Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Three Variants of Notable Beers That Made Winter 2019 Special
Technically winter is done, and that means that people already have started talking about summer beers and festivals and front-porch pounders rather than fireplace sippers. But we shouldn't forget the most recent season so quickly.
Particularly, we shouldn't forget the way that a number of breweries took traditional beers, added to them and made variants to remember for a long time. It's not that they necessarily were better than the originals - well, in the case of Westfax Brewing and owner Anthony Martuscello (pictured above), yes it was - but it was that new ingredients and aging took beer that stood tall on its own and made a separate and unique beer that stood very tall on its own.
Here, then are three in particular that are worthy of mention - and of repeats in the future:
1) Westfax Brewing Rye Are You Judging Me
Silently Judging, a Laws Whiskey bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout that the Lakewood brewery released in the fall, was big and smooth and roasty and slightly boozy - everything you want in an imperial stout. But aging the same base imperial stout in a Laws Whiskey rye barrel produced something entirely more flavorful, replete with pervasive vanilla and a back-bite spice and so much warmth that it lit up the cold night for the brewery's third anniversary in February. And, thankfully, there are still bottles available.
2) Verboten Brewing Sweet Chai Whiskey Barrel Boots
Killer Boots, the Loveland brewery's caramel porter, is a wonderful
beer that is made slightly bitter by its additive. But when the beer is aged with chai spices, brown sugar and vanilla, it takes on a complexity where the spice and sweetness take over the booze and create a level of flavor that almost gets overwhelming but stops right before it goes over the edge. Available now at the brewery (it's the third from left in the third row in this small sampler I had yesterday), it is something that has to be drank to be understood properly.
3) Left Hand Raspberry Milk Stout
It's difficult to mess with one of Colorado's deservedly signature beers, but the level of raspberries used here and their pungency in this beer, from nose to taste, actually creates a whole different brew. This is fruity sweet bordering on tart - the rare stout where the dark body, while perfectly cushioning the beer, almost takes a back seat to the vibrant addition to it. This is not some gimmicky knock-off but a bold addition to the milk-stout line to show how the base beer can be used in a totally different and more supporting way to create something that's a style unto its own.
Technically winter is done, and that means that people already have started talking about summer beers and festivals and front-porch pounders rather than fireplace sippers. But we shouldn't forget the most recent season so quickly.
Particularly, we shouldn't forget the way that a number of breweries took traditional beers, added to them and made variants to remember for a long time. It's not that they necessarily were better than the originals - well, in the case of Westfax Brewing and owner Anthony Martuscello (pictured above), yes it was - but it was that new ingredients and aging took beer that stood tall on its own and made a separate and unique beer that stood very tall on its own.
Here, then are three in particular that are worthy of mention - and of repeats in the future:
1) Westfax Brewing Rye Are You Judging Me
Silently Judging, a Laws Whiskey bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout that the Lakewood brewery released in the fall, was big and smooth and roasty and slightly boozy - everything you want in an imperial stout. But aging the same base imperial stout in a Laws Whiskey rye barrel produced something entirely more flavorful, replete with pervasive vanilla and a back-bite spice and so much warmth that it lit up the cold night for the brewery's third anniversary in February. And, thankfully, there are still bottles available.
2) Verboten Brewing Sweet Chai Whiskey Barrel Boots
Killer Boots, the Loveland brewery's caramel porter, is a wonderful
beer that is made slightly bitter by its additive. But when the beer is aged with chai spices, brown sugar and vanilla, it takes on a complexity where the spice and sweetness take over the booze and create a level of flavor that almost gets overwhelming but stops right before it goes over the edge. Available now at the brewery (it's the third from left in the third row in this small sampler I had yesterday), it is something that has to be drank to be understood properly.
