Rackhouse Pub Opens Today

There is a new beer bar in town as the Rackhouse Pub opens on South Kalamath Street today.  This new pub is located in the old Heavenly Daze Brewery building now occupied by Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey and will offer a large variety of local products including Colorado beers, micro-distilled spirits, soda, meats, cheeses and produce.  The food menu looks pretty good (can't wait to try the Colorado Whiskey Chili), but the show stopper is the 20+ craft beer taps.  The twist here is that every tap is filled with a beer made in this state including such rarities as Odell's Bourbon Barrel Stout and New Belgium's Transatlantique Kriek. The Rackhouse Pub looks like a worthy addition to Denver's craft beer scene and I hope it's successful, so go check it out soon.

Rackhouse Pub Draft Beer List:

• Blue Moon 
• New Belgium 1554 
• New Belgium Abbey
• New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek
• Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat
• Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale 
• Breckenridge 471 IPA 
• Odell IPA 
• Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout
• Great Divide Denver Pale Ale 
• Great Divide Hades 
• Avery Hog Heaven 
• Avery Old Jubilation 
• SKA Modus Hoperandi 
• Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout 
• Del Norte Orale Lager
• Twisted Pine Reily’s Oak Whiskey Red
• Steamworks Steam Engine
• Dry Dock Paragon Apricot Blonde 

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 10/25)

A small new release list this week, but it features some very rare beers that surely won't be on shelves for long. I've already covered Goose Island's fantastic Bourbon County Stout here, but their Christmas Ale is also one you'll want to pick up. Additionally, one-off releases from Widmer Brothers and Redhook have arrived in Denver and a favorite winter seasonal from New Belgium should be available again.

If you're looking for a place to find all these great beers, check out Lukas Liquor in Lone Tree (about 15-20 minutes south of Denver) as they're also having a special beer tasting today from 4:00pm to 7:00pm featuring brews from Left Hand Brewing.  This week they'll have Left Hand's Warrior IPA, Black Jack Porter, Sawtooth Ale, and amazing Milk Stout available for tasting.  Plus a representative from the brewery will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

New beers available in the Denver area:

• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (Seasonal)
• Goose Island Christmas Ale (Seasonal)
• Widmer Brothers Cherry Oak DoppelBock (Limited Release)
• Redhook Treblehook Barleywine (Limited Release)
• New Belgium Frambozen (Seasonal)

3rd Annual All Colorado Beer Festival

It may be snowing in Denver, but festival season is not done yet as the 3rd Annual All Colorado Beer Festival kicks off in Colorado Springs next Saturday, November 7th.  The event is being held at the Mr. Biggs Event Center and will feature more than 70 beers from over 30 local Colorado breweries, making it the perfect way to check out all the best offerings in the state at once.  I know I'm looking forward to seeing what will last year's People's Choice winner, Trinity Brewing Company, brings out. 

This year they will be doing things a bit differently with two 4.5 hour sessions, one at 12:00pm and one at 5:30pm. Tickets are available on their website and are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. They include a commemorative tasting glass and unlimited 2 ounce samples. All proceeds generated by the festival are donated to local nonprofit organizations.

Here's a list of the breweries that will be attending:

• Breckenridge Brewery
• Great Divide Brewing Company
• Avery Brewing Company
• The Fort Collins Brewery
• New Belgium
• Blue Moon
• Rocky Mountain Brewery
• Bristol Brewing Company
• Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.
• Ska Brewing
• Tommyknocker Brewery
• Odell Brewing
• Hops
• Black Fox Brewing
• Trinity Brewing
• Durango Brewing Company
• Rock Bottom-Colorado Springs
• Twisted Pine Brewery
• Dillon DAM Brewing
• Left Hand Brewing Company
• AC Golden
• Oskar Blues
• Coors
• Judge Baldwins

Upslope Munson Farms Pumpkin Ale Release Party

Upslope Brewing will be releasing their latest creation at their tap room this week.  Their Munson Farms Pumpkin Ale is a 100% Boulder product using spices from Savory Spice, and obviously pumpkins from Munson Farms. Around 125 pound of locally grown baby bear pumpkins were combined with a mix of Vietnamese cinnamon bark, nutmeg seeds, allspice berries, whole cloves, and shaved mace to create the pilot batch of this new seasonal.  It will be unveiled this Friday, October 30th, at 4:00pm in their tap room, and it sounds like only a small amount was brewed so it probably won't last long.

2009 Bourbon County Stout arrives in Colorado

The word is out that the 2009 batch of my favorite beer, Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout, has just arrived in Colorado.  This highly acclaimed brew (100% rating on Rate Beer and an A over at Beer Advocate) is not like anything you've had before. Even other barrel aged stouts can't compare to it's complex chocolate, vanilla, oak, and bourbon flavor.  In fact, it tastes as much like bourbon as a drink can get without being bourbon.  It is also a beer designed for cellaring (up to 5 years), as age can significantly change the flavors.  That has me really looking forward to doing a vertical tasting with one of my remaining bottles of the 2008 batch to see how it's changed.  This year's version is available in both 12 oz and 22 oz bottles, but I've heard only 65 cases were sent to Colorado so grab it while you can.

