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.