Fermentedly Challenged

AC Golden Winterfest review

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to taste some beer that was provided to me in a promotional pack. The brewers over at the AC Golden Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado wanted me to try one of their winter seasonal beers. In this case it was a beer that I hadn't seen in a long time but is now coming out again only from a slightly different brewery. I'm talking about AC Golden's Winterfest. For those of you who live in Colorado, you may be saying, "Winterfest? Isn't that the old Coors brew?". The answer is both Yes and No.

Yes, it is the same name as the old Coors Winterfest that used to grace the shelves of our liquor stores in years past. I have some distant memories of having family gatherings in the winter drinking this beer. And No, it's not your father's Winterfest. The recipe itself has been passed down from Coors to the AC Golden Brewing Company but as they told me, the recipe tended to change each year that they made this beer. Now, it's in the hands of AC Golden Brewing Company and it's brewer: Steve Fletcher and president Glenn Knippenberg.

For those of you not familiar with AC Golden Brewing, they are a recent spin off from MillerCoors. According to Wikipedia: AC Golden Brewing Company is a subsidiary of MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Its purpose is to serve as a specialty brewing arm of MillerCoors, in the words of president Glenn Knippenberg, "Our mission for AC Golden is to be a brand incubator for what is now MillerCoors". The AC Golden Brewery operates in the former pilot brewery of the Coors Brewery, the world's largest single site brewery. It debuted its first beer, Herman Joseph's Private Reserve, in 2008.

Colorado only

OK, with that said, Winterfest is a beer only being sold in Colorado and was produced in a very limited run. So limited, that they hand numbered each bottle. There were apparently 85248 of the 12oz bottles produced. As you can see from my picture above, I got bottle 24346.

So here I sit, a die-hard craft beer drinker, faced with the task of trying to give an honest opinion of a beer from an offspring of a big macro beer company. I'll give it a go and try to toss out my preconceptions as I do it.

AC Golden's Winterfest is a lager based on the original Coors recipe only now refined a bit. It weighs in at 5.5% ABV and comes in at 175 calories. (I had to ask about the calories as it's not on the label). The beer was brewed in September 2009 and will be hitting the shelves in Colorado only in time for the holidays. There is an expiration date of March 01, 2010 on the bottle so you know it has a limited shelf life. The bottle itself is a twist-off, so you homebrewers are out of luck re-using this for your own brew.

Appearance:
Winterfest poured a reddish mahogany color that was clear, not hazy and with no apparent sediment. I put this brew into a globe glass etched for nucleation. The resulting light tan head built up to nearly 3 fingers tall and maintained itself for several minutes. When swirled, Winterfest left a very nice lacing on the glass.

Winterfest was made with Moravian 2-row barley, some caramel malt and a small amount of dark roasted malt. There were no spices added to this beer. What spiciness to be had from this beer came from the German Hallertau region hops that were added to this lager.

Aroma:
My beer was served cold, around 45 degrees or so. Why say this? Because later on it will have an impact on how it smelled and tasted. Served cold as it was, it was hard to pick out a lot of characteristics in the aroma. Winterfest had the smell of a typical lager at first. Not much spice from the hops and I couldn't pick up on the darker malts in the nose. This would change significantly as the beer warmed up.

Later on in my tasting session, the beer suddenly picked up a more spicier note and a I could pick up a bit of fruit or sweetness in the aroma. But served cold, the only thing I could initially pick up was a bit of lager-like malt and a bit of floral component. I suggest you let this beer warm up to 50-55 degrees first before sampling.

Mouthfeel:
Winterfest had a light bodied mouthfeel that slightly coated the tongue and left a bit of a drying effect. For a winter holiday beer, I was almost expecting to taste a lot of spices in this beer, but no. They clearly state there is no spices in this beer. It was modest in its bitterness and must have a fairly low IBU rating.

OK but how's it taste?
As for the taste, I had two different experiences. First, when it was cold, I only got a hint of a dark roast taste from the caramel and dark malts. I expected something a bit more sweet but did not find it. The dark malts were hidden by the cold. It left me with almost a typical lager taste, and only slightly heavier than a pilsner.

If it wasn't labeled as a winter holiday beer I'd swear that if I wasn't looking at it that I was drinking a typical macro lager. This beer seems modestly sessionable and I could have no problem drinking 2 or 3 of these in a setting.

However, as the beer warmed up a bit, I was very surprised to find that the taste started changing a bit for the better. It took a good 15-20 minutes in the glass before the sweetness of the malts started coming through. The aroma also shifted to reveal a bit more spice from the hop as well as a fruitier component.

If I had been like my old college days self, I may have drank this beer too quickly and would have missed out on the flavor that came out later. I supposed taking my time and writing down notes slowed my pace down quite a bit and its a good thing.

And the verdict?
I was ready to pass this beer off as just another darker colored lager but at the right temperature, the flavor finally showed itself. Word of warning though, there is a narrow temperature range that this beer really tastes good at. Several minutes later as the beer warmed up even further, it lost much of it's flavor.

Overall, I had a hard time grading this beer. Winterfest starts out average but ends up a bit above that. It did remind me of the old Coors Winterfest a bit but slightly different.

I believe that local restaurants will enjoy serving this beer as I feel it would go well with just about any American style food: burgers, pasta, pizza or an assortment of moderately sharp cheeses.

I have 5 more bottles left from the complimentary 6-pack that I was sent and will have no problem finishing them off the rest of this week. Please note, I am NOT being paid to review this beer but felt obligated to give this beer an honest review in exchange for the free sampling.

Winterfest isn't an outstanding beer but I think it was meant not to be the focal point of a winter evening but rather as a subtle compliment to holiday meals and gatherings. It would make a better choice than a macro lager for après-ski time.

Related articles:
- A sinfully delicious list of Colorado winter seasonals.
- November marks the return of Alaskan Smoked Porter.
- Widmer Brothers Brrr Seasonal Ale review.

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Sinfully delicious list of Colorado winter seasonals

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Looking for a real tasty Colorado winter brew? One thing about the Colorado end of year time is that you never know what the season is going to be like. But one things for sure, this time of year brings out some of the best winter warmer beers in the entire region. Today I'm offering up a list of temptingly delightful, wet but warming, sinfully delicious Colorado winter seasonal brews that you should seek out and savor.

Many Colorado breweries reserve this time of year to bring out their more rare and exotic beers. These beers are usually brewed in limited quantities and tend to go quickly once they hit the shelves. Next time you're at your local liquor store, keep a look-out for these November + December winter seasonals.

Many of these brews have been reviewed here on Fermentedly Challenged in the past. If you'd like to know more about a beer, click on a beer name with a link to read a recent review or visit the brewery link for more details.

The best of the Colorado winter seasonal beers are listed below. One or more of these are certain to capture your heart this holiday season.