From Goose Island:

Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. A great cigar beer.

Recipe Information:
Style: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 13%
International Bitterness Units: 60
Color: Midnight
Hops: Willamette
Malt: 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roast Barley, Debittered Black

Serving Suggestions:
Preferred Glass: Snifter
Preferred Serving Temperature: 40º
Food Pairings: Flourless Chocolate Cake
Cheese Pairings: Capriole Bourbon Chocolate Torte
Cellaring Notes: Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/25)

This week is shaping up to be another great one for Denver beer drinkers with no less than 11 events in the area.  Things start off with Great Divide's monthly beer & cheese pairing on Tuesday, continue with several great Halloween parties, and wrap up with a new fall seasonal release from the Wynkoop Brewing Company.  Following this year's Denver Gorilla Run on Saturday, the Wynkoop will tap a cask of their new Riverside Pumpkin Ale (named for Denver's historic Riverside Cemetery).  The twist is that the "cask" is actually a real pumpkin! The beer was brewed with 75 pounds of toasted pumpkin, 30 pounds of pumpkin puree, traditional pumpkin pie spices, and they threw in some flaked pumpkin during the secondary fermentation.  Sounds perfect for a brisk late Fall day.


From Wynkoop:

The beer is a mahogany-colored ale of approx 6.5% ABV and sports a balanced blend of amber malt notes, layers of pumpkin flavors, and gentle spicing. It’ll be available through November while supplies last.

Beer events in the Denver area this week:

• Great Divide Monthly Beer & Cheese Pairing, 10/27, 5:00pm - 8:00pm (RSVP with patrick@greatdivide.com)
• Avery Society for the Pursuit of Hoppiness - Pearl St. Hop Tour, 10/27, 6:00pm
• New Belgium & St. Arnold Beer Event @ Trinity Brewing, 10/28 (Lips of Faith beers, games, and raffles)
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday, 10/30, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - Spiced Old Chub, 10/30, 5:00pm
• Great Divide Hoppy Halloween Party, 10/30, 6:00pm - 9:00pm ($15 per person) - Check out my write up here
• Left Hand Brewing Halloween Party, 10/30, All Day ($3 dark beers, costume contest)
• Wildnight for Wildlife @ Millennium Harvest House, 10/30, 5:30pm - 10:30pm ($65 per person, beer tasting from local breweries)
• Smoked Stout Release Party @ Twisted Pine, 10/30, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Black Fox "Samhain" Pumpkin Saison Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 10/30, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Trinity Brewing Halloween Party, 10/31, All Day (Beer specials from 3:00pm - 7:00pm)
• Real Gourd Beer @ Wynkoop Brewing Company, 10/31, 2:00pm (Riverside Pumpkin Ale release)

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 10/18)

Compared to the last few weeks this is a relatively slow one for new beers in the Denver area, but still a few seasonal releases have arrived.  One to look out for is Ska Brewing's new Hoperation Ivy fresh hopped ale.  This once-a-year brew was one of my favorites at the Colorado Fresh Hop Celebration last weekend and is part of Ska's push to distribute their excellent Local Series further outside of Durango.  Hoperation Ivy is a 100% Colorado beer made in state using Cascade hops that the brewery's employees hand-picked at San Juan Hop Farms in Montrose, CO.  It's supposed to be a limited release, so don't wait to pick some up.

• New Belgium 2° Below Winter Ale (Seasonal)
  
• Port High Tide (Seasonal)
• Ska Hoperation Ivy (New/Seasonal)
• Golden City Evolution IPA
• Rogue Maierfest Lager (Seasonal)
  
• Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout (Seasonal)

Avery Beer Tasting Today @ Lukas Liquor

Lukas Liquor in Littleton offers one of the best beer selections in the Denver area including several rarities you cannot find anywhere else.  That alone is usually enough to motivate me to make the 20 minute drive south, but there will be extra incentive today as they host representatives from Avery Brewing for a special beer tasting.  The event will run from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and will feature four of Avery's best beers plus they'll have someone on hand to answer any questions you may have.

These great Avery beers will be available:

• Avery Sixteen

A ’saison-esque’ brew with peaches, honey and jasmine, combining intense flavors with summertime quaffability. 65/35 pale two-row to pale wheat, lightly hopped to accentuate the fruit and spices.

• Avery The Reverend

This beer is strong willed, assertive, and pure of heart, a heart of candy sugar. It contains as many authentic imported Belgian specialty malts as the brewers could cram into our mash tun, and lots of Belgian dark candy sugar stirred into the brew kettle. A divinely complex and beautifully layered beer with hints of dark cherries, currants, and molasses, complimented by an underlying spiciness.

• Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Our winter strong ale has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts.

• Avery IPA

Avery IPA demands to be poured into your favorite glass to truly appreciate the citrusy, floral bouquet and the rich, malty finish. Brewed by hopheads for hopheads!

Hoppy Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than to dress up in a costume and drink craft beer!  You can do both next Friday, October 30th, as Great Divide hosts their first Halloween bash at their Arapahoe Street tap room.  The party will feature snacks, candy, and all the Great Divide beer you can drink.  Plus they're having a costume contest with awards going to the best beer related costume.  It will run from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and admission is $15 each.

Great Divide isn't the only area brewery hosting a Halloween party this year though.  Here are a couple of other options:

• Left Hand Brewing is also throwing a party on Friday, October 30th at their Longmont tap room.  They'll have a costume contest (1st, 2nd, & 3rd place get free beer!), candy, and $3 pints of any black beers (Milk Stout, Black Jack, & Imperial Stout). 
• Trinity Brewing Company in Colorado Springs is having an all day party on Saturday, October 31st. Things start off at 1:00pm with The Haunted Hunt, a scavenger hunt competition to benefit the local food bank. They'll also have a costume contest, beer specials from 3:00pm - 7:00pm, and live music at 8:30pm.

Visiting Trinty Brewing Company

A few weeks back I drove down to Colorado Springs to see what their breweries offered and try some new beers.  I hit three different brewpubs/breweries during my visit, but one stood out as my clear favorite.  The Trinity Brewing Company is still relatively new, only opening about a year ago, but is already making excellent, innovative beer.  I sampled six of their brews during my visit, and the Awaken Stout alone was good enough to make the hour drive worthwhile.  Another highlight is their Farmhouse Saison, which is brewed with a different recipe each time depending on the ingredients that are available at the time.  This is a great concept that allows them to experiment and push the envelope on what beer can taste like.

Trinity recently began bottling two of their beers, Old Growth Wild Ale and TPS Report (a sour ale that won gold at GABF this year), but they are still brewery only releases.  I picked up both during my visit and neither disappointed. These excellent sours really show what the brewery is capable of and the innovative direction they're headed.

The brewpub also has a wonderful atmosphere and features a constantly changing, slow food menu that emphasizes locally grown ingredients.  Plus they have almost 30 guest taps with rarities from a other Colorado brewers, so you're sure to find something you like. This Friday they will be releasing their new Slap Your Mammy Double IPA and it will be well worth your time to drive down and try it out.

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/18)

This week is lining up to be another great one for beer events in the Denver area.  The biggest of these is Dry Dock Brewing's 4th anniversary party this Saturday (which I've already covered here), but there are also several other tastings and new beer releases in town.  One I'm definitely looking forward to is Avery's release party for the 2009 Czar Imperial Stout on Wednesday at their tap room in Boulder.  In addition to this year's version, they'll also have the 2007 and 2008 Czars on tap for a vertical tasting!  $15 will get you 5 tasters plus a slice of a cake prepared specifically for the event.

• October Beer & Wine Class @ The Kitchen, 10/20, 5:30pm ($60 plus gratuity)
• Homebrewers and Collectors Support Group @ Avery Tap Room, 10/21, 6:00pm - 8:00pm ($5 cover)
• Czar Imperial Stout Release Party & Vertical Tasting ('07, '08, '09 vintages) @ Avery Tap Room, 10/21, 5:00pm - 8:00pm ($15 for 5 tasters)
• Left Hand Beer Tasting @ Proto's in Broomfield, 10/22, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
• Pumpkin Smasher Tapping @ Rockbottom - Downtown, 10/22, All Day
• Left Hand Beer Dinner @ California Café, 10/23, 6:00pm (Call 303-649-1111 for more information)
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - Cask Conditioned Ten FIDY @ The Tasty Weasel, 10/23, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday, 10/23, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Cask Ale Night @ Bristol Brewing, 10/24, 12:00pm - 9:00pm
• Mountain Sun "Funky Good Times" Benefit for KGNU Community Radio @ Boulder Theater, 10/24, 8:30pm - 1:30am ($25 at door or $22 at their 3 pub locations)
• 4th Anniversary Party @ Dry Dock Brewing, 10/24, 12:00pm - 11:00pm (See my write-up for more information)
• Left Hand American Homebrewers Association Rally, 10/24, 1:00pm - 4:00pm (Free for AHA members, RSVP here)
• The Rackhouse Pub is also set to open in Denver this week with 20 craft beer taps!

