Retail Beer Releases (Week of 12/6)

The seasonal beers are back in a big way this week and just in time for the Christmas holiday.  California heavyweights Stone, Lost Abbey, and Port have all sent new winter beers to Denver that you won't want to miss.  Lost Abbey's Gift of the Magi is a big Golden Ale inspired by the story of the Three Kings using the bark of Frankincense and a little bit of Myrrh.  Stone's Special Holiday Ale is a collaboration with Nøgne Ø and Jolly Pumpkin that was brewed with chestnuts, juniper berry, white sage, and caraway seed (Check out Chipper Dave's review of last year's version here). Port Brewing's Santa's Little Helper is one of my favorite imperial stouts and it is so flavorful that I have difficulty describing it.  That could be because it's brewed with “everything but the kitchen sink.”  This great beer was also on tap at Falling Rock last weekend, so head down there for a taste.

Additionally, Tommyknocker's The Legend Oaked Brown Ale (covered here) has started showing up on liquor store shelves in the area.  I believe only 1,500 bottles were produced, so get it while you can.

New retail beer releases in the Denver area:

• Anderson Valley Winter Solstice (Seasonal)
• Breckenridge Christmas Ale Hand Numbered 1 liter bottles (Limited Release)
• Del Norte Luminaria (Seasonal)
• Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi (Seasonal)
• Nøgne Ø/Stone/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale (Seasonal)
• Port Santa's Little Helper (Seasonal)
• Tommyknocker The Legend (Limited Release)
• AC Golden Herman Joseph's Private Reserve (New)
• Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti (Seasonal)
• Great Divide Old Ruffian Barleywine (Seasonal)
• Boulevard Harvest Dancer Wheat Wine (Limited Release)

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.

Falling Rock GABF Kickoff Recap

Falling Rock Tap House hosted their 13th annual Great American Beer Festival tapping party on Monday and it was a great way to start the week and try some new brews. As THE beer bar in Denver you just knew the event was going to be special. Especially because they set aside a few kegs specifically for this party each year! Around 10 or so beers were tapped throughout the night featuring some of the best from Avery, Odell, Full Sail, Lost Abbey, Dry Dock, Port, Moylan's, Left Hand, and Great Divide and everything I tasted was fantastic. The two highlights for me were Great Divide's "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale (quite the name!) and Avery's The Beast from the Wood (at 15% abv this is no beer for lightweights). Odell also brought their fantastic new Bourbon Barrel Stout, which seems to be at every event I go to this week and tastes great every time. If you missed the event you can still get a taste of some of these beers at their respective breweries this week. Great Divide will have the Sour Bourbon Claymore available in their tap room and Avery lists both The Beast from the Wood '08 and The Beast From JW Lees’ Wood ’08 as beers they might appear up in Boulder this week.

A blurry picture of a great beer with a long name. Great Divide's "Les" Claymore Sour Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale