Retail Beer Releases (Week of 11/8)

This week brings us another huge new beer list in the Denver area with several big name seasonal releases.  As I discussed yesterday, the list is anchored by Deschutes' amazing The Abyss imperial stout.  However, there are other rarities worth checking out including Boulder Beer Company's Killer Penguin and The Bruery's Two Turtle Doves.  Killer Penguin is a barleywine that has over twice the malt of other seasonal beers and checks in at a big 10% abv.  According to the blurb on Rate Beer, it's also already been aged for 6 months, so it should be drinking great right away. Meanwhile, Two Turtle Doves is the second beer in The Bruery's Twelve Beers of Christmas series and it's a Belgian dark ale that was brewed with toasted pecans and cocoa nibs.  That sounds perfect for the holidays, but it's also suitable for aging for up to 10 years so you might want to pick up a couple of bottles.

New beer releases in the Denver area:

• Deschutes The Abyss (Seasonal)
• Anchor Our Special Ale 2009 (Seasonal)
• Belhaven Scottish Stout (New)
• Blue Moon Grand Cru (New/Seasonal)
• Boulder Beer Killer Penguin (Seasonal)
• Dogfish Head Chicory Stout (Seasonal)
• Dogfish Head Burton Baton (Limited Release)
• Koningshoeven La Trappe Isid'or (Limited Release)
• Moylan's White Christmas (Seasonal)
• Rockyard Bourbon Barrel Stout (Seasonal)
• The Bruery Two Turtle Doves (Seasonal/Limited Release)
• St. Bernadus Christmas (Seasonal)
• Victory Yakima Twilight (Seasonal)

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)

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.