Tag: Colorado

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Christmas Beer of the Day – Northstar Imperial Porter

The Brewery– Twisted Pine

The Beer – Northstar Imperial Porter

The Details
“Northstar, which carries a 98 on ratebeer.com, is black as a moonless night and gives off an aroma of toffee and dark fruit laced with licorice. Once the porter hits the palate, the tongue dances to notes of chocolate-covered raisins which harmonize well with subtle traces of roasted nuts and molasses. The beer is dry enough to punctuate the flavors with a crisp finish, while just silky enough to leave a stamp of the epic experience behind for a while. An ABV of 9.1% provides a slight warming glow that grows up the chest as the ale drops in the glass. Northstar was awarded a gold medal at the 2010 Colorado State Fair, a silver in the 2006 World Beer Cup, and a bronze in 2008’s State Fair.”

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Odell Myrcenary

“Named for Myrcene, a component of essential oils in the hop flower, Myrcenary Double IPA is our tribute to those who revere the illustrious hop, and their unyielding exploit to craft hop forward beers. Brewed with a blend of hops containing the highest levels of Myrcene, this double IPA prevails with a tropical fruit-like flavor, a pungent floral aroma, and a clean getaway.”

I have recently had a couple of Odell’s beers. Both were good but didn’t blow me away, maybe this is the beer that changes that.

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Beer Culture

“Beer Culture is a documentary film about the growing trend in Craft Beer set in the epicenter of it all, Colorado. Beer Culture explains the cultural phenomenon behind the growth of craft beer telling it through the stories of struggles and successes of some top brewers in Colorado including, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Company, Tommyknocker, Upslope, including much more. This film is set to debut in the Summer of 2011.”

That had better pique your antenna up. There are a slew of beer doc’s in the pipeling. Personally, I can’t wait for them to hit theaters and DVD.

Beer Culture Trailer 1 from FM Productions on Vimeo.

Thanks to Jay Brooks for unearthing this for the world

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Give me a Hickenlooper

Tomorrow, Wynkoop Brewing releases “Hickenlooper’s Inaugurale”.

This new draft-only beer commemorates Wynkoop founder John Hickenlooper being sworn in as Governor of Colorado on January 11.

The beer will be sold at Wynkoop Brewing Company until they run out, and the brew will be offered at the official inauguration dinner on January 11 at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium. I have never heard of that happening so another first for craft beer!

The beer is a mix of brown ale and winter warmer which is appropriate for the weather in Colorado and around the country. Sounds good to me. Their should be beers for special occasions all the time.

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new from Upslope

Though I would have expected a brown can to match the name. I am glad that Upslope is growing their canned beer offerings.

“Upslope Brown Ale. It’s an English-style Brown Ale with an American twist in that its sweet roasted-malt base is offset by a pronounced hop bitterness and higher alcohol content — about 6.7 percent by volume — than its counterparts brewed across the pond. It has a well-balanced character with a clean, dry finish that makes it easy to kick back several in one sitting.”

Read this update from the Boulder Camera to get the full scoop on this Colorado brewery.

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Oskar Blues – Liquids and Solids

photo from Oskar Blues website
One of the best food and beer pairings is with BBQ. And one place that marries the two is in, you guessed it, Colorado. And it has a clever name to boot…

Oskar Blues’ newest down home beer joint celebrates beer culture with 43 craft taps, Southern-inspired BBQ & soul-saving live music. “This is an authentic craft beer bar right down to the keg based fountains” says owner Dale Katechis. An in-house smoker, named “the Midnight Toker”, stoked with local apple wood turns out slow smoked North Carolina style BBQ pork, spare ribs, beer-can chicken, salmon and turkey.

“Liquids & Solids is like the Big Muddy flowing through the Rocky Mountains,” says Oskar Blues founder and owner, Dale Katechis. “The slow, Southern style of cooking is the perfect match for American craft beer. Both are labors of love and have mouth-watering tastes people love to enjoy and savor.”

Set in the heart of Colorado craft beer country, Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids takes both its beer and food seriously. Jason Rogers, former executive chef at Denver’s J.W. Marriott and recognized by the James Beard Foundation – the ultimate kudos in the gourmet food world – oversees the kitchen. Menu features such items as smoked salmon fish and chips and a Dale (Pale Ale), or bourbon balls and a Ten FIDY (Imperial Stout).

Sounds good doesn’t it? And after visiting the Tasty Weasel, I know for sure it is.

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Let’s Tour…Upslope Brewing

Are you ready for another Colorado beer tour? Let’s go to Upslope then!

Here are their specs and their signature beers…”Brewed with Patagonian hops, high quality Rahr malts, snowmelt and yeast, Upslope’s ales satisfy a wide range of beer drinkers. We have chosen to package our beer in cans because they are portable, light, crushable and the most recyclable container on the planet.”

Upslope Pale Ale
“This clear, crisp, dry pale ale is our signature beer. It’s refreshing characteristics, and signature dry finish, blends smooth malt flavors with a unique spicy hop bitterness. This will be the “go to” beer on any camping trip, fishing excursion or music festival.”

Upslope India Pale Ale
“Our IPA will appeal to the beer enthusiast who desires a bold, deep and bitter ale. With a coppery color indicative of a traditional IPA, Upslope India Pale Ale has a complex malty character and is more well-balanced than most IPA’s, but still offers that bitterness that IPA lovers seek.”

UPDATE:
I was lucky enough to sample the pale ale from Upslope in Boulder. The cans logo and design is striking and simple and that carries through to the beer. It is hoppy but it does not coat the mouth. A great beer for the beach on a summer day. I made room to bring two back home to LA if that tells you anything.

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Let’s Tour…Strange Brewing

from the Strange Brewing website

Now for a strange tour, brewing that is. Strange Brewing is another new entry to the high flyin’ Denver beer scene.

They have a selection of 9 beers according to their website. Including these 2 that I would like a sample of…

Cherry Kriek
We named this Strange Brew ‘Cherry Cherry’ because that’s what it is. There’s so much cherry in this beer even its foamy head is red! We start with a Dark Belgian Wheat recipe, cram it full of Montmorency Tart Cherry goodness, then age it with oak. The result is a cherry cherry lovers dream come true. Goes great with dark chocolate, with fudge brownies, with chocolate gateau, with cacao nibs, with…well you get the picture. And did we mention cherries?
4.7% ABV 15 IBUs

Le Bruit Du Diable
Our spin on a classic Belgian farmhouse ale. We start with high quality Belgian Pilsner malt and add some Belgian Caramel Vienne and Caramel Munich for color and complexity. Bring it back down to earth with just the right amount of Czech Saaz hops to provide refreshing balance. Fermented hot with a very special yeast strain from the Wallonia region of Belgium, this unique yeast gives our Diable its earthy, fruity, spiciness and dry malt character.
7.5% ABV 42 IBUs