Fermentedly Challenged

Two official beer weeks coming to Denver

2009-07-17T14:19:00.005-06:00

Philadelphia, San Francisco and San Diego have one, now Denver is about to get two of them. Two what? Beer Weeks that is. Or at least that is the plan according to a report by Ed Sealover at the Denver Business Journal (DBJ).

According to the DBJ story, there will soon be two separate and complete weeks where beer in Denver will be celebrated. The first is set for the week of September 18-27 which just happens to coincide with the 2009 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Rich Grant, who is the communications director for Visit Denver, states that they are planning to organize between 50 to 100 activities in and around Denver to celebrate Denver Beer Fest. Over 50 events have already been planned in addition to the GABF.

Then in the Spring of 2010, another week long event is being planned called Denver Beer Week. Marty Jones, who works for the Oskar Blues Brewery from Lyons and Longmont, is helping to plan that second week long event.

Denver has been called the "Napa Valley of Beer" and organizers felt that Denver needed it's own events to expand upon that.

I'm excited to hear that Denver will stretch out events beyond just the Great American Beer Festival which runs from September 24-26 this year. There will be many more get togethers and tastings including beer dinners, seiminars, tastings and promoting of Colorado's local breweries and watering holes.

Is targeting Denver Beer Fest to fall during the GABF a good idea? Isn't the city already going to be busy that week with over 46,000 thirsty beer fans? Hopefully the beer faithful will be able to stomach a week long event.

Spring is normally a slow time for beer festivals so the 2010 inaugural Denver Beer Week shouldn't have to compete with any other beer festival going on. There are currently very little details as to what will be planned for the Spring beer week but you can be assured that there will be plenty of planned events scattered all over the Denver metro area for this celebration.

Just about every brewery or brewpub in and around Denver will end up sponsoring some kind of event during these weeks. They'd be crazy not to participate as this is likely to attract a much bigger crowd than the GABF does. I don't know about you, but I'm going to have to start saving up for all of these events now. It's bound to come with a price tag and if you're not prepared for it, both gastronomically and financially, you'll miss out on some of the best beer fest action of the year.

I'm already signed up to go to the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on September 25th as well as the Flying Dog's FBAG celebration in addition to the GABF. I'm taking most of that week off from work to participate. Should be a blast.

Related articles:
- Colorado Brewers' Festival highlights
- All Colorado Beer Festival highlights
- Rocky Mountain Brew Fest highlights

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Craft beer in cans more expensive than bottles?

2009-07-15T07:46:00.008-06:00

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention lately but I was looking through my local newspaper this morning and saw an ad for craft beer in my favorite nearby liquor store. They listed the price of a New Belgium Fat Tire 12-pack in glass bottles for $12.99. Right below that listing they also printed the price of a 12-pack of New Belgium Fat Tire beer in cans. The price? $13.99. What gives?!

Rant on.

For years, a few well known craft brewers in this state have been touting the advantages of putting their craft beer in cans. They claimed that cans are more portable, cans are better for the environment and they weigh much less than bottles so the distribution costs would be lower. But in reality, certain stores are charging more for the same beer in cans. Ecksqueeze me?

I don't get it. Why would we be charged an extra $1 per 12-pack for the same amount of beer? Aren't cans supposed to be more compact than bottles? Aren't cans supposed to be cheaper to distribute than glass bottles? Can't liquor store owners fit more beer in a cooler in cans than they could with bottles? Given a choice wouldn't more people prefer cans over bottles?

So why is it that some liquor stores are now charging more for a 12-pack of craft beer in cans? Perhaps it was a major typo in the newspaper ad. I don't think so. I'd hate to think that we are paying more for what liquor store owners believe is a novelty. This stinks in my opinion. It counteracts the whole reason for going to cans in the first place.

To quote a famous movie (Network): "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more!"

Does this tick off any of you as it does me? Which do you prefer your beer in? Would you knowingly pay an extra buck for a 12-pack in cans if you could grab the same beer in bottles for less?

Tell me if I'm missing the point here but if the trend here is to charge more for cans I'm not sure I want to buy my craft beer in cans in the future. Come on brewers and store owners. Charge the same for the same quantity. I'm not willing to pay more just because of smaller lighter weight packaging. Get real.

Rant off.

Related articles:
- More Colorado craft beers heading to cans
- New Belgium to package Fat Tire in cans (Mar '08)
- Oskar Blues celebrates 6 years of canning

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Colorado State Fair seeks homebrew entries

2009-07-14T21:11:00.004-06:00

PUEBLO, CO - The Colorado State Fair is seeking superior suds from around the state for the 2009 homebrew competition.

The fair's General Entry office is seeking amateur and professional entries to compete in events at the fair, which runs from Aug. 29 - Sept. 7 at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.

The fair's homebrew competition has grown to become one of the largest and most recognized in the mountain states region, with over 270 entries last year.
The competition is sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association, and features professional judges in 28 categories. Medals will be awarded for the top three places in each category, as well as Best of Show.

Winners will be honored at the Foamfest Beer festival on Aug. 29, which features dozens of beers from the Centennial State's finest craft breweries.

Submissions must be made by Aug. 15, and can either be mailed to the Colorado State Fairgrounds, or dropped off at designated sites in Fort Collins or Denver.

For more details, call 719-248-4468, or visit the website at www.coloradostatefair.com

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Related articles:
- Trials and tribulations of bottling beer
- Pitching yeast into your homebrew
- Testing the Blichmann Boilermaker brew pot

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Been traveling all month

2009-07-14T12:16:00.007-06:00

Hey readers it's Chipper Dave checking in. Where have I been all this month? It's a long story but July has been extremely busy for me and I've been AFK for a long time.

During the week of July 1st I was in Gunnison, Colorado visiting my daughter. Heard about the new Crested Butte Brewery opening on the west side of town on Highway 50. It will be located in the old Ford car dealership building. Last I heard it may open late summer. Wonder what the Gunnison Brewery will think of that?

After the long Gunnison road trip and only having a couple of beers while there, I then headed to Cincinnati, Ohio on a business trip for a week long series of meetings with a consultant.

During my stay in Cincinnati, I became a frequent visitor to the Rock Bottom Brewery on Fountain Square in downtown Cincy. I tried their seasonal dark beer (a porter), their Great American IPA and their Brown Bear Brown ale which has been one of my standard session brews when visiting. Later I had dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on the riverfront and had a full slab of their famous ribs. I washed those down with a couple of Samuel Adams Summer ales. Needless to say that dinner filled me up to the rim.

I've only been back home in Greeley for a couple of days and have had to catch up with a lot of stuff with my family and work. Sorry to say I've not been able to blog at all this month up until now. Don't worry though. I'll be back at it in about another 10 days. I will be camping all of next week and away from my computer for another stretch. Going to get busy blogging soon after I return from that trip.

It's been too long and I promise to be back to reporting all of the beer news from around northern Colorado soon. In the meantime, I've updated the 2009 Colorado Beer Festival listings with TONS of new events for August and September. Big events coming!! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Cheers!