If you would like your event added e-mail me: denverbrew@gmail.com

2009 Colorado Fresh Hop Celebration Recap

The 3rd Annual Colorado Fresh Hop Celebration was held this Saturday at Falling Rock Tap House.  The bar teamed up with Deschutes Brewery to bring together 11 different fresh hopped beers from 10 different brewers (including a homebrewer).  As described in an earlier post, a fresh hopped ale is one brewed the same day that the hops were harvested.  That means all of these great beers are once-a-year treats.

All of the brews had fantastic aromas and were great examples of how fresh hops can enhance beer in a very different way than their dried counterparts.  My two favorites were the Fresh Hopped Gordon from Oskar Blues (also the People's Choice winner this year) and Tommyknocker's Bitter Brewer IPA (a true CO beer with the hops coming from Montrose). Another highlight was homebrewer Gordon Pencis' Falling Over Hops Pale Ale.  Deschutes was kind enough to overnight him the fresh Crystal hops he used and the end result was the equal of all the pros coming in second in the People's Choice voting.

As if all the great beer wasn't enough, Beer at Home (a homebrew supply store in Westminster) held a homebrewing demonstration at the event.  They continued the theme of the celebration by brewing a beer using fresh hops harvested from vines at Falling Rock.  It really smelled fantastic in the kettle and was the perfect addition to a great event.

Complete Beer List:

• Deschutes Hop Trip
• Full Sail Lupulin
• Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
• Left Hand Warrior IPA
• Oskar Blues Fresh Hopped Gordon (People's Choice)
• Pizza Port High Tide IPA
• Ska Hoperation Ivy
• Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
• Sierra Nevada Estate-Brewers Harvest Ale
• Tommyknocker Bitter Brewer
• Gordon Pencis Falling Over Hops Pale Ale (People's Choice Runner Up)

Boycott Monster Energy

As you may have heard, Hansen Beverage Company, a massive corporation and the owner of the Monster Energy drink brand, has recently delivered a cease & desist letter to Rock Art Brewery, a tiny craft brewer in Morrisville, VT, over their Vermonster beer.  The letter states that Rock Art's brew will "undoubtedly create a likelihood of confusion" with the energy drink.  I'm not going to get into the merits of their claims other than to say it seems ridiculous to me that someone would confuse a beer with an energy drink.

More importantly, Hansen's legal action has threatened the existence of Rock Art and could result in the brewery's closing.  As a self-proclaimed honorary Vermonter (I'm a graduate of the University of Vermont) who has drank plenty of Rock Art beers in the past, I would hate to see this happen and as a result will be boycotting Monster along with my fellow craft beer bloggers and signing a petition to let Hansen know how I feel.  Hopefully, this will be enough to get Hansen to back off from their lawsuit and allow Rock Art to continue to operate.

Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone collaboration arrives in Colorado

I was able to confirm with a Stone Brewing representative that their new Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter collaboration with Maui Brewing and homebrewer Ken Schmidt is now available in Colorado. Ken won a homebrewing contest at Stone back in March with his Aloha Plenty Porter and the prize was to brew his recipe on a larger scale using Stone's facilities. Mitch Steele of Stone converted the recipe for production brewing and then they teamed with Garrett Marerro of Maui to tap his knowledge of brewing with coconuts. The end result features 1,000 lbs. of coconut, 300 lbs. of macadamia nuts, and 200 lbs. of 100% Kona Coffee, and is supposed to be fantastic. This beer was brewed on a very limited basis and with only a few cases shipped to Colorado it will be gone soon, so grab a few bottles if you see it.

Mitch Steele's Tasting Notes:

This is just an amazing beer to taste. The 3 special ingredients, Kona Coffee, toasted coconut, and macadamia nuts combine wonderfully, and come across at three distinct stages of tasting this beer. Just a wonderful beer to relax with and drink slowly, especially while thinking about the islands!

This beer should be available at these Denver area liquor stores:

• Lukas Liquor
• Tipsy's Liquor World
• Argonaut Liquor
• Applejack Wine & Spirits
• Mondo Vino

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 10/11)

After last weekend's frigid, snowy weather it looks like things will warm up in Denver just in time for this weekend's Fresh Hop Celebration at Falling Rock.  However, the summery weather won't stop brewers from putting even more new seasonal beers on liquor store shelves.  This week we're getting 7 new fall/winter brews including brand new releases from two Durango breweries. Thanks to a new facility and canning line, Ska Brewing's Euphoria Pale Ale is available here in cans for the first time and should please the hop heads this fall.  Meanwhile, Durango Brewing's Colorfest is now available in Denver in 22 oz bottles.  This fall seasonal just won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the American Style Amber Lager category, so it should be worth tracking down.

Other new releases this week:

• Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale (Seasonal)
• Deschutes Jubelale (Seasonal)
• Durango Colorfest (New/Seasonal)
• Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser (Seasonal)
• Full Sail Wassail (Seasonal)
• Sam Smith Winter Welcome (Seasonal)
• Ska Euphoria Pale Ale (New/Seasonal)
• Rumor has it a few area liquor stores have the Ken Schmidt/Maui/Stone Macadamia Coconut Porter in this week.