Top Colorado Winter Seasonal Beers

01. Pyramid Peak Porter - Aspen Brewing Co.
02. Old Jubilation - Avery Brewing Co.
03. Mephistopheles' Stout - Avery Brewing Co.
04. The Czar Imperial Stout - Avery Brewing Co.
05. Pumpkin Ale - BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse
06. Christmas Ale - Breckenridge Brewery
07. Obovoid Oak-Aged Oatmeal Stout - Boulder Beer Co.
08. Never Summer Ale - Boulder Beer Co.
09. Edge City Christmas Ale - Bristol Brewing Co.
10. No. 23 Barleywine - Bristol Brewing Co.
11. Winter Warlock - Bristol Brewing Co.
12. The Dark Side Lager - Colorado Brewing Co.
13. Barrel Aged Big Bella Brown - Colorado Brewing Co.
14. Big Shot - Fort Collins Brewery
15. Hibernation Ale - Great Divide Brewing Co.
16. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewing Co.
17. Warrior IPA - Left Hand Brewing Co.
18. Oak Aged Imperial Stout - Left Hand Brewing Co.
10. Fade to Black - Left Hand Brewing Co.
20. Oak Aged Widdershins - Left Hand Brewing Co.
21. Belgian Dip Chocolate Stout - Mountain Sun
22. Frambozen - New Belgium Brewing Co.
23. 2° Below Winter Ale - New Belgium Brewing Co.
24. Isolation Ale - Odell Brewing Co.
25. Ten Fidy Imperial Stout - Oskar Blues
26. Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer - Tommyknocker Brewery
27. Northstar Imperial Porter - Twisted Pine Brewing Co.
28. Smoked Stout - Twisted Pine Brewing Co.
29. Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale - Twisted Pine Brewing Co.
30. Redemption Oatmeal Stout - Wild Mt. Smokehouse & Brewery

Didn't see your favorite Colorado late season beer in this list? Tell us what other Colorado beers you enjoy this time of year and we'll add it to the list.

Here are some late additions for this list:

31. Munson Farms Pumpkin Ale - Upslope Brewing Co.
32. Spruce Goose - Steamworks Brewing Co.
33. Winterfest - AC Golden Brewing Co.
34. Vixen's Cherry Ale - Dry Dock Brewing Co. (new)

Related articles:
- Top 12 Imperial Stouts you must try.
- All Colorado Beer Festival highlights.
- Samuel Adams Winter Classics reviewed.

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Odell expansion moving along - Woodcut 3 announced

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Construction Zone

There is plenty of racket going on over at Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado these days. If you haven't visited the brewery for the last several months you might not recognize the place. The facility has practically doubled in size.

I had a chance to visit the brewery yesterday and took some video of the construction outside. Quite a bit has happened since August during my last visit.

An expanded brew house has been enclosed, new office space is being built, a new parking lot on the West side has been laid and and expanded tasting room is being finished. There is even a brand new sidewalk spanning Lincoln Ave that stretches all across the brewery grounds now as well.

(Those of you using RSS readers may not see the video below. Visit the site to watch the video.)

All of this is expected to be completed in February 2010 according to the employees in the Odell tap room. Good thing too, they'll need all that space to host their upcoming Small Batch Beer Festival on their grounds in May 2010.

Latest Woodcut Brew Coming

After touring the grounds, I headed inside to talk with the staff and taste one of their taproom-only sour beers. I was told by the employees that Odell's new Woodcut oak-aged beer will be debuting on Monday, November 16th at a special tapping party at the brewery. Everyone is invited to attend the debut of Odell Woodcut No. 3, a crimson ale, between 4pm to 6pm that day. Free sample tasting of Woodcut No. 3 along with some appetizers will be available.

Odell fans will also be able to purchase full corked bottles of Woodcut No. 3 at the tapping party. Quantities are limited of this batch so grab some while you can.

I recall having a similar brew at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting (Pints for Prostates) event in September. There, they served a sour brett version called Crimson Shenanigans. I believe it was Woodcut No 3 with brettanomyces added to give it a sour funky flavor. Woodcut No. 3 won't have the brett but will be based on the same beer.

Both the Woodcut No. 1 (Strong ale) and the Woodcut No. 2 (Golden Ale) were both a hit and if history is any indication, Woodcut No. 3 should go over very well. Hope to see you at the tapping party!

Related articles:
- Odell Woodcut No. 2 release notes.
- Celebrating my 50th with Odell Woodcut No. 1.
- Odell Brewing officially breaks ground on new expansion.

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Ho Ho Ho Slapdown planned at Dry Dock

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:36:00 +0000

No, it's not Christmas yet, but the brewers and owners at Dry Dock Brewing Company aren't waiting for Santa to pull off another winter / holiday beer. This time, they need your help in choosing which holiday beer to produce.

The employees of Dry Dock are having a bit of competition to see which of three different recipes will be used to release as their 1st bottled beer. Up until now, everyone had to get a Dry Dock beer either from the brewery or in a keg on tap. Soon, however, you will be able to sample their winter holiday beer from a 22oz bomber bottle.

On Saturday, November 28th from 12 noon to 5pm Dry Dock will be hosting the Ho Ho Ho Slapdown at the brewery in Aurora, Colorado. There you will be able to taste three separate brews who are competing to be this year's holiday brew.

The three brews are (in their own words):

Immolater - Bill's big, malty Doppelbock lager (Bill thinks the competition is already locked up by the way. I'm worried he'll drink it all out of the fermenter before we get to try it.)

3 Heavy - Lachlan's rich, high-octane Scottish Strong Ale. (There are rumors of Lachlan McLean in a kilt for the Slapdown!)

Vixen's Cherry Ale - Kevin's Belgian Strong Golden ale with sour cherries (yes, it should be pink. I also deserve the "going out on a limb award" since I'm the only one with the guts to experiment. :-)

You can taste these beers and vote for your favorite (one vote per person) from 12 noon to 5pm during the November 28th event. They will announce the winner at 5:30pm and that beer will then be reserved for bottling.

Dry Dock Brewing Company was selected as the 2009 Small Brewer of the Year and 2009 Small Brewing Company Brewer at the Great American Beer Festival this year. They took home 3 GABF medals this year including 1 Gold and 2 Silver.

So don't pass up your chance to select Dry Dock's holiday brew this year. Head down to their brewery at: 15120 East Hampden Ave, Aurora, Colorado 80014. Visit them on the web at: www.drydockbrewing.com

Read on: The Sinfully delicious list of Colorado winter seasonals.

Related articles:
- Dry Dock wins Small Brewing Company of the Year at 2009 GABF.
- Dry Dock taps new brews in September (2009).

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Upslope Brewing to celebrate 1st anniversary

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:19:00 +0000

Has it been a year already? One of Colorado's youngest breweries is celebrating it's 1st birthday this week. Upslope Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado will be opening it's doors for a special one day celebration and everyone is invited. There will be plenty of fresh beer available to commemorate one year in the brewery business. The following is an excerpt from their latest newsletter dated October 31, 2009 detailing the celebration.