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2009 Colorado Brewers' Festival highlights

2009-06-29T06:38:00.005-06:00

The weekend couldn't have been more perfect for the 20th annual Colorado Brewers' Festival in old town Fort Collins. Around 20,000 beer enthusiasts turned out on a bright sunny day on Saturday June 27th to sample over 50 different beers from 30 Colorado breweries. There was plenty of beer, food, music and good times abound for this annual event. Every year the Colorado Brewers' Festival seems to get more and more popular.

The event spanned the entire two day weekend. Sunday's crowd was well attended as well but Saturday is normally the busiest day of the festival. Admission to the festival was $10 for a 2-day pass and beer tokens were just $2 for a full glass. Sunday, a one day pass ran for just $6. There was also plenty of food from dozens of local vendors. If you went away hungry from this event then it was your own fault for not trying at least one item.

Below are about 59 pictures from Saturday's session of the CBF that I posted out on Flickr. If you find a picture you like all I ask is that you provide a link back to Fermentedly Challenged and let everyone know where you got it from. Enjoy!

Brewery participants at this year's festival included: Anheuser-Busch, Aspen Brewery, Avery Brewing, Backcountry Brewery, Blue Moon Brewery, Boulder Beer Company, Breckenridge Brewery, Bristol Brewing Company, CB Potts Restaurant & Brewery, Coors, CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing, Crabtree Brewing Company, Del Norte Brewing Company, Dillon DAM Brewery, Durango Brewing Company, Estes Park Brewery, Golden City Brewery, Great Divide Brewing Company, Left Hand Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Odell Brewing Company, Oskar Blues Brewery, Pitchers Brewery, Ska Brewing Company, The Fort Collins Brewery, The Grand Lake Brewing Company, Tommy Knocker Brewery, Twisted Pine Brewing Company and Wynkoop Brewing Company.

Later on, I'll post some video highlights from this festival.

This is definitely an event not to miss. The CBF will be back again next year around the end of June. Don't miss it in 2010!

Related articles:
- All Colorado Beer Festival highlights
- Great American Beer Festival highlights
- Rocky Mountain Brewfest highlights

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The Lost Abbey Judgement Day review

2009-06-25T18:28:00.005-06:00

Ask and ye shall receive. I've been bugging my local liquor store to stock beers from Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey for a while now and during my last beer run I was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of beer from those breweries in stock. No more having to go to the next town for Lost Abbey! I chose to try their Belgian Dark Quad ale called: The Lost Abbey Judgement Day Ale. This brew came in a large 750ml wire corked wine bottle and cost just under $11.00.

Port Brewing just started shipping their beers to Colorado back in late 2008 and they decided to distribute most of their regular year round beers. Judgement Day was brewed with several different malts including: 2-row, wheat, medium and dark English Crystal, Special B and Chocolate malt. Then they hopped this brew sparingly with Challenger and East Kent Golding hops and fermented it with their own strain of Belgian ale yeast. Judgement Day turned out to be a hefty 10.5% ABV, certainly a beer to give some respect to and enjoy when you don't need to go anywhere else that night.

Judgement Day poured a dark dark brown that was almost purple in color. Around the edges of my chalice I saw some nice bright ruby red edges. When I untwisted the wire cage and pulled out the cork, this brew gave just a small quiet "pop". I don't believe it was overly carbonated but I knew from the floating yeast at the bottle of the bottle it had been conditioned in the bottle.

There was very little to no head on this beer. The little head I got was tan and quickly disappeared. Right after I opened the bottle I could tell from the initial smell that this was a big Belgian-style beer. The mix of Belgian yeast, raisins and malts gave this beer a wonderful floral and fruity aroma. It reminded me of a St. Bernardus Abt 12 or an Avery The Reverend quad that I've had before. With a strong ABV, I could also detect a whiff of alcohol in the nose. I knew this would have to be consumed slowly.

This beer had been cooled in the fridge for over a day and I knew it was probably a bit colder than it should be, so I let it sit out in the glass for about 20 minutes before sampling. Beers like this tend to taste better as they warm up a bit.

Seeing how this beer was brewed with raisins, I thought it might be interesting to pair this beer with some food that had raisins in it. I chose to make some warm cinnamon raisin toast and put a couple slices in my toaster and spread some butter over the top. Both the aroma of the warm bread and the quad ale were very inviting.

Upon taking the first sip I noticed that Judgement Day had a very heavy mouth feel. It was almost sticky like cough syrup but very drinkable. There wasn't much carbonation in this brew, something that probably would have improved this beer if there were a bit more bubbles. This beer seemed to coat my throat as it went down. The taste was big on malts and dark fruits. I could also tell immediately that the alcohol was very noticeable. I knew this one was going to be a slow sipper. After just 2 to 3 sips I started getting a warming feeling from this beer.

I must admit that it took about 6 to 8 sips of this beer before this beer became enjoyable and drinkable. Word of warning to my readers: If you have been used to the lighter summer ales for a while like I have, then it may take you about 1/3rd of your 1st glass to get used to this brew. Once I got used to it, the beer became highly enjoyable. Pairing this beer with the cinnamon raisin bread was wonderful by the way. The bread and beer really brought out the full flavor of the raisins in both.

I also caution you to drink this beer in an air conditioned environment because even served cold itself, this beer will make you hot and sweaty with that strong alcohol.

I was watching the news while I was drinking this brew and heard that both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson (pop star not beer lover) had died today. How ironic, I was drinking "Judgement Day" on their Judgement Day. I'm sure both of those stars will be missed.

The Lost Abbey's Judgement Day is a fine example of a Belgian-style Quadrupel. While it was very enjoyable I've decided not to try this one again until the colder months of Fall and Winter return. This beer made me quite warm and sweaty, but satisfied just the same. I'm giving this beer a hearty Thumbs Up and invite you to try it yourself. I look forward to trying even more of their other beers in the future.

Related articles:
- The Lost Abbey Lost and Found review
- St. Bernardus Abt 12 review
- Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale review

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Dogfish Head Festina Pêche review

2009-06-24T19:19:00.005-06:00

Here's a beer style you don't see much of these days, a Berliner Weisse. Dogfish Head is known for brewing up some rare and exotic brews and this one is no exception. It is named: Festina Pêche. It's a wheat beer that was styled after a beer that was traditionally brewed in Berlin, Germany during the summer months. According to Wikipedia, this style is typically a low ABV beer that's cloudy and light colored and relatively sour. The Berliners were known for mixing this beer with syrups or fruits to take a bit of the edge off the sourness. In this case, Dogfish Head mixed in peach juice concentrate in this beer to make it distinguished from all other Berliner Weiss'.

Festina Pêche poured looking like a cloudy pilsner. It's light yellow colored and came with a small 1 finger bright white head that quickly went away. Swirling this beer created a bit of lacing but it was so thin that is is hardly noticeable.

The aroma reminded me of a couple different beers. First, the smell reminded me of a wheat beer only with a bit more funk and a hint of fruit. Now I don't eat peaches that often enough to know what they smell like but whatever that fruitiness was must have been the peaches for sure. It also had a unique yeastiness in the aroma that was hard to distinguish. This beer is supposedly bottle conditioned with a trace of yeast in the bottle. I didn't notice any floaties in the beer however when I poured it into the glass.