Dry Dock Brewing's 4th Anniversary Party

Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora was one of the Denver area's best kept secrets until they hit the big time last month, winning Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival.  Now that the word is out, they're ready to throw down in a big way to celebrate their 4th anniversary.  Next Saturday, October 24th, they will be hosting an all-day party for the big occasion from 12:00pm to 11:00pm.  Special kegs have been set aside just for this event, so expect some rarities.  Additionally, they'll have a Randall the Enamel Animal on hand! Randall, an invention of the geniuses over at Dogfish Head, is a 3 foot long cylinder filter that is packed with whole-leaf hops and then affixed directly to the beer line leaving the keg.  The beer absorbs oils from the hops as it passes through enhancing the aroma and creating a unique experience.  As a twist, Dry Dock also plans to fill the Randall with fruit and run their award wining U-Boat Hefeweizen through it.  You won't want to miss these rare offerings, so show up early and stay late next Saturday.

A few of the beers that will be tapped:

• Topsail Trippel
• Alexander Nevsky Russian Imperial Stout
• Mouettes Joignastes Saison with Brett
• Rahab Belgian Dark Strong
• USS Enterprise IPA through a Randall full of hops
• U-Boat Hefeweizen through a Randall of fruit

Breckenridge 20th Anniversary Homebrewing Competition

Breckenridge Brewery's 20th anniversary is coming up next year and they've decided to brew up a special beer to celebrate the occasion. However, the twist is that the brew will not be one of their own recipes, but instead will be selected through a homebrewing competition! The brewery will be accepting your homebrews from November 15th through December 1st with judging taking place December 4th and 5th. The winning brewer will then get the chance to join the Breckenridge team in January to brew his or her recipe at their brewery.  This is a great chance to have tons of people tasting your beer, as it will then be featured at all four of their locations and also be available in bottles at their Kalamath Street tasting room in Denver.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for any aspiring brewers!

The Rules:

• Entries must be in the following categories: Belgian Pale Strong Ale, Traditional Scotch Ale, German Style Altbier, or French & Belgian Style Saison
• Each homebrewer can only submit one beer per category, but can enter all 4 if they choose.
• The Brewer's Association guidelines will be used by the Breckenridge Brew & Quality Control staff to choose a winner.
• They recommend single infusion mash practices and no starting gravities over 20 degrees. 
• The winning recipe may be changed to allow for the commercial and seasonal availability of ingredients
• All entries must be submitted in the form of either three 12 ounce bottles or two 22 ounce bottles.
• All entries must be submitted with this entry form.

Let me know if you decide to enter the contest and good luck!

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/11)

Not surprisingly, there are some great beer related events happening in and around Denver this week.  Things start off on a high with today's public opening of Oskar Blues' Homemade Liquids & Solids in Longmont. The new place is right around the corner from their Tasty Weasel tap room and will feature 43 craft beer taps, Southern inspired BBQ, and live music.  It's also equipped with a smoker called the Midnight Toker for true North Carolina style BBQ! Check out the menu here (smoked pulled pork sounds amazing right now). I plan to get up there soon to check it out, and hopefully, they will be pouring some of the barrel-aged rarities usually only featured in their tap room (Barrel Aged Ten FIDY, please!).

If you would like your event included please e-mail me at denverbrew@gmail.com.

• Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids Restaurant Grand Opening, 10/12, 11:00am
• Trinity/Ska Beer & Slow Food Dinner @ Trinity Brewpub, 10/14, 5:00pm
• Monthly Great Divide Hop Disciples Meeting, 10/15, 6:00pm
• Craft Beer Education with Scott Kerkmans (Chief Beer Officer for Four Points by Sheraton Hotels) @ Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, 10/15, 6:00pm-9:00pm ($59 per person)
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday - Cask Conditioned Pilsner @ The Tasty Weasel, 10/16, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - PalateWrecker (Seven Seas Double IPA with Hatch chilis), 10/16, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Bristol Brewing Venetucci Pumpkin Ale Release, 10/16, 3:00pm-9:00pm, (22oz bottles on sale at 3:00pm (3 max), draft tapping at 5:00pm (2 growler max)) All profits go back to the Venetucci farm
• Fresh Hop Celebration @ Falling Rock, 10/17, 12:00pm-5:00pm ($20 for commemorative glass and 4 tokens, each token is good for 1 beer) - check out my write up for more information.

Oak Aged Yeti Returns

Over the weekend Great Divide finished bottling the 2009 version of their Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout and has made this great seasonal available at the brewery before releasing it in liquor stores!  You can currently try it on tap, or pick up a few bottles to bring home, at their Arapahoe Street tap room from 2:00pm-8:00pm Monday-Tuesday or 2:00pm-10:00pm Wednesday-Saturday.