Upslope Brewing's First Anniversary Party

Saturday, November 7, 2009
2:00–6:00 pm
1501 Lee Hill Road, No. 20
Boulder, Colorado

We invite you to join Upslope Brewing Company's celebration of our first year! Bluegrass band Gin Wagon will be providing the tunes, while Dubbin's Sandwiches will satisfy your hunger. As always, we will proudly dispense an assortment of our hand-crafted, micro-brewed beers.

Enjoy six beers on tap, including our two flagship varieties, Pale Ale and IPA, and our two Great American Beer Festival award winners, Dunkelweizen and Time of the Season. We will also offer our two newest selections, Pumpkin Ale and First Anniversary Stout.

Upslope Brewing's Pumpkin Ale and First Anniversary Stout are the fifth and sixth releases in our Single Batch Series. We challenged our brewers to create inspirational, single batch ales, and they didn't hold back. The results so far have been extraordinary, and our two newest achievements are no exception. Try them while they last!

Visit the Upslope Brewing Blog.

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Upslope Brewing Company beers are packaged in cans and in kegs and sold only in Colorado currently. Their Small Batch series of beer are typically only available at the tap room and at select locations on tap.

Related articles:
- Upslope Brewing rolls out new Single Batch brews.
- Upslope Belgian Dubbel debuts.
- Upslope Brewing opens in Boulder (2008).

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November marks return of Alaskan Smoked Porter

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

As the number of daylight hours continue to shrink heading towards Winter Solstice it becomes the time to announce the return of a classic smoked porter from our neighbor to the far northwest. November 1st marks the official release date of this year's vintage of Alaskan Smoked Porter. This wonderful dark, smokey and roasty brew has a reputation for winning medals and if it is even half as good as last year's batch it will still certainly be one of the most popular porters around.

The aroma alone will remind you of camping out in the wilderness and perhaps will become the perfect compliment to your next seafood meal or perhaps with some fine cheeses. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited "vintages" each year and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle for several years. The smokiness and rich flavor become even better over time.

"While the official release date is November 1st, Alaskan Smoked Porter may mysteriously start appearing in select locations along the West Coast in time for Halloween" says their October 30th newsletter.

As of last week, there were still some bottles of the 2008 Smoked Porter to be found on shelves in Colorado. I've already picked up another bottle of 2008 to further age in my cellar. I made a point to seek this out at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival and the taste never disappoints.

If you've never tried a smoked porter before, aka a Rauchbier, you owe it to yourself to seek this beer out. Alaskan Smoked Porter is becoming more and more available in western states and may be available at select internet retailers. Visit them on the web at: www.alaskanbeer.com

Read my notes on the 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter.

Related articles:
- Alaskan Pale review.
- Alaskan Summer Ale review.
- Alaskan Amber review.
- The Moon, Venus and Smoked Porter.
- Other hot picks from the 2009 GABF.

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New Belgium Frambozen back in season

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Once of my favorite holiday season beers is returning to beer shelves just in time for the colder weather. I've learned that you've got to stock up on this as it tends to disappear off the shelves rather quickly. New Belgium's Frambozen is a tasty winter treat.

ENJOY THE TASTE OF RASPBERRIES THIS WINTER WITH FRAMBOZEN, A NEW BELGIUM BREWING HOLIDAY TRADITION

The Raspberry Brown Ale is a Tasty Treat to Complement any Holiday Dinner

Fort Collins, CO – October 26, 2009 – The return of the holiday season marks the arrival of a New Belgium tradition – Frambozen. The raspberry infused brown ale is a perfect complement for holiday dinners and can be found in most of the 26 states where New Belgium beer is sold. Frambozen is available now through January.

Frambozen is produced from freshly picked Pacific Northwest berries, where a New Belgium delegation oversees the process of turning the berries into a pure juice to use in the fermentation process. The juice is loaded into oxygen-free CO2 tanker trucks that make the journey back to Colorado. Every year, during the brewing process, New Belgium cellar operators become covered in a festive crimson berry wash as the winter seasonal comes to fruition.

“Frambozen is one of our favorite and most delicate beers to produce,” said Grady Hull, New Belgium Brewing Assistant Brewmaster. “We take extra care with the raspberries to make sure they are pure and perfect for this beloved beer.”

Frambozen is derived from the Flemish word for raspberries and inspired by the Framboise beers of Belgium, where the use of raspberries in beer outdates the use of traditional hops.

Wondering about food pairing suggestions? New Belgium offers some ideas at (http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/frambozen), including duck and white chocolate cheesecake.

A six pack of Frambozen sells for about $7.99. For more information on New Belgium Brewing, its other beer offerings and company practices visit www.newbelgium.com.

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

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Related articles:
- New Belgium Frambozen review.
- Touring New Belgium's Liquid Center.
- Celebrate Autumn with New Belgium Fall Wild Ale.

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February 2010 Colorado Beer Festivals

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:09:00 +0000

February 2010 Colorado Beer Festivals

Here is a list of the upcoming Colorado beer festivals, beer dinners, tapping parties, seminars and related events that are known or planned for the month of February 2010. These listings are updated every week, so stop back often to see the latest happenings with beer in Colorado. Dates and events are subject to change. If you know of a Colorado event that you don't see here, please leave a comment and let us know. I'll be happy to add it.

5th Annual Peterson AFB Homebrew Competition & Fest
February 13, 2010 (Sat)
Location: TBA
Colorado Springs, CO
Homebrewers from around the area will gather to judge some of the best local homebrew. Sponsored by the Brew Brothers Hombrew Club of Colorado Springs. Deadline for submitting entries is February 9th. Last year they had 161 entries in 16 categories. Over 300 festival goers were in attendance. Help make this year's event even better. Contact: (719) 554-3701 - Email: axebrew1@msn.com - Event website

6th Annual Firkin Rendezvous
February 20, 2010 (Sat)
Bristol Brewing Company
Colorado Springs, CO
This annual event is located at the Bristol Brewing Company and will be open from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. This year's event will once again offer several beers direct from the cask. Beer and food are included in the admission price. Estimated cost: $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets go on sale in January. Web site. Map.

2010 Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals
February 27, 2010 (Sat)
Wynkoop Brewing Co.
Denver, CO
Be on hand for the last round of competition in the 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals at the Wynkoop Brewing Co. The best beer drinkers from all over the USA will be trying to convince a lively panel of judges that they know it all when it comes to beer. The winner gets free beer for life at the Wynkoop and $250 in beer from their local brewpub or bar. Open to the public. Fun starts at 2pm. See web site for details.

Inaugural Boulder Sour Fest
February 27, 2010 (Sat) 12:30pm – 5pm
Barrel-Aging Room at The Avery Brewing Tap Room
Boulder, CO
Featuring 30 to 35 of the best sour ales, wild ales and brett beers from across the country (and a few from Europe too!). Max 400 tickets available at $35 each! More info. and ticket sales coming soon. www.averybrewing.com

Additional events will be added as they become known. Please report additions or corrections to Chipper Dave (see email on the side column).