Festina Pêche was light bodied with an aggressive tartness on the front of the sip. Once I tried this I was immediately reminded of a sour ale. It was a remarkable tartness that was blended with peach and had a slight wheat kick. It tasted quite clean and gave me a very dry finish. Being light and low ABV (4.5%) this was a perfect drink for a warm early summer night.

I found myself drinking this one quite easily. So much so I opened up a second one and enjoyed two of them back to back. Now this is a style I could really take a liking to. It reminded me of a sour yet also like a flavored witbier. This was just the style I was looking for at this time of year.

I must admit, I enjoyed the taste of this beer much more than the smell of this beer. Normally I have to enjoy both the taste and smell in order to thoroughly approve of it. But in this case, Dogfish Head focused on bringing out a highly tasty and sessionable brew.

Festina Pêche was available here in Colorado in a 4-pack and sold for around $11. Normally I hesitate to spend that much for just four beers if it's just a session brew. It's a decent price for a 6-pack but then again this is Dogfish Head and all of the beers they make are a bit on the pricey side. But I've also come to realize it's worth the price.

This was only the 3rd beer from Dogfish Head I've tried. I simply loved their 90 Minute IPA and also was pleasantly surprised by their cocoa infused Theobrama at the GABF last year. Festina Pêche was definitely worthy for my tastes and I would seek it out again as a great alternative to a sour ale. It's that tartness that sold it for me. I really dig that sensation in a beer.

Related articles:
- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA review
- The people you meet at the GABF - Sam Calagione - Dogfish Head
- 2008 GABF video tasting notes (Theobrama)

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New Belgium Brewing is giving away bikes

2009-06-23T09:52:00.004-06:00

New Belgium Brewing Has Awarded More Than 25 Free Bikes so Far; More Than 45,000 Have Entered to Win

Fort Collins, CO – This summer, New Belgium Brewing wants Americans to start riding their bikes. If you don’t have one at the ready, the brewery is giving away more than 1,500 cruiser bikes as part of the campaign titled, “The Beer, The Bike and The Tour de Fat.”

The Fort Collins maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale is giving away the exclusive cruiser bikes, previously reserved for employees on their one-year anniversary, every day online at www.newbelgium.com/bbt between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In addition, bike drawings will take place throughout New Belgium’s areas of distribution. California is the only exception, as it is prohibited by state law.

“We wanted to spread the joy employees of New Belgium are gifted with their anniversary bikes. Many start commuting by bike as a result,” said New Belgium spokesperson Bryan Simpson. “While we have the Tour de Fat and Team Wonderbike to help people celebrate bikes they already have, this program actually provides the tool to change habits.”

The campaign page (www.newbelgium.com/bbt) witnessed triple the average daily traffic of www.newbelgium.com in the first week after launch and has stayed steady at high volume, increasing an additional 25 percent on certain days. As a result, New Belgium’s overall site traffic has also spiked to over double and sometimes triple its normal rate.

As part of its bicycle advocacy, New Belgium’s Tour de Fat is an eleven-city bike festival that has raised more than $1 million for bicycle non-profits since its inception in 2000. The 2009 Tour de Fat season kicks off in Chicago on July 11; visit www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat for more information. Team Wonderbike is a commuter advocacy program in which 16,000 cyclists have pledged to offset more than 15 million driver miles in the coming months. To take the pledge, visit www.newbelgium.com/team-wonderbike.

To enter to win a bike, visit www.newbelgium.com/bbt or watch for local promotions.

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Amber Ale and other 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 Mothership Wit review
- Tasting room notes from New Belgium
- New Belgium Lips of Faith Dark Kriek review

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Mountain Sun Belgian Beer Tasting June 22

2009-06-19T12:21:00.003-06:00

Mountain Sun Brewers Tap Long Belgian Beer History

June 22nd Belgian Beer Tasting at the Southern Sun Pub to Include First Four House Belgian Recipes.

The Southern Sun Pub and Brewery will host the first-ever Mountain Sun Belgian Beer Tasting on Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4pm. In addition to tapping our first four house Belgian beer recipes, a unique menu designed to enhance the enjoyment of these specialty beers will be offered.

The menu includes charcuterie and cheese plate with toasted walnuts, green apple & spicy mustard, pork terrine with candied plums, spicy mustard & cornichons, and beer-boiled bratwurst with onion.

Until recently, American aficionados of Belgian style ales had to travel great distances to savor the unique flavor of these hand-crafted ales. Times have changed, however, and beer enthusiasts need only visit their local brewpub or specialty beer bar to enjoy American examples of the flavors inspired by the Trappist monks of Belgium.

As the Belgium trend spreads across America, the brewers at the Mountain Sun are hard at work exploring and experimenting with the beer styles of this region.

After all, beer is to Belgium what wine is to France.

The Mountain Sun's Belgian beers were named for the four Cardinal Virtues:

Temperance: Inspired by the great beers of Belgium as well as the crisp hoppy pale ales of America, this beer is a harmonious blend of American hops and Belgian yeast, balanced by a strong, effervescent, dry finish. 5.6% ABV.

Prudence: The second offering in the virtue series, Prudence reflects the spirit of independence and creativity that is embodied by the breweries of Belgium as well as the Mountain Sun. This beer is brewed with a heavy dose of Belgian Pilsner and Vienna malts, as well as 60 pounds of Orange Blossom Honey. The floral sweetness provided by the honey is balanced by the spicy, dry finish of the Belgian Yeast. 8% ABV.

Fortitude: Inspired by the classic Tripels of Belgium, Fortitude is deep golden in color, highly effervescent, and boasts a clean, dry finish. Utilizing only two malts and one hop variety, this beer showcases the complex fruit and spice flavors contributed by the yeast. Don’t let the light color or smooth taste deceive you; at over 9% ABV, this one packs a punch!

Justice: At approximately 9.5%ABV, this rich red ale is one to be savored. With hints of dark fruit and raisins, and a deep mahogany color Justice hits the tongue with a complex malt sweetness, and finishes with champagne like effervescence.

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Related articles:
- Mountain Sun Brewpubs to feature 4 Cardinal Virtues
- Mountain Sun celebrates Stout Month
- Colorado brewers plan Tour of Colorado

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Twisted Pine rolls out Vanilla Chocolate Porter

2009-06-19T10:36:00.004-06:00

The good brewery of Twisted Pine Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado is hosting a tapping party today for their newest creation - Twisted Pine Vanilla Chocolate Porter. The celebration begins at 12:00 noon and runs all the way until 9pm tonight.

Twisted Pine is known for their enormously flavorful and award winning beers. Here is a chance to try one of their latest ones. Knowing me, as a big fan of dark beers and a porter with not only vanilla but chocolate added as well I'm bound to enjoy this one regardless of the time of year.

Besides all of the beer flowing at Twisted Pine, there will be live music on hand for the rollout party. The band will be "Peter's Brother's Band".

See event poster after the jump.