From Great Divide:

Oak Aged Yeti is Yeti Imperial Stout’s sophisticated sibling. They may be from the same clan, but they have entirely different personalities. Oak aging gives a subtle vanilla character, rounding out Yeti’s intense roastiness and huge hoppy nature. Who says you can’t tame a Yeti?  9.5% ABV

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 10/4)

This is a big new beer week in Denver with no less than 17 new or seasonal beers hitting area stores including the latest releases from Avery, Fort Collins, and Odell. Plus the return of fresh hopped beers from Great Divide and Left Hand, the introduction of Elysian into the Denver market, and Dogfish Head's innovative Pangaea arriving in town (brewed with ingredients from each continent).  However, the real prize for me is the 2009 release of Oskar Blues Ten FIDY Imperial Stout.  I've mentioned in the past that I was on hand for the brewing of this year's first batch, so it was kind of exciting to open my first can and taste the end product.  Lucky for you, my presence didn't throw things off too badly and it tasted every bit as good as last year's version!

Look for these new releases at a beer store near you:

• Avery duganA IPA (New)
• Breckenridge Lucky U IPA (New)
• Buffalo Bill's Blueberry Oatmeal Stout (New)
• Dogfish Head Pangaea (Seasonal)
• Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA (New)
• Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale (New)
• Elysian The Immortal IPA (New)
• Elysian Loser Pale Ale (New)
• Fort Collins Brewing Common Ground (New)
• Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale (Seasonal)
• Great Divide Hibernation Ale (Seasonal)
• He'brew Jewbelation (Seasonal)
• Left Hand Warrior IPA (Seasonal)
• Odell India Barleywine (New)
• Oskar Blues Ten FIDY (Seasonal)
• Sam Adams Coastal Wheat (New)
• The Bruery Autumn Maple (Seasonal)

3rd Annual Fresh Hop Celebration at Falling Rock

Next Saturday, October 17th, Falling Rock Tap House hosts their third annual Fresh Hop Celebration featuring fresh hopped ales from at least 7 different breweries.  A fresh hopped ale is one brewed the same day that the hops were harvested.  They go almost directly from the vine into the brew, in some cases barely hours after being picked. This imparts a different flavor and aroma into the beer than traditional dried hops.  It also requires using far more hops than usual, as drying them concentrates the bitterness and flavor.  Great Divide describes the process of creating their Fresh Hop Ale as the brewery's "biggest annual spectacle" leaving it "shamefully messy" due to the massive amount of whole, fresh hops used.  These are all seasonal beers brewed just once a year, as hops are only harvested in the fall, so this may be your only opportunity to try some of them.


The event will take place from 12:00pm to 5:00pm on Falling Rock's patio and in their parking lot and will feature live music, beer tastings, information on home brewing, People's Choice awards, and other activities. Tickets are $20 per person and include a commemorative glass and 4 tokens (each good for 1 beer).  You can order tickets in advance through Paypal.


Here's the beer list for the event:

• Deschutes Brewery - Hop Trip
• Ska Brewing - Hoperation Ivy
• Full Sail Brewing - Lupulin Fresh Hop
• Sierra Nevada - Harvest Ale & Estate Brewers Harvest Ale
• Left Hand Brewing - Warrior IPA
• Oskar Blues (Not sure what beer they're bringing, but probably a Wet-Hopped version of Dale's Pale Ale)
• Great Divide Brewing - Fresh Hop Pale Ale
• And also possibly something from Pizza Port and a homebrewer

2009 Osktoberfest at Oskar Blues

Oskar Blues is hosting their annual Osktoberfest party this Saturday, October 10th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.  The event will be taking place at both the Oskar Blues brewpub in Lyons and their pub in Longmont, The Tasty Weasel.  There will be plenty to do for the whole family including live music, bobbing for apples, and a giant pumpkin raffle.  Additionally, they will be serving up brats, burgers, caramel apples, and a whole Burkshire pig roasted in their new smoker plus the great beer you expect from Oskar Blues.

As an added bonus, there will be a free shuttle running back and forth between the two venues all day!

Four beers to try this Autumn

With snow on it's way to Denver this weekend and ski areas already opening, Fall is officially upon on us.  Here are four great seasonal beers to help you stave off the cold and enjoy this autumn in style.

The Bruery Autumn Maple
This interesting beer from the much hyped upstart brewery in California is a different take on the pumpkin beer style so popular this time of year.  The Bruery continues their trend of using innovative ingredients in their beer by packing this one 17 pounds of yams per barrel!  Hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and especially maple syrup come out as the beer warms and it's every bit as tasty as it sounds.  I'm definitely going to be making this part of my Thanksgiving dinner.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
These guys are the kings of pumpkin beer (they make 9 different kinds!), and have recently started distributing to Denver.  Night Owl is the "regular" version of their big hit at the Great American Beer Festival this year, The Great Pumpkin, and is the closest a beer can come to tasting like fresh pumpkin pie.