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Odell Brewing gets a new web site

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Out with the old and in with the new. Odell Brewing has just recently updated it's old web site and has replaced it with a new more modern site complete with a blog, store and flashier graphics. Odell is also becoming more integrated into the various social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube so you can get all the latest news from your favorite sites.

The blog is also featuring some delicious cooking recipies that you can make that contain Odell beer. Try fixing one of those and pairing it with an Odell beer while your at it. Visit their updated web site and see what's up with their latest Reserve series ales and their expansion plans.

http://www.odellbrewing.com

Related articles:
- Odell Brewing controls Mountain Standard time.
- Odell Brewing to release India Barleywine.
- Odell Brewing plans barrel releases (Bourbon Barrel Stout).
- Odell readies for Isolation.
- Odell Blackbird tapping party highlights.

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The Northstar goes vertical at Twisted Pine

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:45:00 +0000

The good folks down at Twisted Pine Brewing Company in Boulder Colorado passed along some news about an upcoming special tasting event at their brewery on November 5th, 2009. Fans of their Northstar Imperial Porter won't want to miss this one. The following is a quote from an email dated October 22, 2009.

"Join us on Thursday November 5th for an exclusive vertical tasting of 5 different vintages of Northstar Imperial Porter ranging in age from 2004 to 2009. Don't miss this opportunity to attend this special event with discussions led by owner Bob Baile, brewer Eric Mosiman and brewer Jeff Brumley.

Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door, includes 5 - 6oz samples, a 1 1/2 hour educational session and a commemorative Northstar Imperial glass.

This event is not to be missed. Sign up early as space is limited. Please call, email or stop by the brewery for reservations."

Their website describes this beer as: "Northstar Imperial Porter is a deep robust ale brewed with only the finest ingredients. The full bodied malty flavor comes from chocolate, black and crystal malts balanced by a combination of American and British hops."

The event runs from 6:00pm until 7:30pm at the Twisted Pine tap room. Drop by at: 3201 Walnut Street, Suite #A, Boulder, CO. Visit them on the web at: www.twistedpinebrewery.com or call 303.786.9270.

Twisted Pine will also be pouring beers at the upcoming All Colorado Beer Fest in Colorado Springs on November 7th. Stop by their booth and taste some of their Billy's Chilis, Hoppy Boy IPA and Pumpkin Brown.

Related articles:
- Twisted Pine rolls out Chocolate Vanilla Porter.
- Twisted Pine American Amber Ale review.
- Video tour of the 2008 All Colorado Beer Festival.

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Colorado brewer tweets for 102409

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Here are the beer tweets from Colorado breweries on Twitter from Saturday, October 24, 2009. This list was made possible by the new Lists feature now in Beta on Twitter. (Click image to enlarge)

Related articles:
- Twitter pub followers share their favorites.
- Breckenridge Brewery Tweetup highlights.
- Odell's Twitter brew (Blackbird) tapping party highlights.

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Hey do you want to learn to make your own beer?

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:26:00 +0000

If you've ever had the inclination to make your own home brewed beer but always wanted someone with expertise to show you how - here's your big chance. Homebrewers, here's your chance to show off your stuff and teach a buddy to make their own beer.

The American Homebrewers Association’s Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day is an international event to introduce people to the homebrewing hobby and establish relationships with local homebrew supply shops.

Each year on the first Saturday in November, homebrewers around the world are encouraged to invite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day and brew a batch of beer together. This year's event falls on November 7, 2009.

How does this event work?

Before the event, participants that are sponsoring Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day events can register their site on the AHA web page. These registered sites help the American Homebrewers Association track how many participants celebrated the event. People interested in learning to homebrew can simply show up to one of these events and participate.

Here's how the AHA suggests getting ready for Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day. (Copied in part from the beertown.org web site)

Before the event

Register your Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day Site/Event.
Or, view registered Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day sites to find a site in your area.
Download and edit the customizable press release (Microsoft Word file), and send it to your local newspapers and TV new stations.
Download and print the poster (PDF file) to advertise Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day in your community.
Download and print the flyer (PDF file) to use to invite your friends who are not yet homebrewers to teach them to brew beer at home.
Download and print a copy of Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing (PDF file, ~7.4 MB) to hand out at your event. Free hard copies of Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing are also available from the AHA by e-mailing your request with the number of copies needed to Kathryn@BrewersAssociation.org. Requests must be made before October 30, 2009 to allow for shipping.
Take your new homebrew recruits to your local homebrew supply shop to buy ingredients.
Hold a special beer dinner for friends or family who you will teach to homebrew.

During the event

Tell your friends, family, and attendees about other American Homebrewers Association fun events: Big Brew, National Homebrewers Conference, Mead Day.
Hand out free copies of Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing (PDF file, ~7.4 MB) to all your friends.
Bring out homebrewing literature for your friends to read, such as issues of Zymurgy magazine, Zymurgy: An Introduction to Homebrewing, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and other homebrewing books.
Drink homebrew, pair your homebrew with food, and have fun!

After the event

Please take a minute to give us your site's numbers by going to the Teach a Friend Post-Event page.
Check out the post-event numbers.
Teach your friends how to bottle the beer you brewed together.
Encourage new homebrewers to go to their local homebrew supply shop.
Buy an American Homebrewers Association membership as a gift for new homebrewers.
Have new homebrewers check out www.beertown.org/homebrewing for up-to-date brewing information.

Where to find a Teach a Friend to Homebrew Event

Head to the Beertown.org web site or click on this link to find an event near you. Be sure to grab your homebrew supplies from your local homebrew shop.

No homebrew shop near you? Buy your homebrew supplies online from High Gravity Homebrewing Supplies. One of the best suppliers in middle America.

Hope to see you at a one of the events this year!

Related articles:
- Making a batch of extract homebrew.
- Creating a yeast starter for homebrewing.
- Tasting your first batch of homebrew.

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Odell Brewing controls Mountain Standard time

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:29:00 +0000

The clocks are changing soon as the US heads back into Standard Time the first week of November and one Colorado brewery is releasing a special brew to celebrate the occasion. Odell Brewing Company of Fort Collins Colorado is announcing the upcoming release of their latest small batch beer - Mountain Standard, Reserve '09 - a deep mahogany ale. Below is the press release issued today, October 23, 2009.

It’s Mountain Standard Time

Beer lovers “fall back” to new Odell brew

Fort Collins, Colo. – On November 2, 2009, Odell Brewing will release Mountain Standard, Reserve ‘09. The deep mahogany ale features local organic hops and pays tribute to the region’s oft forgotten time zone.

Mountain Standard pours like a dark malty ale but delivers a distinct hoppy character with the first sip. The brew features generous amounts of organic Cascade and Chinook hops grown on Colorado’s own Western Slope, creating a beer that is pleasing to both the eye and palate.

“We’ve experimented with locally grown hops for smaller batches brewed on our pilot system, but haven’t been able to find enough hops to extend the beer beyond our tap room,” said Brendan McGivney, head of production who helped with this year’s harvest. “This year we sourced 400 lbs of hops from the Rising Sun Farms in Paonia, CO. We plan to brew one batch every year with each harvest.”