Related articles:
- Twisted Pine Northstar Imperial Porter at the ACBF
- Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy IPA and Billy's Chilies at Rocky Mt Beer Fest
- Twisted Pine American Amber Ale review

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Extremely busy weekend for CO beer fests

2009-06-19T09:18:00.006-06:00

Holy cow! I didn't realize it until today when I checked the old 2009 Colorado Beer Festivals and Events list. This is probably one of the busiest weekends in Colorado for festivals and events. Summer has officially arrived! Just check out the activities going on this weekend here in Colorado:

Crabtree Summer Concert Series
June 19, 2009 (Fri)
Crabtree Brewing Company
Greeley, CO
Crabtree Summer Concert Series presents...THE BUZZ BROTHERS!!!! They play some jazz, they play some blues, they play some rock! This is an awesome band... not to be missed! They will start about 8:30pm. $2 Pints from 8pm-9pm and for the first time at the Crabtree Brewery... Fusco's Table will have sandwiches available.. to those in need of nourishment! A new band will be featured every Friday through July 10th. www.crabtreebrewing.com

Food & Wine Classic
June 19-21, 2009 (Fri-Sun)
Aspen, CO
The festival may be wine focused but Great Divide Brewing insures us that there will also be some great food and BEER pairings to be had at this 3-day summer festival. Beer lovers can run elbows with wine enthusiasts and attend seminars,exhibits and tastings amongst the beautiful Aspen scenery. Web site.

3rd Annual Summer Blast
June 20, 2009 (Sat)
The Promenade Shops at Centerra
Loveland, CO
Colorado's favorite restaurants, a beer garden and wine pavilion, local live music, Kid's Korner, an arts and crafts sidewalk sale, and a spectacular fireworks show. Festival goers will have the chance to taste from several different food vendors and get refreshed in the beer garden or wine pavilion. A Kid's Korner will offer a variety of inflatable amusement rides for kids of all ages to enjoy. A mega slide, obstacle course, and face painters will provide families hours of opportunity to have fun together. Admission to the Kid's Korner is free. A spectacular fireworks show will cap off the day at approximately 9:30 p.m. Festival goers are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets for firework watching comfort. Web site.

more events after the jump...

Breckenridge Alehouse Brewfest
June 20, 2009 (Sat)
Grand Junction, CO
Join Avery Brewing Company in Grand Junction for a western slope brewfest. Kegs from multiple breweries will be tapped at 4:30 PM and pour "til their done". At the Breckenridge Alehouse, 2531 North 12th Street in Grand Junction. Call 970-242-7ALE for more info.

Left Hand Summer Solstice Party
June 20, 2009 (Sat)
Left Hand Brewing Tap Room
Longmont, CO
Saturday, June 20th marks the first day of summer and Left Hand Brewing is celebrating. Join them at the Tasting Room for free brats fresh off the grill, Sawtooth pints $1 off, and live music with The Curbfeelers. Left Hand will spark up the grill around 3pm and grill until they're gone.

2nd Annual Local Beer & Wine Festival
June 20, 2009 (Sat)
Whole Foods Tamarac / Merchant of Vino
Denver, CO
Join us on the patio on June 20th from 4-7pm and taste dozens of local wines and beers! Tickets are $20 and benefit Project PAVE, a local non-profit dedicated to promoting alternatives to violence through education. There will be great food, great locally made beer and wine, and lots of fun! Tickets are available at the customer service desk inside Whole Foods Market-Tamarac.

Fort Collins Irish Festival
June 20-21, 2009 (Sat-Sun)
Civic Center Park
Fort Collins, CO
The 2nd annual Fort Collins Irish Festival is bringing all things Irish to Larimer County. This annual tradition will feature local Irish bands, internationally acclaimed musicians, customary Irish cuisine, a big beer garden, interactive activities for the whole family, Irish and Celtic arts and crafts, Irish whiskey and much more! Slainte! Web site.

There are a lot more summer beer festivals coming up this summer. Check the 2009 Colorado Beer Festivals & Events listings on this blog for more. More events are being added and updated weekly.

Related articles:
- July 2009 Colorado Beer Festivals and Events
- August 2009 Colorado Beer Festivals and Events

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The Bruery Orchard White review

2009-06-14T07:22:00.005-06:00

I finally got to try a new beer from a brewery I hadn't seen here in Colorado until just recently. I had stopped by Liquor Max in Loveland Colorado to look at their fine selection of Belgians and other beers. I spotted another witbier in the cooler that had a high rating listed below it. My interest in witbiers these day are high and I jumped that the chance to try a beer from The Bruery from Placentia, California in the heart of Orange County. This bottle looked a lot like a wine bottle (perhaps on purpose) and was called Orchard White.

The Bruery's Orchard White weighed in at a moderate 5.7% ABV and was bittered to just 15 IBU so I knew this beer wasn't going to be heavy on the hop side. Witbiers can vary quite a bit for this style. Breweries tend to throw in a wide range of spices and try several different strains of Belgian yeast. This beer had gotten some good press and I wanted to see for myself how it tasted.

The bottle suggested serving this witbier fairly cold at 45 degrees in either a fluted glass or a wine glass. I chose the fluted glass as I admit I don't own any wine glasses. Orchard White poured darker than other witbiers I've seen. This was not a pale yellow but rather nearly orange. In the glass it appeared to look like apple juice with a very fizzy white and short lived head.

The head built up quickly and filled nearly half the glass but just as quick as it built up it faded down to nothing. This beer was highly carbonated. There were a lot of bubbles in this beer and the dissolving foam sounded more like champagne than beer. Swirling the beer in the glass yielded no extra head and there was absolutely no lacing from this beer.

The first pour out of this 750ml bottle was surprisingly clear. The label stated that this beer was unfiltered and bottle conditioned. I thought for sure it would (should) be cloudy but it wasn't. That would soon change, however, as the 2nd and 3rd glass got cloudier the deeper into the bottle I sampled. Just look at the picture close up, does that look cloudy to you?

Aroma: I noticed a more sweet but spicy aroma from this beer. The Bruery must be using a different strain of Belgian yeast than I've seen in most witbiers. The aroma was a bit floral and citrusy. The label suggested there was a hint of lavender in this beer - perhaps that was what I was smelling. It didn't have a wheat-like aroma like some wits but was more dominant on the spice (coriander) or lavender. I could detect a hint of orange peel in this beer as well.

Mouthfeel: I felt a sharpness hit the front of my tongue right from the start. The carbonation was very noticeable as it spread throughout the palate. Not only did the look remind me of champagne but also the feel. The bubbles would eventually subside later in the sampling but the initial pour was quite lively. The beer has a semi-clean finish with a very mild bitterness and a bit of a slippery feel. That may be due to the oats that were added to the brew.

Taste: Here is where the floral aspect of this beer comes through. Orchard White raises the bar a bit on the spices. Missing is the wheaty funk that some wit beers have but rather this one was nearly tart with sweetness but stopping just shy of it. As the smell hit me right before I tasted this beer I was already prepared for a sweet sensation. This beer was light bodied and refreshing. It could be a session brew as I was able to finish the entire 750ml bottle over the course of an hour with no problem yet it felt like a bigger beer.

