also offers The Peak Bistro & Brewery, a sports bar with a full and tasty menu as well as the longest original beer list of the county's purveyors. But while this is a good place to hang out and enjoy a barbecue chicken pizza, the beers have a lowest-common-denominator feel to them, even when the brewery reaches and tries a unique style.
Take, for example, its American Lilly, a pomegranate and blueberry wheat that has the soft glow of summer sunset, though the color doesn't quite resemble anything that's found in the natural world. The infusion of two types of juices here is a sign that the brewers are reaching for something different, but it lands flat, with a body so light that the actual beer feels subservient to the juice.To be sure, beers like the AC (Arapaho Creek IPA) and the Rifle Sight Rye Pale Ale are quaffable enough, but their bodies, like those of the Timberline Stout and Winter Park Ale, are just missing complexity. It's a large place with a family-friendly atmosphere, however.
Grand County's brewing scene won't be mistaken for that of its eastern neighbor, Larimer County, anytime soon. But considering those who make the trip over Berthoud Pass are likely doing so to get away from the more bustling parts of Colorado anyway, they at least don't have to leave behind the beer scene altogether anymore.
Labels: brown ale, Grand County, Grand Lake Brewing, Hideaway Park Brewery, Never Summer Brewing, Pale Ale, Peak Bistro & Brewery, pomegranate, sports bars
Friday, May 27, 2016
American Pale Ale RisingEarlier this month, Great Divide took the 17-year-old recipe of its third-best-selling beer and kicked it to the curb. It wasn't that people weren't buying Denver Pale Ale anymore; it's just that brewery founder Brian Dunn felt that the English-style pale ale was outdated and needed to be replaced with an American pale ale more attuned to the modern palate.
On June 5, Odell Brewing will introduce Drumroll (see below), its American pale ale that will be sold beside its traditional but subtle 5-Barrel Pale Ale. Press releases emphasize that it will be "bold, juicy ... and tropically hop-forward," differentiating itself from the existing pale ale in its lineup.
So, what is going on here? Two things, really. First, brewers are recognizing that the loyalists who have been drinking IPA for the past decade want something less alcoholic, like a pale ale, now that they are having children and aging into their 40s. But they also see that the traditional step down in ABV among hoppy beers to a pale wasn't rewarding the floral-seeking taste buds of those drinkers.
"We fell that it just needed to be modernized a bit," Dunn said in an interview about the new DPA. "We felt that we needed to update the beer to reflect the changes that have happened in Denver."
That was before Titan IPA and its grassy, big hops became the best-seller for the Denver brewery, however. And that was before double IPAs became standard issuance and triple IPAs began to show up in cans to meet the increasing demand for hoppy beers that were edgier and had more bite.
So, gone from DPA are Centennial, Sterling and Golding hops — the last one of that trio the most English of English-style hops. And in are Centennial and Simcoe, two hops that scream American yearning for something more citrus and more bitter.And the DPA, which will be sold only in Colorado in six-packs and on draft, really is an improved beer with them. Though still not a product that anyone would mistake for a biting IPA, its got a carbonated and slightly acidic bite on the front and a woody, mellow hop feel on the back of the sip. And at 5% ABV, it's a little more session-able than its predecessor recipe.
Does it signal that an American pale ale uprising is around the corner, with the style being begged for like IPAs or sours today? No. People will continue to want to see brewers push the envelope past this easy-drinking pleasure.
But it does portend that, like the amber and copper ales that once dominated Colorado taps, the English-style pale ales that represented a gateway into craft in the 1990s may be on the ropes, replaced domestically by a more assertively hopped pale that will help to define American craft beer going forward.
Labels: Great Divide, Odell Brewing, Pale Ale
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A Few Tour Ideas to Get You Through the GABF
There are as many different sets of taste buds as there are beer drinkers at the Great American Beer Festival. Some people (like me) love to pour the full spectrum of flavors into their mouths. Some like to clamp onto their favorite style and ride it for the night. Most people just go where they want on a whim.
Thus, the following lists serve not as any complete tour or definitive guide (because, yes, I realize they're pretty short lists) but just as suggestions of a few booths to stop by if you like a certain kind of brew. Some are well-known treats that shouldn't be missed even when you're surrounded by more than 1,900 beers. Some are hidden gems that I keep going back to over the years. Take it for what you will, but make sure you stop long enough to enjoy whatever you're drinking.