3) Left Hand Raspberry Milk Stout
It's difficult to mess with one of Colorado's deservedly signature beers, but the level of raspberries used here and their pungency in this beer, from nose to taste, actually creates a whole different brew. This is fruity sweet bordering on tart - the rare stout where the dark body, while perfectly cushioning the beer, almost takes a back seat to the vibrant addition to it. This is not some gimmicky knock-off but a bold addition to the milk-stout line to show how the base beer can be used in a totally different and more supporting way to create something that's a style unto its own.
Labels: Barrel aging, imperial stouts, Left Hand Brewing, Verboten Brewing, Westfax Brewing, Winter seasonals
Saturday, December 23, 2017
9 Christmas Beers to Get You Through the Rest of 2017
One of the cultural misconceptions of the 12 Days of Christmas is that it represents the 12 days leading into Christmas. Actually, the 12 days of Christmas in classical tradition actually begins on Dec. 25. And that seems unusually appropriate this year in the beer-drinking world.
After a season in which a number of retailers reported getting some of the gem Christmas beers late in the cycle and some breweries held off their winter-seasonal releases until December (what a concept), it only feels right to extend your drinking of these beers past the actual holiday. And while I don't want to do the full 12 beers of Christmas thing, there are enough notable offerings this year to leave you trying something new every night until the clock actually strikes 2018.
9) Strange Craft Beer Gingerbread Man
This annual offering is just as inviting as it sounds - both sweet and a little bit spicy, with a bready, almost cookie-like quality. Its only drawback is that it finishes a little too clean for a beer whose attributes you are hoping will linger.
8) Ratio Beerworks Reservoir
This old ale almost flies under the radar in the RiNo brewery's increasingly impressive portfolio. But with both roasty and nutty characteristics, it is both smooth and full - and as solid a winter seasonal as you'll find for the cold weather.
7) La Grivoise de Noel
"The Naughty Noel," a Belgian strong dark ale brewed by Canadian beer maker Le Trou Du Diable,
lives up to its billing with a slightly boozy Belgian candi sugar feel to its body, allowing it to warm you and loosen up family gatherings.
6) Diebolt Joyeux Noel
Another in the line of French- and Belgian-style treats for the season, this dark biere de garde ramps up the winter genre with its fuller-bodied undercurrents, but not so much that it takes away from the straight-up dark and roasted feel that makes it approachable even with its 8.2 percent ABV.
5) Odell Isolation Ale
There are classics out there that, for whatever reason, fall off your radar as so many more options come onto the market. But drinking Isolation again this year was a true rediscovery of a beer this is smooth, roasty and simultaneously aggressive and mellow in the approach to the alcohol in its body. This isn't a "wow" beer; it's just a damn good beer that's great for the season.
4) Bristol Winter Warlock
Similarly, this annual tradition is neither high-octane nor steeped in complexity. But one of Colorado's year-in-year-out Christmastime classics is so spot-on in its all-malt, non-bitter body that you are drawn to it like it's a throwback that delivers everything you want in a beer but more simply. The medium-bodied offering is the very definition of the fireside sipper.
3) The Bruery 10 Lords-A-Leaping
This dark imperial wit ale brewed with 10 spices is a hell of a lot of things at once, producing an extremely complex portrait that is best enjoyed with people willing to discuss it. The cinnamon, clove and allspice are the headliners in this mix, though the coriander may be the piece de resistance, allowing the beer to exit with a spicy kick. Put aside a whole evening for this one.
2) Great Divide Barrel-Aged Hibernation Ale
The Denver brewery's 22-year-old old ale recipe is a winner by itself. But put it into whiskey barrels for a year, and it finds a delicate, unsubtle balance between the huge, malty sweetness of the original beer and a sweet-tinged, fairly boozy touch of the barrel. This may not scream "Christmas beer" like some others on this list, yet the sweet but not overwhelming nature of this malt bomb leaves it far too fascinating to ignore.
1) Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
It's almost hard to describe what is so enjoyable about this 9.9 percent ABV Imperial Stout, perfect for sharing with friends even in its new 12-ounce packaging. But the heart of its pull lies in the fact that you can taste coffee, cocoa and roasted malts in this body and somehow not taste the alcohol that should be burning up your taste buds. Made with a masterful hand, this is big enjoyment presented in a way that nearly everyone will like. And it's exactly why you wait throughout the year for beers meant specifically to warm up the winter.
One of the cultural misconceptions of the 12 Days of Christmas is that it represents the 12 days leading into Christmas. Actually, the 12 days of Christmas in classical tradition actually begins on Dec. 25. And that seems unusually appropriate this year in the beer-drinking world.
After a season in which a number of retailers reported getting some of the gem Christmas beers late in the cycle and some breweries held off their winter-seasonal releases until December (what a concept), it only feels right to extend your drinking of these beers past the actual holiday. And while I don't want to do the full 12 beers of Christmas thing, there are enough notable offerings this year to leave you trying something new every night until the clock actually strikes 2018.
9) Strange Craft Beer Gingerbread Man
This annual offering is just as inviting as it sounds - both sweet and a little bit spicy, with a bready, almost cookie-like quality. Its only drawback is that it finishes a little too clean for a beer whose attributes you are hoping will linger.
8) Ratio Beerworks Reservoir
This old ale almost flies under the radar in the RiNo brewery's increasingly impressive portfolio. But with both roasty and nutty characteristics, it is both smooth and full - and as solid a winter seasonal as you'll find for the cold weather.
7) La Grivoise de Noel
"The Naughty Noel," a Belgian strong dark ale brewed by Canadian beer maker Le Trou Du Diable, lives up to its billing with a slightly boozy Belgian candi sugar feel to its body, allowing it to warm you and loosen up family gatherings.
6) Diebolt Joyeux Noel
Another in the line of French- and Belgian-style treats for the season, this dark biere de garde ramps up the winter genre with its fuller-bodied undercurrents, but not so much that it takes away from the straight-up dark and roasted feel that makes it approachable even with its 8.2 percent ABV.
5) Odell Isolation Ale
There are classics out there that, for whatever reason, fall off your radar as so many more options come onto the market. But drinking Isolation again this year was a true rediscovery of a beer this is smooth, roasty and simultaneously aggressive and mellow in the approach to the alcohol in its body. This isn't a "wow" beer; it's just a damn good beer that's great for the season.
4) Bristol Winter Warlock
Similarly, this annual tradition is neither high-octane nor steeped in complexity. But one of Colorado's year-in-year-out Christmastime classics is so spot-on in its all-malt, non-bitter body that you are drawn to it like it's a throwback that delivers everything you want in a beer but more simply. The medium-bodied offering is the very definition of the fireside sipper.
3) The Bruery 10 Lords-A-LeapingThis dark imperial wit ale brewed with 10 spices is a hell of a lot of things at once, producing an extremely complex portrait that is best enjoyed with people willing to discuss it. The cinnamon, clove and allspice are the headliners in this mix, though the coriander may be the piece de resistance, allowing the beer to exit with a spicy kick. Put aside a whole evening for this one.
2) Great Divide Barrel-Aged Hibernation Ale
The Denver brewery's 22-year-old old ale recipe is a winner by itself. But put it into whiskey barrels for a year, and it finds a delicate, unsubtle balance between the huge, malty sweetness of the original beer and a sweet-tinged, fairly boozy touch of the barrel. This may not scream "Christmas beer" like some others on this list, yet the sweet but not overwhelming nature of this malt bomb leaves it far too fascinating to ignore.
1) Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
It's almost hard to describe what is so enjoyable about this 9.9 percent ABV Imperial Stout, perfect for sharing with friends even in its new 12-ounce packaging. But the heart of its pull lies in the fact that you can taste coffee, cocoa and roasted malts in this body and somehow not taste the alcohol that should be burning up your taste buds. Made with a masterful hand, this is big enjoyment presented in a way that nearly everyone will like. And it's exactly why you wait throughout the year for beers meant specifically to warm up the winter.