I found myself wanting to just sip this beer. Due to the amount of carbonation, if I drank it too quickly I'd start to burp easily. After finishing the entire bottle, the beer left me with a very pleasant glow.

What's been interesting about sampling witbiers a lot these days is the variety that comes with this style. Apparently the taste in witbiers can go from grassy / biscuity to floral and sweet to strong and spicy. That's why sampling many different brands can be so much fun. Like Forrest Gump says, it's "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

Midway through the sampling, I paired this beer with some sharp yet soft cheddar cheese. The sharpness of the cheese countered the sweetness of this witbier perfectly and I enjoyed the pairing enormously. I had a couple of those Baby Bel cheese rounds in a wax shell. It was just the right contrast for this beer.

I enjoyed this beer a lot and will gladly give this beer a big thumbs up. The spices were balanced well but I found myself wanting something different by the end of the bottle. I can only handle so much spiced beer in one evening. Enjoy this one in moderation. One or two glasses are fine. This one is one of the better wits. Anyone know of an example of a really outstanding wit they could tell me about that may be available in the Rocky Mountain area? I'd be interested to find more good examples to try.

Related articles:
- New Belgium Mothership Wit review
- Samuel Adams Imperial White review
- Oskar Blues ships to California

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New Belgium Mothership Wit review

2009-06-13T06:56:00.002-06:00

I've been on a witbier kick lately. Every since my visit to Texas Road House and I had a witbier there, I've tried 3-4 witbiers since and have been enjoying exploring this style. To be honest, this is a beer that I tasted years ago when I had first visited New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. At the time, I was new to craft beer and hadn't yet developed a taste for Belgian-style wheat beers. I thought that now that I was touring witbiers that this would be a good time to revisit this old standard from New Belgium.

Mothership Wit is billed as an organic wheat beer. I think they label it this way because not only is it made with all natural organic ingredients, but it is closer to a wheat beer than it is to a witbier. Witbier is translated as "white beer" and the Belgian version of a witbier is spiced with coriander and orange peel. New Belgium lists both of those flavors as ingredients too so it matches the style fairly well.

The Mothership poured a very pale yellow with a big frothy white head. It looked well carbonated and was cloudy as most wheat beers tend to be. I chose to pour it into a New Belgium glass instead of a fluted glass. This beer weighed in at 4.8% ABV and is easily considered a session beer.

The aroma has a typical Belgian yeast aroma. It's slightly funky, citrusy and spicy and reminded me a bit of wild cut grass. This had more of a traditional wheat beer aroma than some of the witbier aroma I have had recently. If you've never had a wheat beer before it may take you a bit getting used to the smell of this beer.

As for the mouthfeel, the Mothership Wit was initially bubbly on the tongue and coated it slightly with the grains and yeast. It had what I'd call a slippery feel to it, almost chewy. The bitterness of the brew could be felt throughout the entire tasting but was not overwhelming in the least.

The taste was rather biscuity, yeasty and a tad grass-like. I didn't notice the spice as much as other wits but rather the wheat and yeast dominate this drink. There was also a slight bitter aftertaste to this brew. I served this fresh out of the fridge and tasted refreshing when cold. Despite the funky wheat taste, it was smooth and thirst quenching. This beer would go quite well outdoors in the shade on a hot summer day.

This beer had a classic wheat taste with a Belgian twist. I got the feeling that New Belgium could have put a touch more coriander and orange peel in this beer. The yeast and wheat dominate here. It even tastes organic, if there is such a taste. I could imagine that I was drinking a glass of nature with this brew.

I noticed that the bottle had a "Best By Date" on it, however the label was slightly worn and I could not read the date on it except for a 2009 on the side. The beer tasted slightly unfresh as I had expected a bit more ZING to it. Hopefully it was a fresh batch.

To be honest, this beer is not one of my favorites from New Belgium. I am a big fan of their 1554 Black Ale, La Folie, Dark Kriek, Biere de Mars and Mighty Arrow (and others). But this beer had a bit too much wheat in it for my liking. Still, I was able to easily finish the entire 22oz bomber of this brew. Its well made but not in the top half compared to other witbiers I've tried recently.

I'll give this beer a tentative thumbs up with a note to others to be sure you enjoy wheat beers before picking up this beer. Its OK but a bit middle of the road for me. I have another witbier waiting for me in the wings that I'll be reviewing soon - Orchard White from The Bruery. Look for that review soon.

What do the rest of you think of NBB's Mothership Wit? Does this beer stand out for you? Let me know what you think of this.

Related articles:
- Tasting room notes at New Belgium
- New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale review
- New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown Ale review
- Samuel Adams White Ale at Texas Roadhouse

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Odell Twtterbrew video highlights

2009-06-11T10:49:00.004-06:00

I've finally gotten around to compiling the video highlights from last week's Odell Twitterbrew tapping party in Fort Collins. Apparently YouTube doesn't like it when you add music backgrounds to your videos, so I had to redo it all again. Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you highlights of my visit to Odell Brewing Company from May 30, 2009.

I hope to post some more video from my visits to New Belgium Brewing and the Fort Collins Brewery in the coming weeks. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting.

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- St. Lupulin and the Twitterbird
- More Odell Blackbird tapping party highlights
- Odell breaks ground on expansion

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Odell Brewing officially breaks ground on expansion

2009-06-10T07:05:00.003-06:00

Odell Brewing Company embarks on new expansion

Fort Collins, CO - It was golden ales not golden shovels on June 9, 2009, as Odell Brewing Company officially broke ground on its new expansion. The project, which includes an expansion of the existing manufacturing, office, and tap room facilities, will help the brewery accommodate increased and enhanced brewing operations.

“While we are expanding capacity, we are really viewing this as an investment in innovation in both style and process,” said brewery owner Wynne Odell. Not only will the brewery gain much needed space, but it will also improve its creative brewing processes with investments such as a single-serve packaging line and a new barrel aging cellar.

Odell Brewing has partnered with local businesses RB+B Architects, BHA Designs, Northern Engineering, and Delta Construction for the project. The brewery has also incorporated multiple environmentally friendly installations and “green” considerations in its plans.

“The design team made a concerted effort to create a facility that is both healthy and efficient,” said project manager Brendan McGivney.

The brewery will work with Abound Solar on a roof mounted photovoltaic system. Abound’s solar panels, installed by Wirsol, will generate 50 KW of energy, which is approximately 1/3 of the brewery’s summer daily peak demand.

Solar tubes in the brewery’s new warehouse will provide natural lighting, and a day-lighting system will actually turn off light fixtures when this natural light is sufficient. The brewery will also include a water recovery system in its bottling line that will capture clean rinse water and use it for landscape irrigation.

In addition to the building, the brewery will include improvements to its parking, shipping, and overall landscaping. Drought-resistant plants will be used throughout the landscaping, and porous pavers will be used in the parking lot to minimize rain runoff. These porous pavers will be showcased by the city of Fort Collins as one of their Low Impact Development Pilot Projects.

Odell Brewing expects to complete the expansion in early 2010.

Odell Brewing 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.

