Monday, March 21, 2016
5 Things I Learned from Collaboration Fest 2016
Saturday's Collaboration Fest once again showed why it's quickly become one of the top beer festivals in Colorado, as brewers toppled over each other in an effort to show off their creativity, especially with new ingredients and new styles of ale. On a day when more than 85 beers were available, some would be considered slight misses, but it was hard to find anything that was a complete fail.
That said, a few certainly did stand out. And they are worth mentioning - and begging brewers to bring back throughout this year.
1) A perfect IPA still stands alone.
Cannonball Creek and Pizza Port stole the day with the simple idea of a wheat IPA. While No Man's IPA may not have jumped off the page when looking at descriptions of the offerings, it immediately announced itself with a full mouth of smooth, flowery hops in a dangerously easy, fully integrated body. Simple, yet so well done that no one else's barrel or added fruit could steal its limelight.
2) That said, barrels and added fruit spoke very well for themselves.
If No Man's IPA wasn't the first beer mentioned in conversation during the festival, than the TRVE/Prairie Oak-Aged Gose on Oklahoma and Colorado Peaches was. A very balanced sour that mixed an occasional burst of acidity with a peach presence that was heavy without being syrupy, this was a brilliant idea.
Equally impressive was the Deux Funk, a barrel-aged sour ale from Funkwerks and North Carolina's hot Wicked Weed Brewing. Flavors of grape and a hint of kiwi/passion fruit burst out in a clean, smooth effort that was less challenging than pleasing.
3) Some bold flavors worked, some didn't.
New Belgium and Ratio Beerworks had one of the boldest ideas of the festival — a bruleed grapefruit saison that I had the chance to shoot a video about. Everything about it worked, from a minimal sweetness that evened out the grapefruit bite to its finishing with a verve of carbonation. This is how well-planned experiments should go.
That result ran opposite to the outcome of Peanut Butter Lunchbox, the Elvis tribute made by Denver Beer and DC Brau with heaps of peanut butter and a hefeweizen yeast to add a banana flavor - but maybe not quite enough of either taste. Still, the presence of what is hopefully just Denver Beer's first pass at this idea was reason enough to cheer the creativity on display at the festival.
4) Weldwerks came through.
Few breweries at the festival had as many curious eyes on them as Weldwerks, fresh off its being named by USA Today as the best new brewery of 2015. It didn't disappoint, working with underrated Snowbank Brewing to offer a Barrel-Aged Mocha Stout that was as thick as its name implies but still tamped with enough chocolaty sweetness to make this very, very drinkable.
5) Don't sleep on the amateur brewers.
Even among the piles of collaborating beer makers, one of the standout offerings came from the collaboration of New Belgium with beer purveyors Falling Rock Tap House and Star Bar. Rock Star, made with New Belgium's sour "Felix" base, was nearly pucker-worthy but calmed enough to offer up a sour-apple feel that brought you back for more.
And, as I wrote before the festival, I was privileged enough with a group of my fellow beer writers (pictured above) to team with Lost Highway Brewing to put forth the Fourth Estate Chocolate Stout, made with English yeast and Ghirardelli chocolate. The beer turned out wonderfully sweet and easy and had jaw-dropping lines at times - a situation for which all credit goes to the folks at Lost Highway.
Saturday's Collaboration Fest once again showed why it's quickly become one of the top beer festivals in Colorado, as brewers toppled over each other in an effort to show off their creativity, especially with new ingredients and new styles of ale. On a day when more than 85 beers were available, some would be considered slight misses, but it was hard to find anything that was a complete fail.
That said, a few certainly did stand out. And they are worth mentioning - and begging brewers to bring back throughout this year.
1) A perfect IPA still stands alone.
Cannonball Creek and Pizza Port stole the day with the simple idea of a wheat IPA. While No Man's IPA may not have jumped off the page when looking at descriptions of the offerings, it immediately announced itself with a full mouth of smooth, flowery hops in a dangerously easy, fully integrated body. Simple, yet so well done that no one else's barrel or added fruit could steal its limelight.
2) That said, barrels and added fruit spoke very well for themselves.
If No Man's IPA wasn't the first beer mentioned in conversation during the festival, than the TRVE/Prairie Oak-Aged Gose on Oklahoma and Colorado Peaches was. A very balanced sour that mixed an occasional burst of acidity with a peach presence that was heavy without being syrupy, this was a brilliant idea.
Equally impressive was the Deux Funk, a barrel-aged sour ale from Funkwerks and North Carolina's hot Wicked Weed Brewing. Flavors of grape and a hint of kiwi/passion fruit burst out in a clean, smooth effort that was less challenging than pleasing.
3) Some bold flavors worked, some didn't.
New Belgium and Ratio Beerworks had one of the boldest ideas of the festival — a bruleed grapefruit saison that I had the chance to shoot a video about. Everything about it worked, from a minimal sweetness that evened out the grapefruit bite to its finishing with a verve of carbonation. This is how well-planned experiments should go.