Bottled in 750 ml cork and cage finish bottles, Mountain Standard joins Bourbon Barrel Stout and India Barleywine as part of Odell Brewing’s new line of single serve offerings. The beer retails for approximately $14.99-$15.99 per bottle, and is available in the brewery’s eight state distributor region (90% of which lies in the Mountain Standard Time zone).

On November 2, 2009, when daylight savings time officially ends, Odell Brewing will celebrate the return of Mountain Standard Time and the beer named in its honor with an un-corking celebration at the brewery’s tap room. Festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. and include samples of the new brew paired with local cheeses and live music. For more information, visit www.odellbrewing.com.

Tapping Party Announcement (click to enlarge)

Odell Brewing was recently named a “Best Company to Work For” in Colorado and is an award winning brewery, nationally and internationally: 2008 North American Beer Awards – gold medal for 5 Barrel Pale Ale. 2008 World Beer Cup® – gold medal for IPA, silver medal for Double Pilsner, silver medal for Cutthroat Porter. 2007 Great American Beer Festival® – gold medal for IPA, silver medal for Easy Street Wheat, bronze medal for Extra Special Red. 2007 Stockholm International Beer Festival – bronze medal for 5 Barrel Pale Ale. 2007 Australian International Beer Awards – silver medal for 90 Shilling, silver medal for Cutthroat Porter, silver medal for Easy Street Wheat and bronze medal for 5 Barrel Pale Ale.

# # #

Related articles:
- Odell Brewing to release India Barleywine.
- Odell Brewing readies for Isolation.
- Odell planning for Bourbon Barrel Stout and more.
- Odell Brewing breaks ground on new expansion.
- Odell Blackbird tapping party highlights.

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Upcoming events at Fort Collins Brewery

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:38:00 +0000

The Fort Collins Brewery just released their November 2009 newsletter and in it their upcoming plans for Halloween and the November season. Below is a summary of FCB's announcements and some details on what they'll have on tap for the coming month. Visit them at 1900 E. Lincoln Avenue in Fort Collins, CO.

Fort Collins Brewery Events

October 30th: FCB’s Annual and Infamous Halloween Party! We’ll have it all: Costume contest, malt sack races, keg tossing contest (will anyone ever beat Andy?! ) , pumpkin bowling, chocolate stout chili, pint specials, live bluegrass and the terrifyingly delicious FIRKINSTEIN!

November 7th: All Colorado Beer Festival, Colorado Springs. We’ll have five of our favorites on tap. Check it out at www.allcoloradobeerfestival.org

November 11th: Firkin Fun Day in the FCB Tasting Room. We are gussying up a fine wheat beer for this edition of our real beer series. Swing by from 3 till closing to check it out for yourself.

November 20th: How much fun was that steinbeer party? We had a lot of fun but we also accomplished something which was to brew a traditional Steinbier. Here is a re-cap for those of you who missed it: We lit a big ‘ole fire, tossed some rocks into it, drank delicious beers and roasted marshmallows while tapping our toes to some live bluegrass. Then when the time was right we tossed the glowing hot rocks into the kettle turning the existing wort into a smoky, caramelized treat. Yum! On November 20th we’ll be rolling this brew out in the tasting room so don’t be shy, come on down, enjoy some live music and raise one of the first glasses of this unusual brew with us.

November 26th: CLOSED for Thanksgiving

November 27th: OPEN for revelry and recovery

ON TAP NOW:
• Buford’s Dog Days Cream Ale
• Harvestival Lager
• Wrecking Ball Rye
• Common Ground
• Double Chocolate Stout

COMING SOON:
• Awl’right Brown Bevvie English Brown
• Steinbier
• Big Shot Hazelnut Brown
• Double Chocolate Stout on nitro

AVAILABLE IN BOMBERS:
• Harvestival Lager
• Doppel Bock (Last Call only a few left!)
• Common Ground
• Double Chocolate Stout
• Big Shot (coming soon!)

Fall Growler Special
Buy one get one free growler fills of Buford’s Dog Days Cream Ale. Growler glassware not included.

Related articles:
- Fort Collins Brewery Barrel Licked Bock review.
- Fort Collins Brewery Big Shot review.
- Fort Collins Brewery Tasting Room visit.
- Fort Collins Brewery debuts 1900 Amber Lager.

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Crabtree releases their Chunkin Pumpkin

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:07:00 +0000

There's news coming from up north here in Greeley, Colorado about a new beer release. Crabtree Brewing has announced that their new Chunkin Pumpkin Ale will be pouring this Friday, October 23rd at the brewery tap room in Greeley. Check out their latest newsletter release below.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009......

CHUNKIN PUMPKIN ALE WILL BE RELEASED!!!!! Don't miss out on this delicious Fall Brew. Chunkin Pumpkin Ale was made using 66 pie pumpkins... which some wonderful friends of the brewery helped us bake and chunk... The baked pumpkin chunks were placed in the mash along with the grain. Spices and other secrets were added to the boil. Now, sitting in the conditioning tank is 400 gallons of goodness. (I've tasted it... even without carbonation and not being as cold as it will be, it tastes awesome!!!)

This past week, we finally received custom, screen-printed growlers... what better way to start the weekend than with a Crabtree growler filled with Chunkin Pumpkin Ale... for only $10!!!!!! (Refill price is $8)

And don't forget that Friday is TEACHER FRIDAY!!! $2.50 pints for all you wonderful teachers out there.... (please remember to show your teacher ID to be qualified for the discount)

Have a great rest of your week and we will see you on Friday!
Cheers, Stephanie & Jeff Crabtree

PS - Follow Crabtree Brewing on Facebook (Crabtree Brewing Company) and on Twitter (@crabtreebrewing).

###

Update: I stopped by Crabtree Brewing on Friday, October 23rd and picked up a growler of their Chunkin' Pumpkin Ale and tried it for myself. Below is a quick video of my opinion of the brew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emCZXlr90MQ

Recent pictures from Crabtree Brewing:

Related articles:
- Crabtree Brewing taps their braggot.
- Crabtree Boxcar Brown and Twisted Creek Wheat review.
- Supporting my local brewery - Crabtree Brewing.
- Crabtree Brewing expands their taproom hours.
- Crabtree Jeff's Pale Ale review.

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Breckenridge Imperial Porter review

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Brewers say: "Good things come in small batches" and Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado has been busy making several beers in small batches these days. One fairly recent addition to Breckenridge's Small Batch series is their Breckenridge Imperial Porter. This 7.5% ABV porter comes in a big 22oz bomber bottle with a painted on graphic that reminds you of the front of a steam engine train. This isn't Breck's first venture into porters as they also produce a year round Vanilla Porter.

The Breckenridge Imperial Porter poured a dark brown with mahogany edges. I could just barely see through this beer when held up to the light. An aggressive pour yielded a generous 2+ finger tan head that showed off a nice cascading bubble effect. The head subsided in a short time and left a small ring of bubbles with a loose lacing around the glass.