From Elysian:

Ale brewed with pumpkin & pumpkin seeds & fermented with spices. Our original pumpkin ale is brewed with over 7 lbs. of pumpkin per barrel and spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.

Deschutes Jubelale
2009 is the 21st anniversary for Deschutes' delicious winter warmer and they continue the trend of selecting a local artist to design the label.  This year Tracy Leagjeld has come up with a beautiful image of a Central Oregon winter, a perfect compliment to the award winning beer inside.  I don't think this one is available yet in Denver, but it's a October to December seasonal so it should be here soon.

From Deschutes:

Jubelale is classified as a "Strong Ale" or an "English Olde Ale," and has ties to the traditional Celebration Ales of England. Characterized by a very large malt body and pronounced bitterness, Jubelale contains five different varieties of hops and a healthy amount of caramel. The perfect ale for surviving the long, cold nights of winter.

Left Hand Warrior Fresh Hopped IPA
An IPA might not sound like your usual autumn seasonal, but Left Hand's latest release is unique in that it is uses fresh flower hops just picked during this year's harvest.  The 2009 version is a true Colorado creation with 100% of the hops used coming from this state (either from Rising Sun Farms in Paonia, CO or the brewery's own hop farm).  It was one of my favorite brews at last weekend's Colorado Craft Beer Expo, and should be considered a must try.

From Left Hand:

We use Warrior hops for bittering, and Goldings for dry hopping. True to our fundamental belief system, the strong hop character is balanced by a strong malt foundation, allowing for an approachable, drinkable IPA that finishes amazingly clean. The beer is full-bodied, bronze in color, and tips the scales at 6.6% alcohol by volume and 60 IBU's.

Upcoming Events (Week of 10/4)

This week brings us two more fall/winter seasonals with both Twisted Pine in Boulder and Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs throwing release parties on Friday at their respective tap rooms.  Twisted Pine will be unveiling their Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale for the first time, while Bristol is bringing out this year's version of the Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout.  Both beers sound excellent and should be the perfect accompaniments to the brisk fall weather in Colorado.

If you would like your event included please e-mail me at denverbrew@gmail.com.

• Boulder Beer Company Dinner @ Beatrice and Woodsley, 10/7 ($55 per person)
• Beer Dinner of the Year @ Wynkoop Brewery, 10/8, 6:30pm ($35 per person)
• Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale Release Party @ Twisted Pine, 10/9, 3:00pm - 9:00pm
• Winter Warlock Release Party @ Bristol Brewing, 10/9, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Oskar Blues Firkin Friday @ The Tasty Weasel, 10/9, 5:00pm
• Dry Dock Firkin Friday - Seven Seas Double IPA dry-hopped with Riwaka hops, 10/9, 3:00pm - 11:00pm
• Dry Dock @ Jack O' Launch Pumpkinfest at DeLaney Farms in Aurora, 10/10, 10:00am - 4:00pm, Free Admission
• 9th Annual Wines in the Woods - Beer In The Basement @ The Pines at Genesee in Evergreen, 10/10, 6:00pm - 9:00pm ($60 per person)

2009 Colorado Craft Beer Expo Recap

This past Saturday the Colorado Brewers Guild brought together 21 local breweries at the Empire Restaurant in Louisville for the 2009 Colorado Craft Beer Expo.  The event was the perfect place to catch up on any beers that you may have missed out at the Great American Beer Festival last weekend, and was also far more intimate than the big event in Denver.  Obviously, there were far fewer people in attendance allowing you to sample everything with no lines, but the real bonus was that every booth was manned by actual employees from the breweries.  In many cases, you were able to talk directly to the brewers about their beer as you drank it.  A real treat!

Most of the breweries brought their standard fare, but a few rolled out rarities not often seen outside their tap rooms.  These included Barrel Aged Gordon & Old Chub from Oskar Blues and Golden City Brewing's Barrel Aged Centurion Barleywine.  Another highlight was the new duganA IPA from Avery Brewing.  Just released this Friday, it was every bit has the "transcendental hop experience" advertised.  Colorado Springs' Trinity Brewing was pouring their Café Blanc (probably the only beer I've seen brewed with white coffee) and Peche Noir, but unfortunately didn't bring their GABF Gold Medal winning TPS Report.  They did mention that bottles are still available at the brewery though and from what I hear it'll be worth your time to drive down and get some.

All of this was great, but the biggest highlight for me was running into Tim from Oskar Blues who I had "helped" brew this year's first batch of their Ten FIDY Imperial Stout.  That batch was just canned this Friday and they were actually pouring it at the event!  I may be a bit biased, but I thought it tasted excellent and will be worth buying when it hits stores in the next few weeks.

