Sunday, August 01, 2010
Summer Beers 2010: The InnovatorsSummer too often is a time when breweries can rest on their laurels, turn out the lightest and blandest beer they've produced and claim that this is what the weather demands. But something odd has happened in the summer of 2010.
This is the year, it seems, that brewers across Colorado are finding ways to infuse not just bold tastes into their straw-golden beers but fully new tastes with which few of their peers have experimented. And so, in the first of what should be an occasional series over the next month looking at the beers of the season, I'd like to salute three Front Range breweries that are opening eyes during what once was considered the throwaway time for beer-making.
1) Golden City Brewery - Watermelon Kolsch
It's not often that you admire the pulp in a beer. Yet, sitting on the lively outdoor patio at Golden's second largest brewery and watching the sun hit the floating pieces of watermelon in this beer, you admire the creativity even more. This is a concoction that manages to take one of the subtlest tastes in the fruit world and infuse it into a beer just light enough to let it stand out without overkill. And while other popular beer fruit, such as strawberry or apricot, can make you ask why someone thought the addition was a good idea, the slighter sweetness of the watermelon actually compliments the gummy maltiness of the kolsch and really does make this stand out as a particularly appropriate and memorable combination of tastes.
2) Wynkoop Brewing - Tut's Royal Gold
Making an "imperial Egyptian ale" to go with the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Art Museum sounded at first like a cheap publicity gimmick. But tasting this unique unfiltered beer that approximates a Belgian golden ale with honey and Egyptian spices indicates that Andy Brown and his staff at Wynkoop put a lot of thought into its creation. Tut presents itself with the taste of honey sweetness, but this thick, vaguely musty beer finishes with spices that remind one of saffron and yet don't remind them of other beers. A few friends noted that the taste could have been more assertive, but overall this is an ambitious effort that should be tried.3) Phantom Canyon Brewing - Dompfbier
Alan Stiles arrived at this Colorado Springs brewpub earlier this year with a clear desire to shake things up. And while the litany of new beers that he is producing is impressive in its length alone, none of them have been as jaw-dropping as this amber ale made with hefeweizen yeast that debuted at the start of July. This clash of American and German styles produces a vaguely Belgian product, one in which the cooling yeast fizz cascades over the tongue, mixing with the peat-like malt in a way that gives it a sizzle. Refreshing, meaty and daring, this is one of the best examples of how a beer can be a perfect summertime treat that is suitable for admiration at any time of the year.
Labels: Golden City Brewing, Phantom Canyon, Seasonal, Wynkoop Brewery
Monday, September 01, 2008
Colorado Beer News Roundup
Before I blow out of town for two weeks in Italy (definitely not a beer vacation), I wanted to post a few tidbits about new beers coming out of some of Colorado's finest breweries:
*Just a little over a week ago, Colorado Springs' Phantom Canyon Brewery rolled out its Coulter's Kolsch and a new Supercharged IPA. The kolsch is a very light summery beer in the style of traditional German lagers. The IPA, which packs a 6.7 percent ABV punch, is highly carbonated, a switch for the brewpub that likes to serve some of its hoppiest beers in a cask-conditioned state.
*Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs rolled out its annual batch of "small" ale Friday. A word to the wise, though: It's not really that small. Although Joe and the brewers followed the same time-honored tradition of brewing a barleywine, reusing the grains for a medium-caliber ale and then using the grains one more time for a small beer, this one's got the normal level of alcohol in it. It should be around for a couple of weeks.
*Meanwhile, Bristol's former brewmaster, Jason Yester, opened Trinity Brewing the same night off of Garden of the Gods Road in the Springs. Trinity is a brewpub dedicated to the concepts of slowly served organic food and, as has been the case throughout Yester's career, beers that will blow your mind. He's got six of his own on tap, ranging from a more common wit and stout to a chi golden ale. Unfortunately, I was too busy packing and recovering from the DNC to make the opening, but I'll be heading down to the Springs as soon as I can.
