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)

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)

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.

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.

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

Colorado GABF 2009 Winners

The Great American Beer Festival announced the 2009 medal winners today and Colorado breweries performed very well, collecting no fewer than 39 medals. Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora led the way for craft brewers with 3 medals plus winning Small Brewing Company of the Year! If you haven't been to their new location yet I suggest going soon as it's a beautiful brewpub and they clearly make some of the best beers around. Another standout looks to be Trinity Brewing's Gold Medal winning TPS Report experimental beer, which I somehow missed while I was at the Festival. I've only heard great things about it and will be heading down to the Springs to get a taste shortly. I'd also like to point out that the newest brewery in Boulder, Upslope Brewing, managed to take home 2 medals despite just opening this year! Their beer only recently started getting distributed to Denver, so grab a can the next time you're in your local beer store. It's great to see our local breweries getting accolades they deserve.

Colorado GABF 2009 Medalists (Brewery, Style, Beer)

• AC Golden Brewing - Bronze European Style Dunkel - Dunkel
• Avery Brewing - Gold German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock - The Kaiser
• Avery Brewing - Bronze Experimental Beer - Brabant
• Backcountry Brewery - Silver Bock - May Bock
• Bristol Brewing - Silver American Style Brown Ale - Cheyenne Cañon Ale
• Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery - Silver Irish Style Red Ale - Colorado Boy Irish
• Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery - Bronze Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter - Colorado Boy IPA
• Colorado Brewing Company - Silver American Style Pale Ale - 44 Pale Ale
• Coors Brewing - Gold American Style Specialty Lager - Keystone Ice
• Coors Brewing - Gold American-Style Lager or Premium Lager - Coors Banquet
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Light Lager - Keystone Light
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Amber Lager - Killian's Red
• Coors Brewing - Silver American Style Specialty Lager - Pre-Pro
• Dry Dock Brewing - Gold German Style Altbier - Bismark Altbier
• Dry Dock Brewing - Silver South German Style Hefeweizen - U-Boat Hefeweizen
• Dry Dock Brewing - Silver German Style Märzen - Reines Marzen
• Durango Brewing - Gold American Style Amber Lager - Durango Colorfest
• Glenwood Canyon Brewing - Gold Other Strong Beer - Cardiff
• Glenwood Canyon Brewing - Bronze German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock - Carbonator
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Silver Bohemian Style Pilsener - Gordon Biersch Pilsner
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Silver European Style Dunkel - Gordon Biersch Alt Bier
• Gordon Biersch Brewery - Bronze Munich Style Helles - Gordon Biersch Golden Export
• Great Divide Brewing - Silver Imperial Stout - Yeti Imperial Stout
• Great Divide Brewing - Bronze Rye Beer - Hoss Rye Lager
• Great Divide Brewing - Bronze Barley Wine Style Ale - Old Ruffian Barley Wine
• Left Hand Brewing - Gold Smoked Beer - Smokejumper Porter
• Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery - Bronze American-Belgo-Style Ale - Temperance
• New Belgium Brewing - Silver German-Style Sour Ale - NBB Love
• Rockyard Brewing - Bronze American-Style Wheat Beer - Double Eagle Ale
• Ska Brewing - Silver English Style Brown Ale - Buster Nut Brown
• Ska Brewing - Bronze English-Style Summer Ale - True Blonde Ale
• Ska Brewing - Bronze Sweet Stout - Steel Toe Stout
• The SandLot - Gold Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - Move Back
• The SandLot - Silver Munich Style Helles - Where the Helles Bill?
• The SandLot - Silver Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - Greenside Up
• Trinity Brewing - Gold Experimental Beer - TPS Report
• Upslope Brewing - Bronze Pro-Am Competition - Time of the Season
• Upslope Brewing - Bronze German-Style Wheat Ale - Upslope Dunkel Weizen

Retail Beer Releases (Week of 9/13)

New week, new beers in Denver. The highlights this week are two brand new brews from Fort Collins Brewery. Tomorrow (9/17) they will be releasing an Oatmeal Raisin Stout both in stores and at the brewery. The only downside is it looks like this one will only be available at Wilbur’s Total Beverage in Fort Collins. However, their other new beer, a coffee infused Amber called Common Ground, will be available in Denver and also sounds great. So keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you like it!

From Fort Collins Brewery:

This style of stout, developed in honor of brewer & Colorado State University Alumnus Matt Wensman, is produced and bottled by The Fort Collins Brewery, and marketed by Wilbur’s Total Beverage. All proceeds from sales are being donated to the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, CSU, to be used in teaching the FTEC 460 Brewing Science and Technology course.

Also be on the look out for these new releases:

• Sierra Nevada Chico Estate Harvest Ale (BeerAdvocate)
• Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale (BeerAdvocate)
• Ska Brewing Merlo Stout (BeerAdvocate)
• Boulevard Seeyoulator Doppelbock (BeerAdvocate)
• Blue Moon Harvest Moon (BeerAdvocate)
• Fort Collins Brewery Common Ground (BeerAdvocate)
• Jack's Pumpkin Spice (BeerAdvocate)