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Related articles:
- Odell Blackbird Twitter beer tapping party
- Odell Woodcut No 2 release day
- Odell Brewing expands into Arizona

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Avery Brewing updates new web site

2009-06-05T08:46:00.009-06:00

Times are a changing and so has Avery Brewing. This week, Avery Brewing of Boulder, Colorado recently upgraded their web site and online merchandise store and is now boasting a brand new look. The old site is no more and the new site has been totally revamped to reflect the changing times at Avery Brewing. (www.averybrewing.com)

According to their latest newsletter:

"To celebrate and to show off our new Online Merchandise Store , we're having a MERCHANDISE SALE from 6/4 to 6/11 with 25 to 30% off select Avery merchandise. Check it out at the AVERY CLEARANCE SALE. More pages and features will be added soon!"

Avery Brewing also announced recently that they will be expanding their tasting room in Boulder once again. You'll soon have even more room for their local tasting sessions and events. Their new tap room hours are: Tues-Thur 2-8pm, Fri 2-10pm, Sat Noon-10pm and Sun 1-7pm. Thursdays there is live music there from 5-8pm. Every Friday Night there will be limited release tappings. Saturdays are "Drinking Helmet Day". Bring the helmet from your favorite hobby and you'll get $3 pints from their left tower. Sundays are hosted open mic day with a house band Hotfoot from 3-6pm.

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Colorado brewers plan Tour of Colorado

2009-06-05T08:04:00.005-06:00

Avery/Ska brewers set to embark on a five day, 426 mile ride for charity and craft-brewing brotherhood

5 Days ~ 13 brewers ~ 426 Miles ~ 42,000 Vertical Feet

Boulder, CO- It's not every day that your boss tells you to take a free, paid week off of work to labor across the mighty Rocky Mountains on a grueling 426 mile bicycle ride, climbing 42,000 vertical feet and questioning your sanity the entire way. Then again, Avery Brewing Company isn't your everyday brewery.

On Monday, July 20th 2009, 13 brewer-cyclists will depart on their bicycles from Avery Brewing Company in Boulder to kick off the inaugural brewers Tour of Colorado; a five day, 426 mile odyssey over 9 mountain passes from Boulder to Durango. En route, these thirteen hearty souls will be stopping at microbreweries and brewpubs in an effort to bring together Colorado craft brewers and encourage the fledgling spirit of collaboration and camaraderie that has taken hold in the craft beer industry.

The Tour of Colorado is a cycling incarnation of the attitude that Avery Brewing Company has always taken towards brewing. According to President/Brewmaster Adam Avery, "The passion we put into our beer is the passion we have for life. We've always brewed big, challenging beers and so we're choosing to challenge ourselves in the same manner. Most people think we're nuts, but all the brewers are okay with that!"

Each evening, after the day's riding is finished, the Avery brewers are teaming up with other craft breweries along the course to hold fundraising parties, with profits from pint sales, raffles and auctions going to local charities. Participating breweries include: Breckenridge Brewery (Breckenridge, CO), Eddyline Brewpub (Buena Vista, CO), Eldo Brewpub (Crested Butte, CO), Ourayle House (Ouray, CO) and the Ska Brewing Company (Durango, CO).

The ride will be marked with a kickoff party raising money for Community Cycles (a local bike charity) at the Avery Tap Room in Boulder on Sunday, July 19th and will conclude with the tapping of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale at the Ska Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado on Sunday, July 25th. Wheelsucker Wheat Ale is a collaborative beer between Avery Brewing Company and Ska Brewing Company, brewed to commemorate the inaugural Tour of Colorado and celebrate the fraternity of Colorado craft brewers.

Established in 1993, Avery Brewing Company has developed a reputation as one of the most daring and forward-looking breweries in the nation. They are the brewers of Avery IPA, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, White Rascal Belgian Wheat Ale, Mephistopheles' Stout and eighteen other year-round and seasonal beers.

Contact: C.V. Howe, Marketing Specialist, 303-440-4324 or cv@averybrewing.com

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Odell Blackbird tapping party highlights

2009-06-03T19:07:00.025-06:00

Whew. Last weekend was certainly busy for my family and me but I managed to break away for a few hours and attend an event over at the Odell Brewing Company tap room Saturday. May 30th was the official tapping event for Odell's new Twitter inspired beer - Blackbird.

The entire beer was imagined, designed and labeled by Twitter followers of @OdellBrewing. For the last month and a half, Odell Brewing has polled their followers as to the style, the strength, the color and ultimately the name of the beer as well as the label. It was finally completed in a short period of time and released last Saturday.

Normally, last weekend would have been the annual Odell Small Batch Beer Festival, but expansion plans had canceled that event this year. However, due to the ever changing business climate, Odell Brewing had not yet broken ground on their expansion. Just as well, there was now plenty of room for hundreds of the Odell Brewing faithful to come out and celebrate.

Not only did the Twitter nation get to sample the new Blackbird schwarzbier but also their newest summer seasonal - St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale. Call it a double tapping party. St. Lupulin was due to be in stores on June 1st but the locals got to try it first. St. Lupulin was a nice orange hop packed brew that hit the spot on a partly cloudy but warm day in Fort Collins, Colorado.

There was quite a crowd that had gathered, although much less than what would have turned out for the Small Batch Beer Festival. Still, it was a perfect day to be outside and enjoying some fresh new ales from Odell. Doug Odell was not on hand that day as he was still busy returning from the Savor event in Washington DC.

(See the event photo gallery after the jump)

All of the beer was available in $3 pints that day. They shut down the tasting sets for one afternoon and limited the crowd to their new brews and several of their standards on tap. I chose to sample just the Blackbird schwarzbier and the St. Lupulin that day as I was very eager to try something new. (And that's half the fun).

Odell Brewing even set up a live display of Twitter messages from followers who were either there at the event and tweeting or from others who simply wanted to get a reaction to the new brews. A laptop was set up along with a projector so that those passing through the tap room could glance at the comments being passed around.

I had quite a good time at Odell Brewing, as usual. I only stuck around for about and hour or so as I also wanted to get over to New Belgium Brewing and the Fort Collins Brewery the same day. I'll save those reports for one or two follow-up posts. Still, I took a ton of video and clipped out several stills from my visit that I'll share here. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed the Blackbird schwarzbier and the St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale. Odell really nailed those styles well. I savored every sip of those delicious beers. I'm hoping that they decide to make a Twitter brew an annual event with a different brew style each time. It was fun to participate in designing a brew via the internet (even though my suggestions didn't end up being selected).

See also: Odell Twitterbrew VIDEO highlights

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- St. Lupulin and the Twitter bird
- Buckbean Black Noddy Lager review
- Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale review
- Great things come in small batches

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Beer to benefit running scholarship

2009-05-30T09:23:00.003-06:00

Star Liquors/Steamworks Brewing Co. raising funds for Marc Witkes Memorial Scholarship

DURANGO, Colo. – In support of the Annual Steamworks-Animas Valley Half-Marathon set for June 20, Star Liquors has teamed up with Steamworks Brewing Co. to raise funds for the Marc Witkes Memorial Scholarship.