Labels: Bristol Brewing, Diebolt Brewing, Great Divide, Le Trou Du Diable, Odell Brewing, Port Brewing, Ratio Beerworks, Strange Craft Beer, The Bruery, Winter seasonals
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
5 Beers to Drink in the Dead of Winter
February is usually the doldrums of the craft beer year, coming after brewers have kicked the special offerings they made for Vail Big Beers but before the new-found creativity of the summer season begins to hit shelves. But not every brewery believes in taking a winter break.
New experiments and some returning late-winter seasonals that can be found on liquor-store shelves offer a peek at just what can be done with a few new hops or a few bold flavoring additives. And here then are a handful of beers you should grab before Spring comes and sweeps them away.
1) Grand Teton Double Vision Doppelbock
The first release in this Idaho brewery's 2016 Cellar Reserve series is a bold, slightly chocolaty offering reminiscent of a lighter-bodied porter. This is a truly excellent medium-bodied dark beer, laced with a tinge of alcohol taste to remind you how beefy a good German-style beer can be.
2) Ska Bump 'n Grind Coffee Cream Stout
Dark as night and balanced without being a coffee bomb, the cream here doesn't add sweetness as much as it provides a softness to this beer (pictured above). Arguably the most subtle of the Durango brewery's flavored stout series, this is a coffee beer for people who don't want the assaulting-bitterness characteristic of the coffee.
3) Odell Runoff Red IPA
Dry-hopped with a complex malt backbone, this hybrid red/IPA is an appropriate beer for the shoulder season. The maltiness gives the vibrant hops a slightly sweet character to go with the full body that is a constant characteristic of Odell offerings.
4) Crazy Mountain Emotional Rescue Double India Pale Ale
One of Denver's newest breweries (now operating in the old Breckenridge Brewery space on Kalamath Street) has been experimenting with a double IPA recipe for years before recently launching this in four-packs. The research time clearly was worth it, producing a resiny, bitter beer that mellows into a malt-balanced mouthful as it warms.
5) Strange Big Malty Winter Brew
One of the least-hopped beauties of early 2016, this warming, amber-colored malt bomb that's available in bombers hits all the right notes. The earthy malt brings its flavor without getting medicinal, and the beer turns slightly cocoa in your mouth as it warms.
February is usually the doldrums of the craft beer year, coming after brewers have kicked the special offerings they made for Vail Big Beers but before the new-found creativity of the summer season begins to hit shelves. But not every brewery believes in taking a winter break.
New experiments and some returning late-winter seasonals that can be found on liquor-store shelves offer a peek at just what can be done with a few new hops or a few bold flavoring additives. And here then are a handful of beers you should grab before Spring comes and sweeps them away.
1) Grand Teton Double Vision DoppelbockThe first release in this Idaho brewery's 2016 Cellar Reserve series is a bold, slightly chocolaty offering reminiscent of a lighter-bodied porter. This is a truly excellent medium-bodied dark beer, laced with a tinge of alcohol taste to remind you how beefy a good German-style beer can be.
2) Ska Bump 'n Grind Coffee Cream Stout
Dark as night and balanced without being a coffee bomb, the cream here doesn't add sweetness as much as it provides a softness to this beer (pictured above). Arguably the most subtle of the Durango brewery's flavored stout series, this is a coffee beer for people who don't want the assaulting-bitterness characteristic of the coffee.
3) Odell Runoff Red IPA
Dry-hopped with a complex malt backbone, this hybrid red/IPA is an appropriate beer for the shoulder season. The maltiness gives the vibrant hops a slightly sweet character to go with the full body that is a constant characteristic of Odell offerings.
4) Crazy Mountain Emotional Rescue Double India Pale Ale
One of Denver's newest breweries (now operating in the old Breckenridge Brewery space on Kalamath Street) has been experimenting with a double IPA recipe for years before recently launching this in four-packs. The research time clearly was worth it, producing a resiny, bitter beer that mellows into a malt-balanced mouthful as it warms.5) Strange Big Malty Winter Brew
One of the least-hopped beauties of early 2016, this warming, amber-colored malt bomb that's available in bombers hits all the right notes. The earthy malt brings its flavor without getting medicinal, and the beer turns slightly cocoa in your mouth as it warms.
