Winter Wheat Reflects Anchor Brewing's Innovative Spirit

Anchor Brewing Company is not your typical craft brewery. Likewise, Anchor's Winter Wheat is not your typical wheat beer. Both are unique and special in their own way, a treat to be appreciated. Anchor considers itself to be America's first and oldest craft brewery, founded in San Francisco in 1896. It's been a part of American craft brewing tradition and innovation for more than a century, helping to build the industry into what we know it to be today. Winter Wheat is a reflection of such innovation, combining a variety of malted wheat and barley to create a beer with unexpectedly complex and intriguing flavors.

New beer flavors and intricacies have always been an Anchor staple. Like some of its west coast brethren, Anchor blazed new trails from the start. Its famous Steam beer, a style also known as a California Common, was created in part because of the technological restrictions of the late 1800s, but also because of the climate of the San Francisco Bay area. The beer, brewed specifically with the Northern Brewer variety of hops that add woody and rustic flavors, is a unique American west coast classic, different than so many of the citrusy, piney west coast IPAs that have risen in the past 20 years. Anchor has kept some brewing traditions while adapting to and embracing modern techniques, and its beer lineup has also evolved and expanded. Excellent seasonal offerings like Winter Wheat add even more versatility to the brewery's catalogue.

Before I go any further, pay no attention to what you know about wheat beers, even dunkelweizens. The Winter Wheat pours a very dark color, almost black, with a thin head of foam. The aroma is subdued, but consists of cocoa, dark fruits, some roastiness, and a touch of smoke. Winter Wheat has a medium-full body and a thick mouthfeel that coats the tongue. There are rich, malty flavors of dark fruits like plums, raisins, and black cherries. Chocolate and black licorice flavors are also present. While some spiciness comes through, there's little hop bitterness, flavor or aroma. Overall, Winter Wheat is a delicious, intriguing beer that tastes and feels just right for the season.

Anchor's Winter Wheat shows the broad range that different malted grains can have in a beer. Rarely is malted wheat used to create a beer that delves this deeply into darker flavors and aromas. It's a testament to the brewing expertise and creativity that Anchor has always shown in brewing great craft beer.

Colorado is Home to the Best American Brown Ales of 2014

What comes to mind when you think of the brown ale style of beer? If a brown ale sounds boring to you, perhaps you're doing it all wrong. American craft brewers have taken this malty traditional English style and put their own stamp on it, often with a larger dose of hops. The American brown ale is an underrated and versatile style, easily paired with a broad range of foods and enjoyable during any time of the year. It's also easy to find some excellent brown ales to try. In fact, Colorado is home to the American brown ales that were judged to be the best at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival. The gold medal went to Face Down Brown Ale from Telluride Brewing Company, silver went to Braggarts Brown Ale from Diebolt Brewing Company, and bronze went to my personal favorite, Upslope Brewing's Brown Ale.

As with many American craft beer styles, some characteristics of American brown ales can vary or be interpreted by the brewer in different ways. Telluride considers its Face Down Brown to be a hybrid between an English and American brown ale, while I'd say Upslope Brown Ale, at 6.7 percent ABV and with a more pronounced bitterness, is a firm American example. Regardless of specifics, an American brown ale should be dark and roasty, with an aroma and flavors of chocolate, toffee, and toast, but not as roasty or full-bodied as a porter. A good American brown ale should also be balanced and not overly sweet, and very drinkable.

Telluride Brewing has been in operation for only four years, but Face Down Brown can be found throughout many parts of Colorado. Here's what you can expect if you get your hands on a can of it or find it on draft. The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin head of foam. It has a rich, inviting aroma of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and honey - a nice preview for delicious flavors of the same kind. There's enough hop presence to add a bit of spiciness and a slight bitterness. Face Down Brown finishes very smooth, with a lingering flavor resembling brown sugar, some roasted malt, and a nutty character.

Whether you lean more toward hops or malt in your beer styles, there's no denying that Face Down Brown and its fellow GABF winning beers deliver the kinds of flavors that are easily enjoyed. Explore the dark but mellow flavors that make the American brown ale style so delicious and approachable.

