Tag: Colorado

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Verboten Brewing

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With a name like Verboten Brewing you would expect either:

A) Forbidden beers

B) German beers

And this Loveland, Colorado boutique brewery falls firmly into Camp Anti-Reinheitsgebot

Just check out these three beers that would be first in my taster tray…

Killer Boots – Caramel Porter

  • 19 IBU’s. Our caramel porter is an English-style porter with a pleasing roastiness and chocolate notes. Our base porter recipe is infused with our housemade caramel at the end of boil and again at the end of fermen­tation.

6.0 % ABV

Angry Banjo – Kentucky Common

  • 14 IBU’s. Inspired by the once popular indigenous style from Kentucky, this beer is made with American malts, flaked rice, and rye. Chocolate and Caramel malts give color and flavor to this clean, refreshing Dark Cream Ale

5.8 % ABV

What Hump? – Dark Sour Ale

  • 19 IBU’s. Porter aged in an oak barrel and soured with Lactobacillus.

6.2 % ABV

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Fernet? That’s New

odell-fernet-label

I have never imbibed Fernet but even without that experience I am glad to see Odell’s Fernet Aged Porter, “an imperial porter aged in the barrels of the famous liqueur.” Why? Because bourbon barrels are a little played out in my opinion and craft brewing should always be trying new things and if one of the many flavors described below are found in this beer (brewed with lavender, honeysuckle, ginger root, bitter aloe, dandelion root, rose pedals, chamomile, and peppermint) , it could be a complex joy to drink.

I also don’t know much about this Fernet, but it is from Leopold Brothers Distillery and I have tasted other beers aged in their spirits and they have been wonderful.

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20 NEW breweries to Open in Denver!

If you have any doubt that the City of Los Angeles and all the cities surrounding said metropolis could use more breweries, then read THIS.

Denver is obviously a big beer town but one could say they have plenty of beer to go around.  But possibly doubling (almost) their brewery count in the span of a year?  That is crazy.

Next Great American Beer Festival that I go to, I will probably not even set foot into the convention center.  Too many other places to go to!

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Holiday Beer # 6 – Accumulation White IPA from New Belgium

New Belgium Accumulation White IPA

New Belgium Accumulation / Colorado

“This winter, IBUs start accumulating like snow in Colorado with our new Accumulation White IPA. Brewing a white IPA was not only a way to salute the white beauty falling from the sky, but a direct revolt to the longstanding tradition of brewing dark beers for winter. At least that’s what our rebellious brewer Grady Hull likes to claim as he shovels in plenty of new hop varietals and a bit of wheat for a smooth mouthfeel. Stack up a few cases of Accumulation White IPA to keep your long nights glowing blizzard white.”

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Ranger Station # 1

NewBelgiumRangerStation

Count me as a big fan of New Belgium.  All it took was a tour of their massive brewery and I was hooked.  Now to add to their legacy which includes a coming brewery back east is a bar and eatery in Snowmass Village, near Aspen. If you are a skier, it is located at the base of the mountain.

The New Belgium Ranger Station is in a 750-square-foot space which can barely contain the flavor in their beers. Oh and they have at least three Lips of Faith beers on tap!

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Xmas 2012 Upslope / Christmas Ale

If Upslope were anywhere near my beer buying radius, I would always have their cans on hand and in hand too. It would be especially nice to crack open a can of this Christmas cheer…..

“Celebrating the wintry nights and lights of the season, this lightly spiced English old ale is caramel colored and malty sweet. Second generation to the traditional Winter Warmer, allspice, orange peel and ginger round out the piney aroma of crushed juniper berries.”

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Brewery Tour – Fort Collins stop # 1 – Funkwerks


I was quite happy that I was able to get a taster of beer from Fort Collin’s Funkwerks. They along with Crooked Stave (which brews at their facility) have been getting a bit of beer praise and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. And I was impressed.

They focus on the saison style and have a primer on this now thoroughly Americanized style on their website HERE.

I had the Tropic King but their list of beers include ingredients like grapefruit, fennel, and green tea too. So after hitting New Belgium and Odell’s, head over and try a Belgian Oatmeal stout or a citrus saison.