Labels: Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, Grand Teton Brewing, Odell Brewing, Ska Brewing, stouts, Strange Craft Beer, Winter seasonals
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Best. November. Ever.
Traditionally, the time between the Great American Beer Festival and Christmas largely has been a dry season, when brewers worry about getting out their winter seasonals and beer drinkers allow their livers to recover. But not this year.
Instead, this month brings a bevy of opportunities to sample a great variety of beers in settings that are new or only just becoming familiar. And before the snow gets really good in the mountains, it may be worth clearing your calendar and dedicating the next four weeks to beer tasting.
Saturday, Nov. 1: All Colorado Beer Festival, Colorado Springs
What started many years ago as a mid-sized festival has grown to 67 breweries serving 200 beers this year - plus two cideries and a kombucha maker. And if last year's selection was any indication, the brewers will be getting creative with what they bring.
One thing that's cool about the All Colorado Beer Festival - aside from the state-centered focus implied in its name - is the fact that it's one of the few festivals in the state that awards medals from a panel of certified judges. (And celebrity judges like yours truly, hence the picture above.) It's the best beer fest in the Springs area, and it's worth the $35 price for tickets to the 1 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. sessions.
Saturday, Nov. 8: Boulder IPA Fest
Avery Brewing's annual celebration of the hop shows off not just its grassy products but a lot of other fine stuff as well. Tickets are $45 and the festival runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15: Left Hand Nitro Fest, Longmont
This celebration of nitrogenated beers is believed to be the first such specialty festival in Colorado and maybe in the country. But when the beer gurus at Left Hand thought about a clever way to celebrate their 21st birthday this year, thoughts turned quite quickly to focusing on a style of beer that the brewery is becoming known for nationwide.
Twenty-three breweries will be bringing nitro beers, and many will be available for the first time in Colorado or anywhere outside of the breweries. These aren't just the porters and stouts that have become known as the primary brewery styles, either - Green Flash's West Coast IPA, Elysian's P. Smoove Pumpkin Cream Ale and Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout are among the others on tap.
And Left Hand will move beyond the three beers it has universally available on nitro and offer three more - its session IPA, its Black Jack Porter and its coffee porter, marketing director Emily Armstrong said. Tickets for the 3 to 7 p.m. festival are $50.
Sunday, Nov. 16: Denver Bacon and Beer Festival
This is the third year for the celebration of pork, porter, pales and pilsner, and it's growing once again. A full 1,100 tickets are available for the show at the Curtis hotel, which is scheduled from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
If you haven't been before, the idea is no fancier than the title. About 20 breweries bring beers that they think might pair well with something porky and salty, and about 25 breweries bring something clever they've made with bacon. Attendees travel from booth to booth in a blissful celebration of beer and carnivorous behavior.
Organizer P.J. Hoberman of Denver Off the Wagon, which also is offering a five-course dinner for $65 at The Lobby the night before, said the appeal is pretty obvious. "I think honestly most beer does pair well with pork. Think about a nice roasty stout with a good piece of bacon." I'm sold.
Thursday, Nov. 20: Chef and Brew
One of the premier combinations of food and beer (assuming you like food other than bacon) is back at the Exdo Center in Denver. Twenty breweries are paired with 20 chefs from such low-end restaurants as Acorn, Panzano and Rioja to come up with a lasting combination. People are still talking about some of the combinations from last year's festival, if that gives you any indication what you'll get for your $49 general admission ticket.
Friday, Nov. 21: American Craft Beer Radio Holiday Beer Bash
Moving this year to Wings Over the Rockies Museum, Gary Valliere's big party (pictured at top) will feature about 35 breweries. Last year, the majority of them poured some version of their winter seasonals, making this the perfect gathering for people who love to check out what they should be drinking throughout December. The show runs from 5 to 9 p.m., and tickets are $35.