*Lastly (though only in chronological order of release dates), Left Hand Brewing has collaborated with Terrapin Brewing of Athens, Ga., on the first of what it hopes will be an annual small-batch releases called the Midnight Project. The first of the series, conceived after a joint appearance by the breweries at a beer dinner in Georgia, will be a black lager brewed with damn near 50 percent rye malt called Terra-rye'zd. It will be available in bombers in October in just six states: five in the South and - you guessed it - Colorado.
Before I blow out of town for two weeks in Italy (definitely not a beer vacation), I wanted to post a few tidbits about new beers coming out of some of Colorado's finest breweries:
*Just a little over a week ago, Colorado Springs' Phantom Canyon Brewery rolled out its Coulter's Kolsch and a new Supercharged IPA. The kolsch is a very light summery beer in the style of traditional German lagers. The IPA, which packs a 6.7 percent ABV punch, is highly carbonated, a switch for the brewpub that likes to serve some of its hoppiest beers in a cask-conditioned state.
*Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs rolled out its annual batch of "small" ale Friday. A word to the wise, though: It's not really that small. Although Joe and the brewers followed the same time-honored tradition of brewing a barleywine, reusing the grains for a medium-caliber ale and then using the grains one more time for a small beer, this one's got the normal level of alcohol in it. It should be around for a couple of weeks.
*Meanwhile, Bristol's former brewmaster, Jason Yester, opened Trinity Brewing the same night off of Garden of the Gods Road in the Springs. Trinity is a brewpub dedicated to the concepts of slowly served organic food and, as has been the case throughout Yester's career, beers that will blow your mind. He's got six of his own on tap, ranging from a more common wit and stout to a chi golden ale. Unfortunately, I was too busy packing and recovering from the DNC to make the opening, but I'll be heading down to the Springs as soon as I can.
*Lastly (though only in chronological order of release dates), Left Hand Brewing has collaborated with Terrapin Brewing of Athens, Ga., on the first of what it hopes will be an annual small-batch releases called the Midnight Project. The first of the series, conceived after a joint appearance by the breweries at a beer dinner in Georgia, will be a black lager brewed with damn near 50 percent rye malt called Terra-rye'zd. It will be available in bombers in October in just six states: five in the South and - you guessed it - Colorado.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Jason Yester, Left Hand Brewing, Phantom Canyon, Trinity Brewing
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Phantom's New Brews
I'm sorry this is about a week late, but I wanted to inform all my friends in the Springs of two new brews on tap at Phantom Canyon.
First is the Demolition Cream Ale, one of the best beers made by the downtown staple. Smooth, creamy and a bit heavier in alcohol than most creams, this is an easy yet still meaty treat for the summertime. The cream usually stays for a couple of months, but I would recommend getting down there sometime before Labor Day to ensure you don't miss it.
Second is one I've never tried before - the Blueberry Ale. The good news is that from a picture Phantom sent out in an email, it's not actually blue (take note of this, Anheuser Busch). Blueberry is becoming one of the favorite experiments of several brewers, and I'm eager to see what Andrew has done with this. But I feel obligated to mention too that this is going fast, so don't waste time.
That's all. Happy drinking.
I'm sorry this is about a week late, but I wanted to inform all my friends in the Springs of two new brews on tap at Phantom Canyon.
First is the Demolition Cream Ale, one of the best beers made by the downtown staple. Smooth, creamy and a bit heavier in alcohol than most creams, this is an easy yet still meaty treat for the summertime. The cream usually stays for a couple of months, but I would recommend getting down there sometime before Labor Day to ensure you don't miss it.
Second is one I've never tried before - the Blueberry Ale. The good news is that from a picture Phantom sent out in an email, it's not actually blue (take note of this, Anheuser Busch). Blueberry is becoming one of the favorite experiments of several brewers, and I'm eager to see what Andrew has done with this. But I feel obligated to mention too that this is going fast, so don't waste time.
That's all. Happy drinking.
Labels: Blueberry Ale, Cream Ale, Phantom Canyon