Star Liquors is highlighting Steamworks’ brews as “Beer of the Month” for June, with $0.50 of each 6-pack, 12-pack or 22 oz. bomber bottle of Steamworks beer sold contributed to the Witkes Scholarship. Proceeds from the Steamworks-Animas Valley Half-Marathon also benefit the fund.

“Cyclists get a great deal of attention in Durango, but we’ve got a lot of runners here and Marc understood that,” said Kris Oyler, Steamworks CEO, of Witkes, an avid runner and former president of Durango Motorless Transit. “Stan Crapo, owner of Star Liquors is a runner, as am I, so we thought this would be a great way to honor Marc’s memory.”

The Marc Witkes Memorial Scholarship is presented annually to a Four Corners area cross country runner attending Fort Lewis College. Witkes, passed away Dec. 10, 2006, less than 300 yards from the finish line at the Tucson Marathon.

“This is a win-win for everyone,” said Stan Crapo, Star Liquors owner. “We’re delighted to be able to help support this effort, and hope by the end of June we will announce an impressive contribution to the scholarship fund. What that will mean, however, is that the community has come out and participated. That will be terrific.”

In 2008, the Steamworks-Animas Valley Half Marathon and its supporters contributed $2,000 to the Marc Witkes fund. Organizers hope that with the additional support from Star Liquors, the dollars will increase.

Registration for the half-marathon is now underway at www.active.com, and event participation will be capped at 300 runners. Early registration is $30 per runner ($40 on race day pending space availability). Racers receive a finisher’s medal, Steamworks pint glass and “performance” T-shirt, plus the post race craft beer and burger barbecue (catered by Steamworks) at the Durango Sports Club. Participants also enjoy Sports Club privileges for the day, including use of the swimming pool.

Star Liquors is located in the new commercial complex at the corner of East Animas and Florida Road, Building C, Suite 100 (970.247.2258). For further information, visit starliquorsdurango.com.
Steamworks brews are available in eight states – Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The original Steamworks Brewing Co. – Durango’s “2005 Business of the Year” – is located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango (970.259.9200). Steamworks’ Bayfield Beer Factory is located at 442 Wolverine Drive in Bayfield Center, Bayfield (970.884.7837). For further information, visit www.steamworksbrewing.com.

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St. Lupulin and the Twitter bird

2009-05-30T08:38:00.005-06:00

What does a mythical patron saint of hops and a Twitter inspired bird have in common? Both of them are new beers being released from Odell Brewing Company of Fort Collins Colorado today. There will be a lively celebration at the Odell Brewing tasting room today between 12 noon and 6pm. Odell will be releasing St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale - their new Summer seasonal. Also at the same time, Odell will debut it's unique Twitter inspired beer - Blackbird, a dark Schwarzbier.

The official tapping toast for both beers will be held at 3:00pm Mountain time. Doug Odell himself will be on-hand to tap these new beers.

St. Lupulin joins the latest line of seasonal beers including the Odell Red which debuted earlier in the year. St. Lupulin is a hopped up Pale Ale that is sure to please summer beer drinkers.

Blackbird was crafted based on input from Twitter users who follow Odell Brewing. Earlier in the year, the Twitter nation was allowed to vote on the style, ABV strength and the name of this brew including being allowed to design the label for this brew. Blackbird is a Schwarzbier, a malty dark brew that weighs in at a hefty 7% ABV. Followers on Twitter will be able to finally taste this collaborative brew for the first time today.

All afternoon during the tapping celebration there will be live music. The Big South String Band will play from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Then after the toast at 3pm, Dinero will play from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

Odell will be offering up $3.00 pints of their brew as well as growlers all day long. Unfortunately, no taster trays will be available today.

I'm hoping to make it down for the toast this afternoon. If you happen to be there today look for me. I'll be wearing either my Odell Small Batch Beer Festival shirt from last year or my Fermentedly Challenged t-shirt.

Odell Brewing is currently undergoing an expansion as well. Normally this would have been the day for their annual Small Batch Beer Fest but construction forced the cancellation of that fest for this year. It'll be back next year bigger and better than ever.

Stop back on Monday afternoon also for the tapping of their Woodcut No 2 Golden Ale. Should be another great oak aged beer!

Related articles:
- Full coverage of the Odell Twitterbrew release party
- Odell Woodcut No 2 release day June 1st
- Participate in the Odell Twitterbrew project
- Odell drops, adds beers

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Memorial Day rained out except for the beer

2009-05-25T21:20:00.005-06:00

Rain - it's par for the course this year in Colorado. Work days have been nice and just when you get ready for the weekend the clouds come in and it rains most of the weekend. The entire month of May and also the tail end of April has been this way. But fear not, the weather is only damp and humid one month out of the year and the rest of it is dry, dry, dry.

It wasn't bad enough to ruin my projects around the house, however. I mowed, raked some dead spots and prepped parts of the lawn for re-seeding, dumped some ant bait to try to get back control of the yard from the 6-legged army and finally seeded and watered in the yard. Then it rained. At least once per day this weekend we got a good soaking. Unfortunately, it rained during prime BBQ hours, so we got carry out or fixed our own this weekend.

Thank goodness I had a good stock of beer. I've got several bottles of homebrew brown ale, the last of a 6-pack of Ska True Blonde Ale, a couple of Sam Adams Imperial White and the last of a variety pack from Victory Brewing.

The beer was reserved for watching sports. At least the Rockies finally won a series against Detroit but went back to their abysmal ways at home against the LA Dodgers. The Denver Nuggets had two home games verses the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 3 was much the same as Game 1 - the Nuggets gave the game away late. Game 4 is underway as I write this entry with the Nuggets struggling to hold a double digit lead.

Memorial Weekend means so much to everyone. It's a time to honor our dead, our veterans, our family and a time to get together and fly the American flag. For me, it's a time to take a well deserved break from work and reflect on my life. My family always puts our USA flag up outside our home. We love the flag and our country and it's always good to show your patriotism, especially during times when things are tough.

While the weather was doing it's thing, I took the family on Saturday to see the movie "Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian". I had seen the 1st movie previously and was just OK with it. I wasn't expecting much from this movie but I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the sequel. Sequels rarely live up to the original but I think they did a better job with this movie. My family got a kick out of the flick and we all left happy.

I'm very grateful for our holiday weekends. Work will always be there. Writing this beer blog has been very therapeutic for me. I'm sipping on a nice golden Belgian ale while I write and watching the closing moments of the Nuggets game. (Nuggets win 120-101!) What could be better? I hope all of my readers had a great holiday weekend. And for my readers overseas, I hope your weekend gave you the opportunity to enjoy a good craft beer. Thanks for reading. I hope to have a lot of updates coming up over the next several months.

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Ska True Blonde Ale review

2009-05-23T20:17:00.005-06:00

Seeing how the trend in Colorado is to put more and more craft beers into cans, I decided to pick up a canned 6-pack of a small Colorado brew who's brewery is starting to make waves in the local industry. Today's brew comes from Ska Brewing of Durango, Colorado and is called their Ska True Blonde Ale. Ska has been putting some of it's beers into cans for a while now but this is the first time I've seen this brew in a can.