Traditionally, the time between the Great American Beer Festival and Christmas largely has been a dry season, when brewers worry about getting out their winter seasonals and beer drinkers allow their livers to recover. But not this year.
Instead, this month brings a bevy of opportunities to sample a great variety of beers in settings that are new or only just becoming familiar. And before the snow gets really good in the mountains, it may be worth clearing your calendar and dedicating the next four weeks to beer tasting.
Saturday, Nov. 1: All Colorado Beer Festival, Colorado Springs
What started many years ago as a mid-sized festival has grown to 67 breweries serving 200 beers this year - plus two cideries and a kombucha maker. And if last year's selection was any indication, the brewers will be getting creative with what they bring.
One thing that's cool about the All Colorado Beer Festival - aside from the state-centered focus implied in its name - is the fact that it's one of the few festivals in the state that awards medals from a panel of certified judges. (And celebrity judges like yours truly, hence the picture above.) It's the best beer fest in the Springs area, and it's worth the $35 price for tickets to the 1 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. sessions.
Saturday, Nov. 8: Boulder IPA Fest
Avery Brewing's annual celebration of the hop shows off not just its grassy products but a lot of other fine stuff as well. Tickets are $45 and the festival runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15: Left Hand Nitro Fest, Longmont
This celebration of nitrogenated beers is believed to be the first such specialty festival in Colorado and maybe in the country. But when the beer gurus at Left Hand thought about a clever way to celebrate their 21st birthday this year, thoughts turned quite quickly to focusing on a style of beer that the brewery is becoming known for nationwide.Twenty-three breweries will be bringing nitro beers, and many will be available for the first time in Colorado or anywhere outside of the breweries. These aren't just the porters and stouts that have become known as the primary brewery styles, either - Green Flash's West Coast IPA, Elysian's P. Smoove Pumpkin Cream Ale and Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout are among the others on tap.
And Left Hand will move beyond the three beers it has universally available on nitro and offer three more - its session IPA, its Black Jack Porter and its coffee porter, marketing director Emily Armstrong said. Tickets for the 3 to 7 p.m. festival are $50.
Sunday, Nov. 16: Denver Bacon and Beer Festival
This is the third year for the celebration of pork, porter, pales and pilsner, and it's growing once again. A full 1,100 tickets are available for the show at the Curtis hotel, which is scheduled from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
If you haven't been before, the idea is no fancier than the title. About 20 breweries bring beers that they think might pair well with something porky and salty, and about 25 breweries bring something clever they've made with bacon. Attendees travel from booth to booth in a blissful celebration of beer and carnivorous behavior.
Organizer P.J. Hoberman of Denver Off the Wagon, which also is offering a five-course dinner for $65 at The Lobby the night before, said the appeal is pretty obvious. "I think honestly most beer does pair well with pork. Think about a nice roasty stout with a good piece of bacon." I'm sold.
Thursday, Nov. 20: Chef and Brew
Friday, Nov. 21: American Craft Beer Radio Holiday Beer Bash
Moving this year to Wings Over the Rockies Museum, Gary Valliere's big party (pictured at top) will feature about 35 breweries. Last year, the majority of them poured some version of their winter seasonals, making this the perfect gathering for people who love to check out what they should be drinking throughout December. The show runs from 5 to 9 p.m., and tickets are $35.
Labels: All Colorado Beer Festival, American Craft Beer Radio, Avery Brewing, Chef and Brew, Denver Off the Wagon, Festivals, IPA, Left Hand Brewing, nitro, Winter seasonals
Friday, March 01, 2013
Colorado's Best - or Greatest - Winter Seasonal Collection
The looming end of winter (20 days and counting) causes the mind to wander toward thoughts other than the general lack of mountain snow this season. It makes one think too of the beers that keep you warm during the coldest part of the year.