Breweries at the Colorado Craft Beer Expo:

• Oskar Blues Brewery
• Gordon Biersch
• Boulder Beer Company
• Left Hand Brewing
• Odell Brewing
• Upslope Brewing
• Avery Brewing
• BJ's Brewpub
• Bristol Brewing
• Steamworks Brewing
• Ska Brewing
• Great Divide Brewing
• Walnut Brewery
• Rock Bottom Brewpub
• Del Norte Brewing
• Dry Dock Brewing
• Breckenridge Brewery
• Pump House Brewpub
• Golden City Brewing
• New Belgium Brewing
• Trinity Brewing

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 9/27)

In addition to the two great seasonals in my last post, several other craft beers have been released this week in Denver.  The biggest name of the bunch is the 2008 version of Alaskan Brewing's Smoked Porter.  It's obviously been out for awhile, but liquor stores in the area must have just gotten another shipment.  If you haven't had this beer before, do yourself a favor and go get it now.  It's the porter that started the smoked beer trend in America way back in 1988, and if you were at GABF last week you know just how popular smoked beers are now.  Even with so many other options on the market now, Alaskan's is still the smokiest and tastiest I've had and well worth tracking down.

From Alaskan Brewing:

The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky flavor of this limited edition beer make it an adventuresome taste experience. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited "vintages" each year and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle much like fine wine.

Also be on the lookout for these new releases:

• Alaskan Baltic Porter (Rate Beer)
• Grand Teton Lost Continent (Rate Beer)
• Deschutes Hop Trip (Rate Beer)
• Four+ Brewing Punk'n (Beer Advocate)
• New Belgium Hoptober (Rate Beer)

Seasonal Releases from Avery & Odell

The temperatures have started to drop and the leaves are beginning to change color, signs that can only mean one thing...new seasonal beers! This week Avery and Odell's winter warmers have hit the shelves in Denver and they're both perfect for the early fall weather. Old Jubilation from Avery weighs in at a hefty 8% abv and will be available from September to December. Meanwhile, Odell's Isolation Ale will be on hand to keep you warm all winter long.  So be on the lookout for these malty classics and other great fall/winter seasonal beers at your local liquor store.

Avery Brewing on Old Jubilation:

Our winter strong ale has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts. Cellarable for 2 years.

Odell Brewing on Isolation Ale:

The copper colored winter warmer is brewed with imported premium malts from England. Isolation has a rich and slightly sweet malt flavor that is complimented by a subtle spice hop finish, and pours a creamy head like frost on a pumpkin.

Second Chance for Avery's Sui Generis

This past Wednesday, Avery Brewing released the second beer in their Barrel Aged Series, Sui Generis, as a brewery only release.  Only 150 cases of the sour ale were produced and the combination of a rare beer from Avery and thousands of crazed beer nuts in the area for the GABF meant it sold out quickly.  I wasn't able to get up there until Friday and there were barely any left by then.  Luckily for those of you who missed out on the initial sale, Adam Avery has decided to pull a few extra cases out of his cellar and make them available this Friday!

The additional cases will go on sale at 4:00pm during the release party for their new duganA IPA for $8 per 12 oz bottle with a 6 bottle maximum per customer.  Be sure to stick around and try the duganA IPA while you're there.  It's the result of two years of experimentation and they're calling it a "transcendental hop experience".

Sui Generis Tasting Notes from Avery Brewing:

A complex ale, aged and artfully blended from several types of oak barrels,  Sui Generis displays a delightful lactic sourness complimented by hints of brett, oak, and acetic.  Intricate yet bold, Sui Generis was crafted in the tradition of perennial Tap Room favorites De Vogelbekdieren and Voltron, and drawn from a most unique group of oak barrels: it is a blend of ales from 39% Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, 35% Chardonnay barrels, 13% Port barrels and 13% Bourbon barrels.

GABF Leftovers at Falling Rock

The Great American Beer Festival may be over, but all the special beers that were pouring last week aren't gone yet.  Falling Rock Tap House on Blake Street still has several rarities available on tap including some of the best beers from the Festival.  The beer list last night featured Elysian's The Great Pumpkin (tastes exactly like liquid pumpkin pie), Lost Abbey's Sinners Blend '09 (the beer pictured), Russian River's Temptation, and a whole slew of rarities from New Belgium (The Trip III, La Folie, Le Terroir, and Le Fleur Misseur) plus the usual stellar offerings you expect from Falling Rock.

I sampled several of these, and while they were all delicious, my clear favorite was the Sinners Blend '09. It is a combination of three different Lost Abbey beers blended together (Ten Commandments aged in Bourbon Barrels, Gift of the Magi aged in French Oak Barrels and Serpent’s Stout aged in Port Barrels). The end result is fantastic and manages to be slightly sour and chocolatey at the same time. Well worth the $8 they are charging for a half pint.

Remember these beers won't last long so get down to Falling Rock as soon as possible.