Aroma: My first impression of the aroma was a curious one. Not only did I pick up a whiff of a nutty caramel malt and a slight roastiness but the smell also got my mouth watering right from the start. I could also imagine a bit of brown sugar in this beer.

I wonder if it was the combination of the 2-row Pale, Carament, Chocolate, Roasted Barley and Black malts or the mix of Chinook, Palisade, Perle and Goldings hops that got my mouth working ahead of time. Still, something about the aroma was different than a regular porter but I couldn't quite put my finger on it just yet.

Mouthfeel: This brew initially had a light to medium mouthfeel with just a mild amount of carbonation. It coated my tongue with a mildly bitter (21 IBU) drying effect yet it also had a bit of slipperiness to it. I was anticipating a thicker mouthfeel for an imperial porter but got something lighter instead.

Taste: My first impression of the Imperial Porter was that it was moderately roasty with almost a smoke like flavor. There were hints of chocolate and vanilla in it but it came along with some burnt malts as well. It was a tad watery but that could be the fact that my salivary glands were in overdrive after smelling this beer. Some of the sweetness left in this beer reminded me of one of my homebrew beers that had some left over sugars that didn't quite fully ferment out.

Initially the alcohol wasn't very noticeable for an imperial beer as it didn't give off much "heat". The alcohol became more apparent after the first glass was done. Remember that slight slippery mouthfeel? It came back in subsequent sips. It stopped short of being buttery but was nearly so. Still, it didn't affect the overall enjoyment of this beer.

I was easily able to finish off the entire bottle during an evening of watching Monday Night Football. The beer became more enjoyable as the night progressed. The brew seemed to have a few flaws but they were overlookable and was a nice drinker. I'd almost call this beer a regular porter as it didn't seem to have all of the qualities to be called an imperial porter. I was expecting more from this beer, but it's a bit higher strength than a session beer.

Still a good effort. Not my favorite. I enjoyed their Mighty Brown more than this one. I'll give this a tentative thumbs up with a slightly average grade.

Related articles:
- Breckenridge Mighty Brown review.
- Breckenridge Brewery Tweetup highlights.
- Breckenridge Small Batch 471 IPA review.
- Breckenridge Vanilla Porter review.

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Touring New Belgium's Liquid Center

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:24:00 +0000

For those of you who've never been to the Liquid Center at the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado and wondered how popular one of the top 5 craft breweries in the USA is becoming you're in luck. Chipper Dave from Fermentedly Challenged recently stopped by the packed tasting room on a warm Saturday afternoon to see just what was going on that day.

Being one of the locals, I've come to realize that if you want to spend a quiet afternoon leisurely sipping on a sampling of New Belgium's (NBB) fine craft beers you need to plan ahead. You can't just show up during prime weekend hours (late Friday afternoon or Saturday afternoon), that is unless you enjoy mingling with a big enthusiastic crowd.

I've found that if you wait until the summer tourist season is over and head to New Belgium just after they open (before noon) on a work day, you can pretty much have the fun of the place and get some individualized service from their tap room staff.

Tours are given regularly but you have to get there early and sign-up for one. Tours tend to fill up quickly. See the New Belgium website for details on upcoming brewery tours.

Below is a YouTube video showcasing New Belgium's popularity on a typical weekend afternoon in the late summer / early fall. If you can't view the video from this page please visit the YouTube link below. After the jump, you can also find some still shots from the video. Enjoy!

New Belgium Brewing Liquid Center
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEiqJ_zVEiI

New Belgium Liquid Center Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge any picture below.

Related articles:
- Tasting room notes from New Belgium Brewing.
- New Belgium revisited.
- New Belgium expands with new tanks. (2008)
- New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale review.
- New Belgium Frambozen review.

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Top 12 Imperial Stouts you must try

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Are you a fan of the dark side? Ever get the urge for a beer with something extra? Do you want something thick and creamy and loaded with flavor? Then you are probably a fan of Imperial Stouts. Imperial Stouts may come in a small assortment of style variations, but in general they are all black as night, at least 8.0% ABV and loaded with calories and flavor.

During the Fall, Winter and early Spring when there is a cold wind blowing, there's nothing better than cuddling up with a significant other and sharing a bottle of a dark, roasted Imperial Stout. The list below shares some of the best available in the Rocky Mountain region.

For those unfamiliar with the style, the following should help describe what this style is all about.

According to Wikipedia: "Imperial stout, also known as "Russian Imperial Stout" or "Imperial Russian Stout," is a strong dark beer or stout in the style that was brewed in 1796 by Thrale's brewery in London, England for export to the court of Catherine II of Russia, as "Thrale's Entire Porter" - when the brewery was taken over by Courage the beer was renamed Courage Imperial Russian Stout. It has a high alcohol content - nine or ten percent abv is common. Guinness make a 7.5% version they call Foreign Extra Stout."

The BJCP Style Guidelines are a bit more explicit with their description: "An intensely flavored, big, dark ale. Roasty, fruity, and bittersweet, with a noticeable alcohol presence. Dark fruit flavors meld with roasty, burnt, or almost tar-like sensations. Like a black barleywine with every dimension of flavor coming into play.

Variations exist, with English and American interpretations (predictably, the American versions have more bitterness, roasted character, and finishing hops, while the English varieties reflect a more complex specialty malt character and a more forward ester profile). The wide range of allowable characteristics allow for maximum brewer creativity."

The following list, in alphabetical order, is a small sampling of 12 of the best Imperial Stouts to be found in stores around Colorado. Not all of these Imperial Stouts come from from the region (to be fair) and at least 1 of them are from overseas. Click on the links below to read a review of each of these outstanding representations of the Imperial Stout style. You too might just fall in love with one of them.

The Top 12 Imperial Stouts List

1. Avery The Czar Imperial Stout - Avery Brewing Co. (CO)

2. Deschutes The Abyss - Deschutes Brewery (OR)

3. Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewing Co. (CO)

4. Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewing Co. (CO)

5. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Goose Island Beer Co. (IL)

6. Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout - Left Hand Brewing Co. (CO)

7. Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout - Nøgne Ø (Norway)

8. North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - North Coast Brewing Co. (CA)

9. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout - Oskar Blues (CO)

10. Samuel Adams Imperial Stout - Boston Beer Co. (MA)

11. Stone Imperial Russian Stout - Stone Brewing Co. (CA)

12. Victory Storm King Imperial Stout - Victory Brewing Co. (PA)

Don't see your favorite Imperial Stout listed here? There are a lot of good ones available across the USA. Let us know which ones you like and post it in a comment below. Look for more lists of the Top beers by style in future posts.

Related articles:
- Sinfully delicious list of Colorado winter seasonals.
- Beer style reference guide.
- Colorado Breweries and Brewpubs list.
- More beer reviews sorted by style.