And while there were many beers that brightened the winter, as usual, one crop of seasonals stood far and above the rest: Those from Great Divide. In fact, the Denver brewery's winter seasonals could arguably constitute the best temporary collection of the many that Great Divide ever has put out.
There was little surprise in the 22-oz. bottle of Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti, arguably one of the 10 best beers made in Colorado. (Admit it, you're now trying to put the rest of that list together in your head.) That the espresso felt just a slight bit toned down from past versions seemed to even make it more appealing, offering a swirl of flavors that you had to stop to identify in a dangerously accessible package.
But something tasted different - and significantly more pleasant - about the Old Ruffian Barley Wine this year. This bomb of malt and hops greeted you with an alcohol-heavy feel of aged Scotch and segued into a mouth-filling sharp bitterness that was less citrus than it was earthy hops. It was the rare beer that managed to be huge in hops and malt and eminently drinkable - a true treat to find.
And finally there was Orabelle (pictured above), the new addition to the collection and one that should come back annually. This Belgian tripel is shocking in its lightness of body and fullness of taste. The yeast is cranked up a notch with added candy sugar and lemon zest, then it's enlivened by orange peel and coriander. But as a grainy semi-spice creeps up, nothing about it is overbearing, leaving an exquisitely gentle beer for a style that sometimes can be chaotic in its heaviness.
All of this is worth mentioning not because there should be great shock that Great Divide produced a good collection. It's one of the five best breweries in the state (yep, you're finishing that list too) for a reason.
But after blowing palates away with the introduction of the chocolate and espresso Yetis a couple years back, some of its more recent releases, like the Nomad Pilsner, have missed the mark. Not only was this season's threesome great, they each stood up to any beers you could walk into a liquor store or a beer bar and buy. And that is what's worth celebrating: Three home runs, across the board, all out at the same time.
Now, let's talk about some year-round distribution of these ....
The looming end of winter (20 days and counting) causes the mind to wander toward thoughts other than the general lack of mountain snow this season. It makes one think too of the beers that keep you warm during the coldest part of the year.
And while there were many beers that brightened the winter, as usual, one crop of seasonals stood far and above the rest: Those from Great Divide. In fact, the Denver brewery's winter seasonals could arguably constitute the best temporary collection of the many that Great Divide ever has put out.
There was little surprise in the 22-oz. bottle of Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti, arguably one of the 10 best beers made in Colorado. (Admit it, you're now trying to put the rest of that list together in your head.) That the espresso felt just a slight bit toned down from past versions seemed to even make it more appealing, offering a swirl of flavors that you had to stop to identify in a dangerously accessible package.
But something tasted different - and significantly more pleasant - about the Old Ruffian Barley Wine this year. This bomb of malt and hops greeted you with an alcohol-heavy feel of aged Scotch and segued into a mouth-filling sharp bitterness that was less citrus than it was earthy hops. It was the rare beer that managed to be huge in hops and malt and eminently drinkable - a true treat to find.
And finally there was Orabelle (pictured above), the new addition to the collection and one that should come back annually. This Belgian tripel is shocking in its lightness of body and fullness of taste. The yeast is cranked up a notch with added candy sugar and lemon zest, then it's enlivened by orange peel and coriander. But as a grainy semi-spice creeps up, nothing about it is overbearing, leaving an exquisitely gentle beer for a style that sometimes can be chaotic in its heaviness.
All of this is worth mentioning not because there should be great shock that Great Divide produced a good collection. It's one of the five best breweries in the state (yep, you're finishing that list too) for a reason.
But after blowing palates away with the introduction of the chocolate and espresso Yetis a couple years back, some of its more recent releases, like the Nomad Pilsner, have missed the mark. Not only was this season's threesome great, they each stood up to any beers you could walk into a liquor store or a beer bar and buy. And that is what's worth celebrating: Three home runs, across the board, all out at the same time.
Now, let's talk about some year-round distribution of these ....
Labels: Great Divide, Winter seasonals