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Brewery Tour – Fort Collins stop # 1 – Odell’s

I made my first trek to Fort Collins this year. It was brutal. Shuttled by New Belgium with beer on the bus to their brewery. But I did miss out on the rest of the scene in this Colorado beer city. So this month, we will travel together to some breweries that I have not visited, yet.

First up is Odell Brewing Company…..

I have had their 90 Shilling Ale and their recent Woodcut offering (#6) but there are quite a few more beers of theirs that I want to try. So let’s get to my list….

St. Lupulin
“A mystical legend echoes in our brewhouse – that of St. Lupulin (loop-you-lin) the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within – lupulin. Extraordinary oils in this yellow resin provide this dry-hopped extra pale ale with an undeniably pleasing floral aroma and clean, crisp finish.”

Shenanigans
“Our spirited brewers diligently cultivate recipes on our pilot brewing playground. Sometimes, things don’t turn out as planned…they turn out better. Destined for another adventure, this delightful crimson ale is aged in oak with just a touch of Brettanomyces. The subtle Brett tartness balances the rich amber malt with hints of dried fruit and light citrus. Our ode to the happy accident, Shenanigans was just too good not to share.”

This is family started business that counts sustainability and philanthropy among their core beliefs. That is three mission statements (when you count the beer) that I can believe in.

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Sacred Spice

I was fortunate enough to visit the Twisted Pine when I visited Boulder and I sure wish this beer had been on tap cause I would have snapped it up because chai in beer should be done more often in my opinion.

“On March 3rd, Twisted Pine Brewing Company will release Sacred Spice, the third beer in its Artisan Ale Series. Fans of Twisted Pine and craft beer in general have received the endeavor – which pairs a distinctive new brew with a different local artist each month – with open arms, eyes and mouths. In its first two months the popular project has gained attention statewide and the brewery hopes to build on that success with March’s offering.”

“Sacred Spice is an Imperial Porter invigorated with traditional masala chai spices skillfully blended by Boulder-based Sanctuary Chai. The enchanting ale carries the delightful scent and flavor of dark, roasted barley as well as the provocative aroma of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and other spices used for centuries to embolden Eastern teas. However, much like the brewery’s heralded Big Shot Espresso Stout, Sacred Spice strikes a fine balance whereby the flavors exhibit a seemingly natural harmony so that no taste bud is dominated but rather each one satisfied. The bold, black ale is 10.1% ABV with 33 IBU.

Sacred Spice’s label features a piece titled ‘Life is Beautiful’ by local artist Millicent Kang. The release party will double as an art show for Kang, whose works will adorn the Twisted Pine ale house for the entire month of March. The artist will also be on hand to discuss her art and sign bottles for collectors in what has quickly become a celebrated monthly event. Further details can be found at the brewery’s website.”

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Wild, Wild Brett

One brewery that I haven’t ticked off my “to try” list is Crooked Stave of Fort Collins / Denver. And these two beers sound great.

YELLOW
With Red and Orange released this past fall, it’s time for more beers in the Wild Wild Brett Series from Crooked Stave. Yellow and Green will be making their way across the Colorado front range starting next week. Keeping up with the series, Wild Wild Brett Yellow is a full fledged experiment which took inspiration from the savory sweet culinary traditions of southern India. Yellow has a pronounced tropical fruit base character with a small amount of spice caring forward an aroma that is both subtle and inviting. Yellow was brewed with honey, turmeric, mango and coriander before receiving a very light spicing during months of conditioning in our oak foeder.

GREEN
Wild Wild Brett Green is our nod to absurdly hopped beers… Showcasing the Australian Galaxy hop, WWBG uses 4lbs of hops per barrel with dank, dark berry tropical fruit hop characteristics dominating the flavor and aroma. The Crooked Stave twist.. WWBG was fermented and conditioned in neutral oak which actually made it easier for us to dry hop the beer multiple times over the aging period. The result, an unfiltered “wild ale” with little wild character. The hops are so dominate like in an Imperial IPA that for now it’s hard to get any Brett character. Over time the hops will fade and our house Brett character will rouse the senses.