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Falling Rock celebrates hop harvest

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:04:00 +0000

The following post came to me from an email from Chris, the owner of Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, Colorado. A big celebration of the hop harvest will be held this weekend. Head on down to LoDo and check it out.

The 3rd Annual Fresh Hop Celebration!

Returning Saturday, October 17th at Falling Rock Tap House with a wide selection of fresh hop ales to choose from. The celebration will take place on the patio and in the parking lot of Falling Rock Tap House and will include live music, tastings, information on home brewing, people’s choice awards, activities and more.

A Fresh Hop Ale is seasonal ale brewed the same day the hop is picked from the vine. Hops are the small green flower cones from the hop plant that give beer its flavor; it acts as a balancing agent to preserve, add aroma and balance. Fresh hop ales tend to add a citrus or orange-like aroma to the beer. Beer connoisseurs and weekend warriors alike will love these unique, available once a year brews!

Event Details

Fresh Hop Celebration

Saturday, October 17th, 2009 (Noon – 5:00pm)

All Ages Welcome, Must be 21 to Drink

Location: Falling Rock Tap House 1800 Blake Street, Denver, CO

Admission: $20, includes commemorative glass and 4 tokens (each token is good for 1 beer)

Event Coordinaton by: HobNobEvents.com

Media Contact:
Nicole Jarman / 303.734.0718
Nicole@HobNobEvents.com

Fresh Hop Harvest beers from:

Deschutes (Hop Trip)
Great Divide (Fresh Hop)
Great Divide (Fresh Hop Cask Conditioned)
Sierra Nevada (Harvest Ale)
Sierra Nevada (Estate Harvest)
Full Sail (Lupulin Ale)
Oskar Blues (Wet Hopped Dales Pale Ale)
Port Brewing (High Tide)
Left Hand (Warrior IPA)
Tommyknocker

Related articles:
- GABF week at the Falling Rock Tap House.
- Video tour of the Falling Rock Tap House.
- Falling Rock's 2009 GABF Week plans.

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Fermentedly Challenged celebrates 2nd anniversary

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

It was but a dream just a couple years ago but has since grown into a passion. This week marks the second anniversary of Fermentedly Challenged the blog. In that short two year span, I've written over 475 posts, tasted over 350 different beers, created 30 beer videos and taken a thousand or so pictures of beer festivals, tweetups, friends and fine ales while exploring my love for good craft beer.

During these last two years, I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot of new people who are just as passionate about craft beer as I am. It's been a wonderful time getting to know many of the beer bloggers who've I've been reading as well as many of the readers who come to my blog.

Creating a blog certainly takes time and if I had my way I'd probably be spending all of my time doing it. A blog wouldn't really be a blog without readers. I want to take the time to thank everyone who has stopped by this little blog since 2007. I hope that I've inspired some of you to try some new and tasty beers, come out to Colorado and tour a brewery or two and perhaps brew your own beer along the way.

I've updated the right sidebar to include connections to my latest beer videos as well as a more advanced blog search bar. Hopefully that will help you find more of what I've written about in the past 475+ articles.

My hope is to continue to write for at least another year or two on this fun subject and to bring you even more coverage of the Northern Colorado craft beer scene.

Thanks again to all of my readers. I hope to get to know even more of you during the coming year and to continue to bring you the good news of great craft beer.

Cheers! Chipper Dave.

Related articles:
- 1st blog anniversary at the 2008 GABF.
- Celebrating my 50th with Odell Woodcut No 01.
- The first beer blog post (Oct 9, 2007).

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Goose Island 2008 Bourbon County Stout review

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:43:00 +0000

The other day I was looking through the singles section at a local beer store when I spied a few bottles of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2008) sitting there. I was surprised that this store even carried this beer let alone seeing a year old bottle of an acclaimed stout on hand. I quickly scooped up a bottle and took it home with me to enjoy during the cold snowy weekend here in Colorado.

I had previously tried a sample of this beer at Nick's 10-hour birthday bash last month and knew that I wanted to get more of this beer. Surprisingly, Colorado does get shipments from Goose Island Beer Company, a brewery from the Chicago, Illinois area. I jumped at the chance to try a full bottle of this potent 13% ABV bourbon barrel aged imperial stout.

Goose Island put a lot of dark malts into this brew including: 2-row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roast Barley and Debittered Black malts. Bourbon County Stout has a fair amount of bittering units too as it weighs in at a respectible 60 IBU from all the Willamette hops that were put in.

This beer was from the 2008 batch and has a white label. I noticed from Goose Island's web site that the 2009 batch now sports a black label (see their image to left). I was more intrigued by the 2008 batch however as it had already been aged an additional year and would supposedly have mellowed in bitterness a bit more. The beer itself had been aged slightly in bourbon barrels and would supposedly pick up a lot of character from the wood and lingering traces of bourbon.

I poured the Bourbon County Stout (BCS) into a large snifter type glass to help bring out all of the aromas and wow did it ever! The brew poured a thick jet black with just a slight 1 finger head, even with an aggressive pour. There was just a trace of lacing on the glass that didn't stick around long. That's fairly typical of an aged impy stout in my experience.

I immediately smelled a huge aroma of bourbon and vanilla and alcohol in this brew. Woah! The aroma was insanely intense as I had hoped. I could pick up on the sweet chocolate malts as well. Without looking I could tell this was unmistakably an imperial stout. It was just as it should be. The brew had a nose that reminded me of a Sam Adams Utopias. The vanilla from the bourbon barrel came out quite noticeably.

The brew was thick and chewy and coated my tongue slightly. BCS had a roasty sweet big body that was bitter on the side. It was creamy and smooth right from the start. Instantly I started getting a nice warming effect from this beer.

The taste was of chocolate, vanilla, sweet malts with a nice alchy kick. I could pick up on some slight coffee tones as well but not as much as the vanilla. The wood aging had done this beer a lot of good, not to mention the extra year of cellaring that the store had already done for me.

While the alcohol bite was there it wasn't overpowering. Still, it was a nice slow sipper that lasted me the better part of the first half of a football game.

Mid-way through the tasting, I got the strong urge to make a beer float out of this beer. I got a small cup of premium vanilla ice cream and poured about an ounce of BCS over the top and swirled it around a bit. And the taste was absolutely heavenly! This was by far the best beer ice cream float I had made with any dark beer. The beer with it's vanilla overtones from the barrel aging blended perfectly with the vanilla in the ice cream. Oh yes! You've got to try this.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with Goose Island's imperial stout. The bourbon barrel added a lot to the entire experience. The inviting aroma won me over immediately. Goose Island claims that you can age this beer up to 5 years. I might just head back to that store and buy up the rest of their stock and do just that. Bourbon County Stout is one of my top all-time beers. You won't be disappointed.

Related articles:
- Samuel Adams Imperial Stout review.
- Cellaring notes on Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.
- Avery The Czar Imperial Stout review.
- Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout review.
- Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout review.

