Colorado Craft Beer

Bubbly at the Brewery Dog Wash

Steve — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:01:57 +0000

I’m not sure who got pampered more at Left Hand Brewery yesterday, the humans or the dogs. The folks at the Longmont Humane Society and the brewery teamed up for their second of three dog washes at the shipping docks of Left Hand Brewery. We took our two and a half year old Goldendoodle, Hailey, to the festivities for the first time and she had an absolute blast. While getting the full treatment of a nail clipping and wash, her Mom and Dad got to enjoy a couple Deep Cover Brown Ales and Haystack Wheat brews. There were also brats and other assorted treats to have while kicking back on the loading dock. Our four legged friends on the other hand, got delicious samples from Left Paw Pantry, a great local home-delivery service out of Niwot, Colorado.

Special thanks to all volunteers who worked the event and to Left Hand Brewery for providing the great brews to cool down in the heat. It was a great time supporting a good organization. There’s one last chance to take part in the event this summer, August 10th. Don’t let your dogs down and help support the Longmont Humane Society. What better way to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Organic Hop Research Funded Locally

Steve — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:25:45 +0000

I know it’s been a long time between posts, but I’m still here. I have been dealing with a whole slew of major house projects over here that have kept me off the blog for a while (…excuses…excuses). And while I slowly work my way back into posting more often, here are a couple articles to keep you up to date regarding the hard work the folks at CSU are doing to try and find a sustainable solution to the hop shortage. Special thanks should go out to the New Belgium and Odell breweries for taking a chance on supporting these ventures over the years. Let us hope the work the students are doing pays off.

Cheers!

Denver is Beer Country

Steve — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:21:51 +0000

While stumbling around the internets, I came across an article by Joel Stein writing for Time that coined Denver the best place for brewery-touring. In the article, he explores the growing craft beer phenomenon by touring a few larger breweries in the Denver-metro area. He argues that Denver is better than Portland, Oregon (which has more microbreweries) and San Diego, California (which he says is more innovative) because it is more tourist-friendly, has more restaurants that offer better beer vs. wine pairings, the GABF and the country’s first chief beer officer. Oh yeah, don’t forget the water and our dudes???

He goes on quite a beer tour over the three days he was here and gives some great insight, but it is too bad he couldn’t get up to Fort Collins or down south to see those breweries too. He didn’t seem too enamored with the breweries themselves, but it was more a lesson in tasting what real beer has to offer. It sounded to me that he got bored on the tours. Worth a read though.

Of course, coining anything the best has gotten several bloggers all up in arms because we’re all proud of the craft brew that comes from our home states. I don’t think he ever mentioned that Denver, or Colorado, has the best beer, though. I think we do. However, I’m biased. When it comes down to it, if another person is opened up to the world craft beer, what else could be better?

Any press is good press, right?

Sunday Liquor Sales!

Steve — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:46:08 +0000

One bill down, one to go…(eventually anyway)

The Sunday Sales bill was quick and appeared to pass too easy. I know it has been a long time coming, but today Gov. Bill Ritter finally signed into law a bill that would allow liquor sales on Sundays. Beginning July 1st (or July 6th which is actually Sunday), consumers will be able to go to their local liquor store to purchase their craft beer. That’s one small step for man…

The story is how fast grocery and convenience stores are rallying to be able to sell full-strength beer instead of the 3.2% ABV stuff they’re pushing on people. Thus, the battle continues…

Having lived here pretty much my whole life, it’s going to be a strange feeling walking into a liquor store on a Sunday. It’s definitely more convenient than planning my drinking earlier in the week.

Cheers!

Colorado Craft Beer Gathering: Sustainability and Drinking Laws

Steve — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:55:11 +0000

This week, Colorado came one step closer to Sunday liquor sales as well as legalizing liquor sampling in Lafayette. With all the “doom and gloom” from the opposition to these laws, it makes you really wonder if we, the consumers, are really getting the best deals out there.

Sunday liquor sales over the hurdle – Apparently domestic abuse and drunk driving will go up on Sundays now. Who elects some of these folks? (@ The Durango Herald)
Sunday liquor sale bill passes House – Another example of whining from a liquor store owner. This time on the western slope. Again, you can stay closed if you want to. (@ Montrose Daily Press)
Liquor sampling now legal in Lafayette – The Lafayette City Council passed a resolution to allow retail liquor establishments to have tastings in-store. I would definitely take advantage of this in order to save me from buying something I don’t like. (@ The Daily Camera)

At the same time, is aluminum the future of craft beer? New Belgium is jumping on the bandwagon for its benefits.

New Belgium goes aluminum – Fat Tire in a can? (@ The Coloradoan)
Odell celebrates small-batch brews – It’s great to see a local brewery supporting CSU’s efforts for sustainable hop growing. I going to have to make an effort to get up their for their festival on May 31st. (@ The Coloradoan)
Hops and Fears on St. Pat’s Day – A great read about the mass producer’s sustainability and the nod to New Belgium for it’s eco-friendly production. (@ The Huffington Post)

The Local Brew

Steve — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:35:18 +0000

I have only been “blogging” for a few months now, but I’ve come across several great sites and people who share my passion for fine craft beer. Recently, I connected with Jared Cotton, co-creator of The Local Brew. It is a new show that is showcasing the art of craft brewing and putting on display several of the great breweries across the country. They have a great website and I am eagerly awaiting the DVD of the pilot episode. Even with a “press copy” on its way, I went ahead and order myself a copy and a t-shirt to help support these guys in their hopes of getting mainstream distribution. Check out the their trailer below and I look forward to seeing them swinging through Colorado.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Good luck guys!

The Fort Collins Brewery’s Double Chocolate Stout

Steve — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:35:17 +0000

Stouts are somewhat of a mixed bag for me. Especially chocolate stouts. There are some that are like drinking motor oil, while others almost taste flat and bland to me. The Double Chocolate Stout from the Fort Collins Brewery (Fort Collins, CO) is what I think of when I am in the mood for a stout.

Virtually impossible to see through, this stout is everything I could hope for. A dark tan head, malty aroma, coffee undertones and a smooth taste make this my ideal stout. While other beer review sites rate this lower, I think it deserved better. I would definitely buy this bomber again. If I can get up to Fort Collins here soon, I would like to taste the nitro version of this beer. I cannot imagine it getting much smoother.

I really like the Fort Collins Brewery. They are delivering drinkable beers that have great character and taste. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on their new Brewer’s Lunchbox. It’s a mixed 12-pack of their most popular brews. I can only wish they would throw a Double Chocolate Stout in there.

Savor 2008 Event

Steve — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:08:57 +0000

Five of our local breweries will be participating in the Savor event in Washington, D.C. from May 16-17, 2008. This sounds like it’s a premier event for craft beer and food pairing. If you’re there on those dates check out the offerings from:

Avery Brewing Company (Boulder, CO)
Flying Dog Brewery (Denver, CO)
Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO)
New Belgium Brewing Co. (Ft. Collins, CO)
Odell Brewing Company (Ft. Collins, CO)

Click the image below for further detail and a full schedule.

Left Hand Brewing Co. Chainsaw Ale

Steve — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:26:45 +0000

Left Hand Brewing Co.’s Double Sawtooth Chainsaw Ale is part of their seasonal Big Mo Series. The presentation on this beer is great. And for $11.99 a bottle, it should be. It is bottle conditioned in a 750ml caged cork silkscreened champagne bottle. The cork on my bottle was a little tough, but at least I did get a bit of the “popping” sound you generally hear with champagne. According to the Left Hand Brewing web site this beer has been available for only a month or so now, so it should be extremely fresh.

On to the review. I didn’t really know what to expect from this beer as my only background is the Sawtooth Ale which Chainsaw is based off of. I do like that brew. This beer though, had a dark ruby hue and I poured mine with the glass flat to emphasize the head. I couldn’t really place the aroma, but something smelled sweet to me. It was the same with the tasting. I didn’t get the bitterness as much as others have who had reviewed this beer, but I definitely had a sweet taste on the finish. Almost like those champagne-filled chocolate bottles you find as gifts. Maybe this was the bitterness everyone talked about and I just wasn’t recognizing it.

I must admit, for a “big beer” and the price, I expected more. This one just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t bad. Probably a “B” if I had to grade it.

Great Divide Brewing’s Old Ruffian Barley Wine

Steve — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:56:45 +0000

Spectacular!

That’s the word that comes to mind when tasting the Old Ruffian Barley Wine from Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO). I picked up a 22-oz. bomber bottle from my local liquor store and boy was this one a doozy.

This beer poured dark amber in color with an off-white frothy head. The aroma was very piney. The hops apparent. I thought the hop taste was extremely balanced with this beer from start to finish and there was very little hint of the alcohol content for me. It’s amazing considering the 10.2% ABV! However, I would suggest only having one of these in a sitting (a sitting being defined as a 3 – 4 hour block). The alcohol definitely hit me afterward.

This beer is definitely one of the better brews I’ve had in a long time. Not surprisingly, this beer has won several awards throughout the years, including the Gold Medal for best Barley Wine at the Great American Beer Festival in 2006 among others.

I would definitely recommend picking up a couple of these bottles if you can find them and break it out when you want to show off some of the best Colorado has to offer.