Oskar Blues Beer Tasting @ Lukas Liquor

This week's tasting at Lukas Liquor in Lone Tree will feature beers from the Oskar Blues Brewery including their amazing Ten FIDY Imperial Stout (the best beer you'll ever have from a can).  As usual, the event will take place from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and a representative from the brewery will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.  Oh and on your way back to Denver don't forget to stop at The Rackhouse Pub and try the Stranahan's Whiskey Barrel-Aged version of Ten FIDY.  It's a rarity that you won't want to miss.

Oskar Blues beers available for tasting:

• Mama's Little Yella Pilsner

This German-style Pilsner (Lager), is the perfect antidote to the mass produced, cornfed versions of an American light lager. This sessionable brew has a big malt backbone and a clean crispness that lends to superior drinkability.

• Dale's Pale Ale

Dale's Pale Ale is Oskar Blues' flagship beer and America's first hand-canned craft beer. It's an assertive but deftly balanced beer (somewhere between an American pale ale and an India Pale Ale) brewed with hefty amounts of European malts and American hops. 

• Old Chub Scotch Ale

Old Chub is a Scottish strong ale brewed with hearty amounts of seven different malts, including crystal and chocolate malts, and a smidge of US and UK hops. Old Chub also gets a dash of beechwood-smoked grains imported from Bamburg, Germany, home of the world's greatest smoked beers. Equivalent to a lightly smoked single malt scotch, or your favorite dark chocolate. 

• Ten FIDY Imperial Stout

This ridiculously big Imperial Stout is immensely vicious and loaded with neck-deep flavors of chocolate, malt, coffee, cocoa and oats. It's the beer equivalent of decadently rich milkshake made with malted-milk balls and Heaven’s best chocolate ice cream. Ten FIDY is about 10% ABV and is made with enormous amounts of two-row malts, chocolate malts, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Its huge-but-comforting flavors hide a whopping 98 IBUs that are deftly tucked underneath the beer’s mountains of malty goodness. 

Fort Collins Brewing Tasting @ Lukas Liquors

This week's tasting at Lukas Liquors in Littleton will feature beers from the Fort Collins Brewing Company including their seasonal Double Chocolate Stout.  As usual, the event will take place from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and a representative from the brewery will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

FCB beers available for tasting:

• Double Chocolate Stout

The most decadent creation ever to be conjured in the Fort Collins brewhouse. Deep, roasty flavors, rich chocolate nose, coffee undertones and impeccable balance are the result of imperializing an already flawless brew. Perfect way to put a smile on your face on a dreary day. No chocolate was harmed in the making of this delicious aphrodisiac.

• Retro Red Ale

This banshee of a red ale is a looker, and a taster. English crystal malts create a toasty, nutty flavor and medium body as Tettnang hops produce an assertive, yet balanced hop presence. Retro Red is a tantalizing treat for your taste-buds, and your eyes.

• Rocky Mountain IPA

An I.P.A. by definition is liberally hopped, and higher in alcohol. Rocky Mountain I.P.A. was made by being dry-hopped for an intense floral aroma, and a generous helping of malt was added to create a backbone stable enough to support the characteristic bitterness of the beer.

• Z Smoked Amber Lager

Rauchbier (smoked beer) dates back to the 1500's in Bamberg, Germany when malt was often dried over the flames of a beechwood fire. Z Lager was crafted to be smoky and palatable. Slight caramel undertones and a bright amber color compliment the lingering smoke flavors. Perfect companion to a good meal.

Odell Brewing Tasting @ Lukas Liquors Today

Today, November 6th, Lukas Liquor in Lone Tree will be hosting a special Odell Brewing beer tasting from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.  This week they'll be sampling four great beers including Odell's seasonal Isolation Ale and their brand new Mountain Standard Reserve.  This is the perfect opportunity to try new beers at a great price, FREE!

These four Odell offerings will be available for tasting:

• Isolation Ale

Ever been in a warm, cozy cabin and had a secret desire to get snowed in? To celebrate the winter season, we offer our Isolation Ale – a traditional winter brew made with premium malts imported from England. It’s just one of the reasons Isolation Ale stands alone.

• Mountain Standard Reserve

This is more than a limited edition offering. It’s an enigma in liquid form. At first it looks like a deep mahogany ale, then you take your first sip and notice its distinct hoppy character. We begin with a ridiculous amount of Cascade and Chinook hop varietals from Western Colorado and bring out their flavor with the hop back. Then we double dry hop for even more of that aroma you love. The result is an unforgettable beer from the forgotten time zone.

• Levity Amber Ale.

Levity is our lighter take on the amber ale. Munich and honey malts give it a full-bodied flavor and a happy-go-lucky personality. Then we let the finishing hops shine, for a beer that’s crisp instead of bitter. Levity was named by our brewers partly for its light color – and partly for the way it just refuses to take itself too seriously. Hey, we could all use a little levity once in a while.

• Easy Street Wheat

Light and refreshing, Easy Street Wheat is an unfiltered American-style wheat beer. Leaving in the yeast gives the beer a nice, smooth finish and a slightly citrusy flavor. Easy Street Wheat gets its name by brewers “taking it easy” and not filtering the beer. However, for ultimate enjoyment, we encourage you to work just a little harder in pouring it: pour 2/3 of the beer into a glass, swirl what’s left to stir up the yeast, then pour the rest and enjoy.

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)

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!