Belgian Styles Help Make Boulevard a Standout American Craft Brewery

For developed palates, Belgian strong ales have an undeniable allure. Rich in flavor, deep in complexity, and very sneaky in strength, these revered beer styles represent the upper echelons of brewing to some connoisseurs. When an American craft brewery can pull off some excellent renditions of Belgian strong ales, it's a definite sign that the brewers are doing things well. Some craft breweries have built a reputation and a growing business primarily on Belgian styles. Others may brew a wide range of styles, but also put out a selection of world-class Belgian style beers. Boulevard Brewing Company falls in the latter category, and one of their outstanding Belgian offerings is The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale. This rich, decadent sipping beer is the perfect answer to a cold, frosty evening.

Boulevard, which opened in 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri, made industry news in October of 2013 when it was acquired by Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium. This was not a case of a craft brewery selling out to a large brewing conglomerate, but more an example of an established craft brewery being taken under the strategic wing of a larger family-owned brewery with a long history of high quality products and a commitment to artisanal brewing. Duvel Moortgat also acquired Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York in 2003, and has helped it grow into one of the most well-known and reputable Belgian-focused breweries in America. The Belgian strong ale lineup at Boulevard, which is part of the brewery's Smokestack Series, definitely shows why a Belgian brewery would be interested in partnering with it and helping it expand its reach. Such beers include Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Long Strange Tripel, and The Sixth Glass.

Beers in the Smokestack Series are bottle conditioned, providing a high amount of carbonation and another layer of complexity in the aroma and flavors. The Sixth Glass has a very enticing aroma of sweet dark fruits like cherry and raisins, with some banana, spice, and caramel. It has a medium-full body and a mouthfeel that's both slick and effervescent at the same time. The flavors make The Sixth Glass seem like delicious, deceptive candy for adults - with cherry, plum, caramel, clove, and a touch of alcohol. The sweet flavors, resulting from the use of various malts, the addition of sugars, and Belgian yeast fermentation, give way to a spicy finish that lingers on the tongue. This is a beer that's high in sweetness, high in fruity esters and spicy phenols, but relatively low in bitterness.

The Sixth Glass is an outstanding example of a Belgian dark strong ale, showcasing the delicious elements that make this style so beloved. Strong, complex, and flavorful, it's a beer to be sipped, savored, and respected.

Beer and Coffee Beans Blend Perfectly in Backcountry's Breakfast Stout

Beer for breakfast? Well, not usually. Although some beers really are enticing as a potential A.M. beverage, delivering flavors and elements that resemble a cold cup of Joe. A beer brewed with roasted barley will have big coffee and chocolate flavors, so the addition of actual coffee beans makes a lot of sense. Add lactose, or milk sugar, and you have a beer that's very much like a creamy, roasty, rich cup of coffee. That's exactly what you'll find in a glass of Breakfast Stout from Backcountry Brewery, one of the best beers of its kind I've had from a Colorado brewery.

Breakfast Stout is a limited seasonal release, and makes for a great beer to sip on as the days get colder and darker. Backcountry Brewery, an award winning craft brewery located on Main Street in the town of Frisco, uses coffee beans roasted at a local shop. It's a great partnership between two small businesses in this small Rocky Mountain town, and the freshness of the coffee beans is apparent while enjoying the beer. The use of lactose as an ingredient in the boil makes this a milk stout, adding a touch of sweetness along with a creamy mouthfeel. When the coffee beans are added to this beer, it goes beyond a milk stout into the realm of a breakfast stout, with all components coming together perfectly.

Black as night with a thin head, Breakfast Stout has the rich, dark look you'd expect. The aroma is a straightforward blend of dark chocolate, coffee, and cream. The beer has a medium body with a creaminess from the lactose. Big flavors of roasted barley, coffee, and dark chocolate fill the palate. Breakfast Stout leaves a somewhat dry finish to go along with a lingering roasty bitterness. It's a rich beer, yet lighter than many stouts, and comes in at only 4.4 percent ABV.

If you're looking for a dark beer that's balanced, approachable, smooth, and complex, this Breakfast Stout checks all those boxes. But be warned, it may be very tempting to crack open a bottle before noon!