Last weekend I attended a local home poker game and decided that this brew would fit the bill for the evening. True Blonde Ale is an American Blonde Ale and weighs in at 5.3% ABV and is decently hopped at 39 IBUs. I wanted something I could drink a few of without getting too over the top. This light colored blonde ale should do the trick.

Ska's True Blonde poured a lovely golden color with a huge 2 finger plus bright white head. The head stuck around just long enough to be noticeable and left a decent lacing when swirled. The can opened with just a slight hiss and was adequately carbonated. The laser etched glass gave a decent amount of nucleation with a steady stream of bubbles.

The aroma on this beer smelled like a combination of lightly sweet malts and grassy hops. Ska put some local Durango honey in this brew. It was just enough to be detected in the nose. There was also a tad bit of funkiness in the air about this brew, but it adds to the character of this beer.

True Blonde has a nice creamy taste. It's smooth and mildly bitter. I quickly knew this was going to be a good sessionable beer. It tastes a bit heavier than it looks. The honey in this brew was blended well with the pale malts and hops. It's a lighter weight brew with a medium body but that's exactly what I was looking for that night. The malts come through with a hint of the sweetness but the hops mixed well.

This brew has a refreshing yet dry finish. It certainly had more flavor than a pilsner. The aluminum can kept this beer brewery fresh and hidden from the light. I drank 3 of these beers during the evening and still felt fresh afterward. I'm definitely going to buy more of this brew during the warmer months of the year. Ska did a good job on this brew. They made me a fan of Blonde ales for the first time.

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Mountain Sun brewpubs to feature four cardinal virtues

2009-05-22T08:37:00.004-06:00

The following news was drawn from the most recent May newsletter from the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery out of Boulder, Colorado. The three Mountain Sun brewpubs, Mountain Sun (Boulder), Southern Sun (Boulder) and the Vine Street Pub (Denver) are proud to announce a new series of Belgian-inspired ales. Four beers, named for the four cardinal virtues, are currently being released at all three locations. For Belgian beer lovers, this will be a not-to-miss series of brews.

Prudence — Currently available at all three pubs

The second offering in the virtue series, Prudence reflects the spirit of independence and creativity that is embodied by the breweries of Belgium as well as the Mountain Sun. This beer is brewed with a heavy dose of Belgian Pilsner and Vienna malts, as well as 60 pounds of Orange Blossom Honey. The floral sweetness provided by the honey balances with the spicy, dry finish of the Belgian Yeast.

Fortitude - Release Date: Monday, June 1st, 2009

Inspired by the classic Tripels of Belgium, Fortitude is deep golden in color, highly effervescent, and boasts a clean, dry finish. Utilizing only two malts and one hop variety, this beer showcases the complex fruit and spice flavors contributed by the yeast. Don’t let the light color or drinkability deceive you. It’s over 9% ABV.

Temperance — Available on June 22nd at the Southern Sun

Initially brewed in honor of Vine Street Pub’s first anniversary, this beer showcases an intense flavor profile while remaining easily quaffable at 5.6% ABV. Inspired by the great beers of Belgium as well as the crisp hoppy pale ales of America, this beer is a harmonious blend of American hops and Belgian yeast, balanced by a strong, effervescent, dry finish.

Justice - Release Date: Monday, June 22nd, 2009

The final installment in the virtue series, Justice reigns supreme. At approximately 9.5%ABV, this rich dark ale is one to be savored. With hints of dark fruit and raisins, and a deep mahogany color, Justice hits the tongue with a complex malt sweetness and finishes with champagne-like effervescence.

Taste all four side-by-side on Monday, June 22nd at 4:00pm At The Southern Sun.

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Great American Beer Festival ticket sales announced

2009-05-17T08:02:00.004-06:00

Is it already getting to be that time of year? You bet it is. The Brewers Association has just recently announced that ticket sales for this year's Great American Beer Festival will be going on sale soon and American Homebrewers Association (AHA) members will get first shot at reserving their tickets.

Last year's festival in October sold out completely with just over 2 weeks left before the event. This year's 2009 event will be held even earlier than before. The festival will run from September 24-26, 2009 covering 3 days and 4 different sessions.

I bought my tickets early last year for the AHA members only session and plan to attend that Saturday afternoon event again this year. I also got FREE tickets to other nights by volunteering to work at the GABF. Volunteering is a great way to see 1st hand what it takes to set up and put together an event like this. It takes hundreds of people and thousands of man-hours to prepare for the 45,000 people who will fill the halls of the Denver Convention Center.

See the flier below for details that the Brewers Association just sent out to all AHA members.

AHA members can buy tickets starting May 19th at 10am Mountain time. Everyone else can buy tickets starting June 1, 2009. AHA members also get discounted ticket prices. You can become an AHA member now and get some great benefits along with a subscription to Zymurgy magazine for a full year. Details at www.beertown.org.

Related articles:
- GABF 2008 behind the scenes video
- What did you drink at the GABF?
- GABF 2008 tasting notes video
- 2009 Colorado Beer Festival & Events calendar

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News from the Great Divide

2009-05-17T07:26:00.010-06:00

In the "better late than never" category, the Great Divide Brewing Company recently shared news of some new beer releases as well as an upcoming anniversary party.

Great Divide continues to experiment on their beers and find new ways to tempt us. One of my favorite imperial stouts is getting a new added flavor and another imperial wit will be debuted. Here is a run down on the two upcoming releases from the brewery blog itself...

Chocolate Yeti and Double Wit Release Party

Yep, you read it correctly. Chocolate Yeti. Just when you thought the Yeti couldn't get any better.

And a Double Wit? Bet you haven't had one of those before.

Great Divide is excited to release these two brand new seasonal beers. We would love for you to join us for the release party Friday, May 29. Party runs from 6-8pm. $15 admission includes the two new beers and food. No RSVP necessary, but valid ID is required for entry.

About the beers:

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti: We toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa to create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively, adding just a bit of heat to the finish. A Yeti for summer? Hell yes.

Double Wit: Our more muscular take on the beloved white ales of Belgium. Unmalted wheat and Belgian malted barley give the beer a light body and straw hue, while coriander and curaçao provide the traditional notes of spice and light acidity. This cloudy, deceptively drinkable creation should be enjoyed without the addition of fruit.

Sign me up for both of those. I'm already a big fan of their Oak Aged Yeti and regular Yeti and with some added chocolate flavor I'm sure this one is going to be good. And the Double Wit, if it's as good as some of the other witbiers I've had lately should be another great addition.

Also recently announced was their upcoming 15th anniversary party. The celebration will happen in their tap room on June 6th in downtown Denver at 2201 Arapahoe Street from 2-7pm. Click on the party invitation to the right for additional details. There will be plenty of beer, food and live music to go around. Should make for a great time. If any of you are planning to go to this party let me know. Rumor has it there will be a special 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA being bottled for this occasion.

Related articles:
- Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti review
- Great Divide Hades Ale review
- Great Divide looking to change it's image

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