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Breckenridge Mighty Brown review

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:22:00 +0000

An imperial brown ale? Breckenridge Brewery of Denver came out with a couple more beers in their Small Batch series earlier this year and I couldn't help but want to try their Mighty Brown, an imperialized brown ale. I wonder why I didn't see this brew before? Probably because I've been working through my big summer stock and haven't been to the beer store lately. This Breck brew has been out since June. Breckenridge Brewery is one of many breweries who love to experiment with new beers in small batches. This beer is being brewed in limited batches but will be available year round.

Mighty Brown poured a nice dark brown color. Held to a light I could just barely see through it. Mahogany red edges could be seen as well. It poured with a nice huge light tan head that built up quickly and had a beautiful cascading sheeting effect with the bubbles. After it settled, Mighty Brown still has a nice 1/2 finger tall head with a light lacing.

When I first opened the tall painted 22oz bottle I could smell a rich aroma of dark malts. I thought this is going to be a nice change from an ordinary brown. Once I got the brew in the glass, suddenly the hops started coming through in the nose.

The Perle and Hallertau hops pop through the aroma despite it being a low 21 IBU beer. Breckenridge put in a generous amount of Pale, Munich, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, and toasted Wheat malt into this brew in order to boost the ABV up to a respectable 7.5% ABV. I can actually pick out the wheat in this brew.

Which such a mix of malts and hops in a brown ale I didn't know what to expect in this beer.

First taste: I got a very slight chocolate malt flavor with a fair amount of roast yet a lighter mouthfeel than a porter or stout. It was quite creamy feeling and very smooth on the swallow. Nice! First tastes can be deceiving but this one struck me positively from the very first sip. There was a lot of toasty malt flavor that hit the front half of my tongue. There isn't a lot of heat on this beer early on but you know the ABV is there. It wasn't until near the end of the bottle that the slow warmth hit me.

The smoothness of this beer is something I really enjoyed. The bigger malt taste, just enough bitterness from the hops to notice and an extra kick from being an imperial is a vast improvement from an ordinary brown ale. Nice job @BreckBrew! On a snowy early October day in Colorado, this imperial brown ale was Mighty good.

Mighty Brown was just slightly sweet but balanced well with the nice bitter hoppy Hallertau and Perle hops. It's too bad all brown ales aren't this rich.

Sorry non-Coloradoans but BreckBrew doesn't ship much of their Small Batch beers out of state so you'll have to come here to Colorado to try this flavorful brew. I'm giving Breckenridge Brewery a big thumbs up for this small batch brew.

Related articles:
- Breckenridge Pandora's Bock review.
- Breckenridge Small Batch 471 IPA review.
- Breckenridge Vanilla Porter review.
- Breckenridge Avalanche Ale review.

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Setting up for the 2009 GABF part 2

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:16:00 +0000

This post is part 2 of a series of posts revolving around my session as a volunteer at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The previous post offered up a music video of the day's activities, but this post centers in on more of the behind the scenes activities during the morning and afternoon before the Thursday evening session.

Sadly, this may be the last year I do setup work at the GABF. By the end of the day, my shoulders, back and legs were absolutely killing me. I worked most of the day moving kegs and my body told me I need to find a new line of work. I was barely able to last the Thursday evening session and had to take a break to sit down and relax several times during the session.

I even took the opportunity to get a chair massage in the center of the hall near the bookstore. That felt so good after a long day of moving kegs.

So it may well be that next year I'll limit my volunteer duties to simply pouring beer during 1 or two of the sessions. I think my body will thank me later.

But for those of you who have a knack for moving heavy objects, I'd highly recommend working the setup crew at the GABF. The captains in charge of this are very knowledgeable and are easy to get along with. As long as you put in a good day's work, the rewards (free complimentary GABF tickets) are well worth it.

If you can't view the video from this page, please visit the official YouTube page at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJCjgQ8KGFo

Next time you attend the GABF, just remember the 1000's of volunteers behind the scenes who helped make this festival possible. With all of them, we'd never be able to see so many beers together all in one place.

Related articles:
- Setting up for the 2009 GABF part 1.
- Volunteering at the 2009 GABF.
- GABF week at the Falling Rock Tap House.
- Behind the scenes at the 2008 GABF.

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Setting up for the 2009 GABF part 1

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:21:00 +0000

I'm finally getting around to processing the hours and hours of footage and images I took during the 2009 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). This is part 1 of a two part post. I've gone through dozens of images and put them together in a short music video that I created on Animoto.com. Take a look at the video below and let me know what you think of the new video format. Different, upbeat, more rock-n-roll.

This video mixes images of the morning setup crew along with several images from the Thursday night GABF session including the Thursday night #GABFTweetup. In part two, I'll post a more formal video on the pre-GABF efforts.

If you can't view the video below in your RSS reader or if your email subscription won't let you view this, head on over to YouTube and view the video on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pGhPR3Ug9k

And for those of you who can't view the video, I'll include some images below.

Volunteering Year Two

Continue reading the next post for a more detailed video of the setup effort for the GABF. Setting up for the 2009 GABF part 2.

Related articles:
- Volunteering at the 2009 GABF.
- 2009 GABF week at the Falling Rock Tap House.
- Hot picks from the 2009 GABF.
- 2nd annual Flying Dog FBAG party review.
- 2009 Denver Rare Beer Tasting highlights.

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Oskar Blues new restaurant to open October 12th

chipper5711@comcast.net (Chipper Dave) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Fresh off the Oskar Blues web site comes news that their brand new Longmont restaurant will open next week. This looks to be a great new spot to sample not only Oskar Blues brews and music but also many other fine craft beers on tap. Their new menu should be online soon at the Oskar Blues web site.

Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids to open Monday, October 12th 2009

Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids opens its arms to Longmont this Monday, October 12th with a toast to the local businesses that helped create our newest beer blessed home. Our down home beer joint celebrates beer culture with 43 craft taps, Southern inspired BBQ & soul saving Live Music. An in-house smoker, the Midnight Toker, stoked with local apple wood will turn out slow smoked North Carolina style BBQ Pork, Spare Ribs, Beer-Can Chicken, Salmon and Turkey. The Zero Waste kitchen will also feature Gluten Free & Vegetarian inspired dishes served next to Oskar Blues favorites like the Silo Burger.

Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids
1555 South Hover Street
Longmont, CO 80501
303-485-9400
open 11am to Close, All Week

Update: If you want a sneak peak at the new restaurant then plan to attend this year's OSKTOBERFEST. Oskar Blues is hosting their annual Osktoberfest party from 2:00pm to 5:00pm Saturday, October 10th. The event will happen at both the Oskar Blues brewpub in Lyons and their new restaurant in Longmont, Home Made Liquids & Solids. Live music, bobbing for apples, and a giant pumpkin raffle. Brats, burgers, caramel apples, and a whole pig roasted in their new smoker. Plus all that good O.B. brew.

Related articles:
- Oskar Blues debuts new tasting room Tasty Weasel.
- Cellaring notes on Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.
- The breweries of Longmont part III - Oskar Blues.

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