That result ran opposite to the outcome of Peanut Butter Lunchbox, the Elvis tribute made by Denver Beer and DC Brau with heaps of peanut butter and a hefeweizen yeast to add a banana flavor - but maybe not quite enough of either taste. Still, the presence of what is hopefully just Denver Beer's first pass at this idea was reason enough to cheer the creativity on display at the festival.
4) Weldwerks came through.
Few breweries at the festival had as many curious eyes on them as Weldwerks, fresh off its being named by USA Today as the best new brewery of 2015. It didn't disappoint, working with underrated Snowbank Brewing to offer a Barrel-Aged Mocha Stout that was as thick as its name implies but still tamped with enough chocolaty sweetness to make this very, very drinkable.
5) Don't sleep on the amateur brewers.
Even among the piles of collaborating beer makers, one of the standout offerings came from the collaboration of New Belgium with beer purveyors Falling Rock Tap House and Star Bar. Rock Star, made with New Belgium's sour "Felix" base, was nearly pucker-worthy but calmed enough to offer up a sour-apple feel that brought you back for more.
And, as I wrote before the festival, I was privileged enough with a group of my fellow beer writers (pictured above) to team with Lost Highway Brewing to put forth the Fourth Estate Chocolate Stout, made with English yeast and Ghirardelli chocolate. The beer turned out wonderfully sweet and easy and had jaw-dropping lines at times - a situation for which all credit goes to the folks at Lost Highway.
Labels: Cannonball Creek Brewing, collaboration beers, Denver Beer Co, Festivals, Funkwerks, Lost Highway Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Ratio Beerworks, Snowbank Brewing, TRVE, Weldwerks Brewing
Monday, December 29, 2014
Fort Collins' Newest Breweries Adding to Its Reputation
In a city like Fort Collins, where any new brewery competes with established national craft-brewing giants for residents' love, newcomers had better bring their A-game. And that is why it's so good to see that two of the newest kids in town — Snowbank Brewing and Horse and Dragon Brewing — have something to offer to the local and statewide scene.
Horse and Dragon, opened on May 1, brings a constantly rotating menu of offerings to town, and while it offers a variety of hopped and dark staples, it also leans toward experimentation. (And is good for families, as you can see below.)
The Sad Panda Coffee Porter — one of the standouts of this year's All Colorado Beer Festival — hits you not just with a java taste but a creaminess that makes this one of the more eye-opening dark beers of the year. The Scottish Tradesman Coconut Porter rewards those who prefer that style with a touch of coconut rather than an overabundance of cloying sweetness. And one sip of the whiskey-barrel-aged IPA shows the daring that will mark the expanding barrel program.
Snowbank, meanwhile, does more classic styles but does them well — and with an emphasis on hopping all of its beers without over-hopping them. It (pictured at top) opened about four months ago.
Inclination IPA is one of the best new Colorado IPAs this year, seamlessly blending citrus, grass and malt tastes. The Pawnee Porter doesn't skimp on the roasty finish but still greets you with a cocoa taste. And the Moon Arete Wheat offers a heavier body and, consequently, a bigger taste of banana and clove than most of what can be a forgettable style.
Best of all, both are located along the same general touring route that takes you to such established greats as Odell, New Belgium and Funkwerks. So, it looks like those bike tours through Fort Collins just got a little longer.
In a city like Fort Collins, where any new brewery competes with established national craft-brewing giants for residents' love, newcomers had better bring their A-game. And that is why it's so good to see that two of the newest kids in town — Snowbank Brewing and Horse and Dragon Brewing — have something to offer to the local and statewide scene.
Horse and Dragon, opened on May 1, brings a constantly rotating menu of offerings to town, and while it offers a variety of hopped and dark staples, it also leans toward experimentation. (And is good for families, as you can see below.)
The Sad Panda Coffee Porter — one of the standouts of this year's All Colorado Beer Festival — hits you not just with a java taste but a creaminess that makes this one of the more eye-opening dark beers of the year. The Scottish Tradesman Coconut Porter rewards those who prefer that style with a touch of coconut rather than an overabundance of cloying sweetness. And one sip of the whiskey-barrel-aged IPA shows the daring that will mark the expanding barrel program.
Snowbank, meanwhile, does more classic styles but does them well — and with an emphasis on hopping all of its beers without over-hopping them. It (pictured at top) opened about four months ago.
Inclination IPA is one of the best new Colorado IPAs this year, seamlessly blending citrus, grass and malt tastes. The Pawnee Porter doesn't skimp on the roasty finish but still greets you with a cocoa taste. And the Moon Arete Wheat offers a heavier body and, consequently, a bigger taste of banana and clove than most of what can be a forgettable style.
Best of all, both are located along the same general touring route that takes you to such established greats as Odell, New Belgium and Funkwerks. So, it looks like those bike tours through Fort Collins just got a little longer.
Labels: Fort Collins breweries, Horse and Dragon Brewing, Snowbank Brewing