Remember that the booths are grouped by their region of the country inside the convention center and lined up alphabetically within those regions.
Hop Heaven
Avery Maharaja (Colorado)
Bear Republic Apex Ale (California)
Breckenridge 471 IPA (Colorado)
Cambridge House Brewpub IPA (Massachusetts)
Firestone Walker Pale Ale (California)
Great Divide Hercules IPA (Colorado)
Iron Hill Brewery Ironbound Ale (Delaware)
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (California)
Odell IPA (Colorado)
Pizza Port Solana Beach Shark Attack (California)
Rogue Old Crustacean (Oregon)
Stone Ruination IPA (California)
Belgian Goodies
Allagash Tripel (Maine)
Big Dog's Belgian White (Nevada)
Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers (New York)
Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel (New Jersey)
Michigan Brewing Celis White (Michigan)
Sour Belgian Goodies
Bristol Skull 'N Bones Cuvee (Colorado)
New Belgium Eric's Ale (Colorado)
New Glarus Belgian Red (Wisconsin)
Russian River Supplication (California)
Dark and Lovely
Alaskan Smoked Porter (Alaska . . . duh)
Bison Brewing Bison Chocolate Stout (California)
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout (New York)
Butte Creek Blue Marble Organic Porter (California)
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (Colorado)
Snake River Zonker Stout (Wyoming)
Smooth and Easy (Lagers, Hefes, lighter ales)
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat (Maryland)
Great American Restaurants Crazy Jackass Ale (Virginia)
Live Oak Oaktoberfest (Texas)
Sandlot Brewery Pinch Hit Pils (Colorado)
Steamworks Steam Engine Lager (Colorado)
Style Benders
21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat (California)
Elysian Brewing The Great Pumpkin (Washington)
New Glarus Raspberry Tart (Wisconsin)
Papago Orange Blossom (Arizona)
Six Rivers Chile Beer (California)
There are as many different sets of taste buds as there are beer drinkers at the Great American Beer Festival. Some people (like me) love to pour the full spectrum of flavors into their mouths. Some like to clamp onto their favorite style and ride it for the night. Most people just go where they want on a whim.
Thus, the following lists serve not as any complete tour or definitive guide (because, yes, I realize they're pretty short lists) but just as suggestions of a few booths to stop by if you like a certain kind of brew. Some are well-known treats that shouldn't be missed even when you're surrounded by more than 1,900 beers. Some are hidden gems that I keep going back to over the years. Take it for what you will, but make sure you stop long enough to enjoy whatever you're drinking.
Remember that the booths are grouped by their region of the country inside the convention center and lined up alphabetically within those regions.
Hop Heaven
Avery Maharaja (Colorado)
Bear Republic Apex Ale (California)
Breckenridge 471 IPA (Colorado)
Cambridge House Brewpub IPA (Massachusetts)
Firestone Walker Pale Ale (California)
Great Divide Hercules IPA (Colorado)
Iron Hill Brewery Ironbound Ale (Delaware)
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (California)
Odell IPA (Colorado)
Pizza Port Solana Beach Shark Attack (California)
Rogue Old Crustacean (Oregon)
Stone Ruination IPA (California)
Belgian Goodies
Allagash Tripel (Maine)
Big Dog's Belgian White (Nevada)
Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers (New York)
Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel (New Jersey)
Michigan Brewing Celis White (Michigan)
Sour Belgian Goodies
Bristol Skull 'N Bones Cuvee (Colorado)
New Belgium Eric's Ale (Colorado)
New Glarus Belgian Red (Wisconsin)
Russian River Supplication (California)
Dark and Lovely
Alaskan Smoked Porter (Alaska . . . duh)
Bison Brewing Bison Chocolate Stout (California)
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout (New York)
Butte Creek Blue Marble Organic Porter (California)
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (Colorado)
Snake River Zonker Stout (Wyoming)
Smooth and Easy (Lagers, Hefes, lighter ales)
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat (Maryland)
Great American Restaurants Crazy Jackass Ale (Virginia)
Live Oak Oaktoberfest (Texas)
Sandlot Brewery Pinch Hit Pils (Colorado)
Steamworks Steam Engine Lager (Colorado)
Style Benders
21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat (California)
Elysian Brewing The Great Pumpkin (Washington)
New Glarus Raspberry Tart (Wisconsin)
Papago Orange Blossom (Arizona)
Six Rivers Chile Beer (California)
Labels: Great American Beer Festival, Pale Ale, sour Belgian
